Oct. 2, 2010
By Jon Cooper
Sting Daily
– Georgia Tech and Wake Forest both look to get back on track and get above the .500 mark in the ACC when they meet Saturday night at BB&T Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:05 (the game will be televised on ESPNU).
The Yellow Jackets, who dropped a 45-28 decision to North Carolina State at Bobby Dodd Stadium last week, will try to stay perfect in ACC road games and even their record against the Atlantic Division. They’re currently in second place in the Coastal Division behind Virginia Tech, who is 1-0 in conference play.
The Demon Deacons are looking to stop a two-game losing streak and raise their record to 3-0 at home. Wake scored 107 points in their first two home games against Presbyterian and Duke, but managed only 24 in two bad road losses, 68-24 at No. 19 Stanford and 31-0 last weekend at Florida State. Like the Yellow Jackets, the Deacons are 1-1 in the conference, but are 0-1 inside the Atlantic.
Look for plenty of offense, as the teams rank fourth and fifth in the conference in scoring offense (Wake averages 27.8 points per game, while Tech puts up 26.2 ppg).
Tech holds a 21-8 all-time edge in the series and has won nine of the last 12 overall in the series. The Jackets also have been very good on the road, winning six of the last seven meetings at BB&T field, where they’re 8-2 all-time.
Here are a few more statistical tidbits to get you ready for kickoff.
1 – The number of touchdowns scored against Wake Forest by current Georgia Tech players not named Joshua Nesbitt. Preston Lyons has it, a 31-yard run last year.
2 – The number of touchdowns scored against Wake Forest by Nesbitt. The last one was the game-winner in overtime last year.
2 – The number of consecutive carries taken to the house by sophomore A-Back Orwin Smith. Smith went 73 yards against North Carolina, then 10 yards last week against N.C. State.
4 – The number of consecutive conference road games won by Georgia Tech. Their last conference away loss was last Sept. 17, at Miami.
4 – The number of consecutive shutouts by Georgia Tech to open the series with Wake. They came in games played in 1917, 1919, 1920 and 1921. There hasn’t been a shutout since the resumption of the series in 1982.
5 – The career-high number of touchdowns scored either on defense or on special teams by junior safety Jerrard Tarrant.
5 – The number of times Georgia Tech’s teams have scored at least 31 points under Paul Johnson. They are 5-0 in those games, 1-0 this season.
6 – Nesbitt’s ACC-leading touchdown total.
6 – The number of times in the last seven games that Georgia Tech has allowed a 100-yard rusher. Tech did not allow an NC State runner to hit the century mark, however. The last time prior to last week that the Jackets did not allow a 100-yard rusher in back-to-back games was last Nov. 7 and 14, against Wake Forest and Duke. They were the final two games of a four-game stretch when they didn’t allow a 100-yard rusher.
7 – The number of times in 11 games that Georgia Tech has won under Paul Johnson despite allowing an opposing back to rush for 100 yards. That includes a 2-1 mark this year.
7 – The number of games in the last 12 in the series decided by five points or less. Tech has a 4-3 edge in those games.
8 – The number of times Tech has scored at least 41 under Johnson. They are 8-0, also 1-0 this season.
10 – The number of games won by Georgia Tech in the series when the teams have combined to score at least 50 points.
11 – The number of games in the series in which the teams have combined to score at least 50 points.
63.8 – The combined average of points per game by Tech (31.0) and Wake (32.8).
13 – The number of wins Georgia Tech has over the last two seasons. That’s 10 off the school record for a two-year period, set in 1951 and ’52. Tech can match that total should they run the table (including winning the ACC Championship Game and a bowl game).
13 – The number of yards Anthony Allen needs to crack the 2,000-yards career rushing barrier. The first 1,102 of those yards came in his two seasons at Louisville.
13.2 – The difference in scoring defense between Georgia Tech (26.8) and Wake Forest (40.0).
14 – The number of quarters out of 16 that Georgia Tech has scored this season.
9 – The number of quarters out of 12 in the last three games in which Wake Forest has allowed at least 10 points.
14.3 – The yards per carry average for Anthony Allen in his career vs. the Demon Deacons. He has 42 yards on three attempts, including a long of 20 yards.
82 – The difference in rushing yards per game between Georgia Tech, the ACC’s top-ranked rushing team (320.5), and Wake Forest (238.5), which is second. Tech is fourth nationally, while Wake is 15th.
86 – The career-high number of yards of total offense by freshman B.J. Bostic last week against N.C. State. He had 51 rushing yards, including a 43-yard burst, and a 35-yard kickoff return.
189 – The career-high number of yards rushed by Jonathan Dwyer in last season’s dramatic 30-27 overtime victory by Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
10 Things To Know About Wake Forest…
2 – Junior defensive end Kyle Wilber’s rank in the nation in tackles for loss per game (2.75) and sacks (5). His. 1.25 sacks per game rank fourth.
3 – Redshirt Senior safety Alex Frye’s national rank in interceptions. The senior safety has three picks this season. He is one behind Texas Tech freshman Jarvis Phillips and Alabama sophomore Robert Lester.
11 – The career-high number of tackles made last week by Wilber and Frye. Included in Wilber’s totals were three tackles for loss and two sacks, while Frye added a pass break-up.
1,997 – The number of career rushing yards senior Josh Adams brings into Saturday. He’s three yards shy of becoming the fourth player in Wake Forest history to rush for more than 2,000 yards while also pulling in 80 receptions.
147 – The number of points allowed by Wake Forest over its last three games, against Duke (48), Stanford (68) and Florida State (31).
16 – The number of games since Wake Forest has had a 100-yard rusher. That includes all of the 2009 season and the first four games of 2010. The last Demon Deacon to gain at least 100 yards on the ground was Kevin Harris, who ran for 136 yards in Wake’s 29-19 victory over Navy in the EagleBank Bowl on Dec. 20, 2008.
22 – The number of yards on rushing touchdowns by wide receivers Chris Givens and Michael Campbell against Stanford. Both came on reverses. Both plays were career-longs.
28 – The number of points Wake Forest has gotten off of seven turnovers (four interceptions, three fumble recoveries). They scored 21 of those points off three turnovers in their season opener against Presbyterian.
.735 – Wake Forest’s winning percentage under Jim Grobe when scoring at least 24 points. The Deacons are 50-18 when getting to 24, including 2-1 this year and 27-6 since the start of 2006. They were an uncharacteristic 5-4 when hitting 24 last year, including the 30-27 OT loss at Georgia Tech.
.239 – Wake Forest’s winning percentage when scoring under 24 points (11-35).
