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BLACKSBURG, Va. – Making his first-career start, redshirt freshman quarterback Tobias Oliver ran for 215 yards and three touchdowns to lead Georgia Tech to an impressive 49-28 win at Virginia Tech on Thursday night.
Behind Oliver, Georgia Tech (4-4, 3-2 ACC) became the first visiting team with three-straight wins at VT’s Lane Stadium since Miami (Fla.) accomplished the feat in 1967, 1982 and 1992.
The teams traded touchdowns on the first five possessions of the game but momentum shifted when Virginia Tech (4-3, 3-1 ACC) muffed the first punt of the game and it was recovered by GT’s Jalen Johnson at VT’s 12-yard line early in the second quarter. Two plays later, redshirt freshman B-back Jordan Mason scored the first of his three touchdowns to pull the Yellow Jackets even at 21-21.
From there, the Jackets scored 35-consecutive points to pull away for not only its third-straight win at Virginia Tech but also its third-straight win over the Hokies overall. Each of Georgia Tech’s last two wins in Blacksburg were engineered by quarterbacks making their first-career starts – Matthew Jordan led the Yellow Jackets’ 30-20 win at Lane Stadium in 2016.
Oliver’s 215 rushing yards were the second-most ever by a GT quarterback and his 40 carries were the second-most in school history, regardless of position (behind TaQuon Marshall’s 249 yards on 44 carries in his first-career start versus Tennessee on Sept. 4, 2017).
Georgia Tech returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 3 at North Carolina. Kickoff is set for 12:15 p.m. and will be televised on Raycom Sports outlets across the nation (CW69 in Atlanta).
In his first-career start, Tobias Oliver ran 40 times for 215 yards (the second-most by a QB in Georgia Tech history) to lead the Jackets to a 49-28 win at Virginia Tech.
Team
- Georgia Tech evened its record at 4-4 and moved to 2-3 in ACC play. Virginia Tech fell to 4-3 overall and suffered its first conference loss of the season to fall to 3-1 in ACC play.
- Georgia Tech beat Virginia Tech for the third-consecutive year, good for the Yellow Jackets’ longest winning streak in the history of the 16-game series.
- Georgia Tech also won its third-straight game at VT’s Lane Stadium (27-24 in 2014, 30-20 in 2016) to become the first visiting team to win three-straight games at Virginia Tech since Miami (Fla.) in 1967, 1982 and 1992. GT is only the seventh team to ever win three-straight games at VT (joining Clemson – eight in a row from 1935-1989, George Washington – five in row from 1908-55, William & Mary – four in a row from 1942-52, Kentucky – three in a row from 1969-78, Florida State – three in a row from 1977-89 and Miami – three in a row from 1967-92).
- Georgia Tech rushed for 465 yards, matching a school record with its fourth 400-yard rushing game of the season. The Yellow Jackets set the school record by rushing for 400-plus yards four times last season (2017).
- Twenty-five of the 33 400-yard rushing games in Georgia Tech history have come in head coach Paul Johnson’s 11 seasons as the Yellow Jackets’ head coach. Since Johnson’s arrival on The Flats, Georgia Tech has rushed for 400 yards in a game 25 times in 137 contests (once every 5.5 games). Prior to his arrival, the Yellow Jackets had rushed for 400 yards in a game eight times in 1,138 contests (once every 142.3 games).
- Georgia Tech’s 234 rushing yards in the first half were the most allowed by Virginia Tech in the first half of any game since at least 1987.
- For the first time ever in an ACC game, Georgia Tech did not complete a pass (0-for-1). The last time GT did not complete a pass in a game was Nov. 26, 1977, a 16-7 win vs. Georgia.
- The last time that an ACC team didn’t complete a pass in a game was Nov. 18, 1972, when Wake Forest didn’t complete a pass in a 15-12 loss to Virginia.
- After surrendering 216 yards and 21 points on Virginia Tech’s first three possessions of the game, Georgia Tech’s defense limited VT to 37 yards and zero points over its next five possessions before the Hokies drove for an inconsequential touchdown on their final offensive series.
- Virginia Tech’s 323 total yards were its second fewest of the season (prev. 319 vs. Florida State, Sept. 3).
Individual
- Making his first-career start, Georgia Tech r-Fr. QB Tobias Oliver rushed for 215 yards on 40 carries (both career highs) and scored three touchdowns (which matched a career high).
- Oliver became only the second quarterback in Georgia Tech history to rush for 200 yards in a game, joining TaQuon Marshall, who ran for 249 yards in his first-career start vs. Tennessee (Sept. 4, 2017).
- Oliver’s 215 rushing yards were the seventh-most in Georgia Tech history, regardless of position.
- Oliver’s 215 rushing yards were the most by an ACC player this season (prev.: 203 – Clemson’s Travis Etienne vs. Syracuse, Sept. 29).
- Oliver’s 40 carries were the second-most in school history, regardless of position (record: 44 by Marshall vs. Tennessee, Sept. 4, 2017).
- Georgia Tech r-Fr. BB Jordan Mason’s three touchdown runs were a career high (prev. 2 vs. Bowling Green, Sept. 29).
Georgia Tech’s defense surrendered just 37 yards during a stretch of five Virginia Tech possessions to allow the offense to score 35-straight points en route to the 49-28 triumph.
GT Video Recap
ACC Digital Network Condensed Game (Video)
ACC Digital Network Highlights (Video)
ACC Digital Network Highlights – Tobias Oliver (Video)
Georgia Tech IMG Sports Network Highlights (Audio)
Paul Johnson Postgame Press Conference (Audio)
