Sept. 24, 2007
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Yellow Jackets Hosting No. 13 Clemson Saturday At 3:30
Georgia Tech, looking to get back on track after back-to-back Atlantic Coast Conference losses, faces a stiff challenge Saturday when it hosts undefeated and 13th-ranked Clemson at Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field (3:30 p.m./ABC).
The Yellow Jackets, 2-2 overall and 0-2 in the ACC, lost 28-23 at Virginia last Saturday. Tech, which played three quarters of the game without defending ACC rushing leader Tashard Choice (hamstring), led 23-21 heading into the fourth quarter, but could not hold on for the road win.
Choice is questionable for Saturday’s game and several other starters are nursing injuries.
Clemson, which averages 38.3 points per game, is coming off a 42-20 road win at NC State last Saturday. The Tigers, trying to keep pace with unbeaten Boston College in the ACC’s Atlantic Division, opened the season with an impressive 24-18 win over Florida State.
Georgia Tech leads the all-time series with Clemson, 45-24-2, but the Tigers handed the Yellow Jackets a 31-7 loss last season in Death Valley (more series information on page three).
What To Look For Saturday
– Georgia Tech will try to avoid its first 0-3 start in ACC play since 1994.
– While the Yellow Jackets have enjoyed a fair share of success against nationally-ranked teams (16 wins vs. ranked teams over the last 10 years), Tech is looking for its first win at home against a ranked team since Sept. 6, 2003 vs. Auburn.
– Georgia Tech is looking for its 40th victory in six seasons under head coach Chan Gailey (39-29).
Three Georgia Tech Starters Questionable For Saturday
Three Georgia Tech starters, including senior running back Tashard Choice, are questionable for Saturday’s game because of injuries.
Choice (hamstring) was injured two weeks ago in the Boston College game. He played only one quarter last Saturday at Virginia.
Also questionable Saturday are outside linebacker Shane Bowen, safety Djay Jones and back-up tackle Jacob Lonowski.
Tech, Clemson Combining To Average 72 Points Per Game
Both Georgia Tech and Clemson can score points in bunches and both teams have solid defenses. That makes for an intriguing match-up on Saturday:
n While Clemson leads the ACC in scoring (38.2 ppg), Georgia Tech’s defense ranks second in the league in scoring defense (17.2 ppg).
– Conversely, the Yellow Jackets average 33.8 points per game, while the Tiger defense allows just 18.5 points per game.
– Clemson (445.0 ypg) and Georgia Tech (374.0 ypg) rank second and third, respectively, in the ACC in total offense.
– The Yellow Jackets lead the ACC in rushing offense (208.0 ypg) and Clemson ranks second (179.0 ypg).
– Georgia Tech and Clemson rank one-two, respectively, in the ACC in turnover margin. The Yellow Jackets own a +7 margin, which ranks sixth nationally. The Tigers are right behind with a +6 turnover margin.
– Saturday’s game features the ACC’s top two scorers — Tech kicker Travis Bell (11.0 ppg) and Tiger kicker Mark Buchholz (9.2 ppg).
Georgia Tech-Clemson Series History
– Georgia Tech leads, 45-24-2.
– The Yellow Jackets and Tigers have split the last two, four and eight meetings.
– Clemson won last year’s meeting, 31-7, at Clemson, in a battle of two nationally-ranked teams.
– Since 1996, five games in the series have been decided by five points or less.
– Georgia Tech holds a 40-13-2 series lead in games played in Atlanta. Clemson has won two of the last three meetings on The Flats.
– The last four meetings have resulted in two narrow Georgia Tech wins and two Clemson blowouts.
– The Tech-Clemson series dates back to 1898 when the two teams met in Augusta, Ga. The Yellow Jackets and Tigers played on Thanksgiving Day every year from 1905 to 1914.
– Georgia Tech head coach Chan Gailey is 2-3 all-time vs. Clemson.
– Clemson coach Tommy Bowden is 4-4 lifetime vs. Georgia Tech.
Tech-Tiger Connections
– Georgia Tech has four players on its roster from South Carolina: Martin Frierson (Columbia), Sedric Griffin (Blair), Ben Anderson (Aiken) and Vance Walker (Fort Mill).
– Clemson has 14 players on its roster from the state of Georgia, including Atlanta players James Davis, Ray Ray McElrathbey and Kwam Williams.
– McElrathbey and Tech back-up quarterback Calvin Booker were teammates at Mays High School.
n Georgia Tech cornerback Jahi Word-Daniels and Clemson’s Brandon and Byron Clear all played at Hoover High School in Alabama.
– Yellow Jackets Greg Smith and Jason Hill, and Tiger running back James Davis all attended Douglass High School.
– Tech offensive tackle Nathan McManus and Clemson’s Tribble Reese both went to Mountain Brook High School in Alabama.
– Jacket safety Joe Gaston and Clemson’s Aaron Kelly both played previously at Walton High School.
– Tech reserve Matt Kamp and Tiger Kyle Davisson both went to Milton High School.
– Georgia Tech offensive coordinator John Bond and Clemson assistant coach David Blackwell worked together at Illinois State from 1996-99.
– Yellow Jacket offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris and Tiger outside linebackers coach Ron West worked together one season at Livingston in 1979. D’Alessandris was serving as an assistant coach and West a graduate assistant.
– Tech wide receivers coach Buddy Geis and Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden have not coached together, but they both previously served as Duke’s offensive coordinator. Geis held that position in 1993, Bowden in 1985 and 1986.
– Bowden was Auburn’s offensive coordinator in 1993 when Georgia Tech special teams coach Charles Kelly was serving as a graduate assistant at Auburn.
– Yellow Jacket tight ends coach Jeep Hunter and Tiger defensive line coach Chris Rumph were on the same coaching staff at Memphis from 2003-05.
– Tech defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta was North Carolina’s defensive coordinator in 2001. Clemson running backs coach Andre’ Powell was on that `01 Tar Heel staff.
– Yellow Jacket strength coach Eric Ciano worked at Louisiana Tech in 2000 when current Clemson offensive coordinator Rob Spence was working as La Tech’s offensive co-coordinator.
– Clemson associate head coach Brad Scott was the head coach at South Carolina from 1994 to 1998. During that time, Georgia Tech athletic director Dan Radakovich was serving as South Carolina’s associate athletic director.
The Last Meeting
CLEMSON 31, GEORGIA TECH 7
Oct. 21, 2006 / Clemson Memorial Stadium
James Davis ran for a career-high 216 yards and C.J. Spiller scored two 50-yard touchdowns as No. 12 Clemson defeated 13th-ranked Georgia Tech, 31-7.
Davis, then the Atlantic Coast Conference’s leading rusher, got the Tigers scoring started with a two-yard TD run. Spiller added a 50-yard scoring run in the third quarter and answered the Yellow Jackets’ only score with a 50-yard catch-and-run to help Clemson to its sixth straight victory.
The Tigers held Tech All-America receiver Calvin Johnson without a reception. Johnson came in leading the conference with 35 catches for 559 yards and had caught at least two passes in every one of his 30 collegiate games.
Georgia Tech closed to 17-7 in the fourth quarter when its other receiving Johnson, James, hauled in a 35-yard touchdown pass off Clemson defender Crezdon Butler with 13:31 left.
Spiller, a freshman who finished with 116 yards rushing, ended all thoughts of a comeback when he took Will Proctor’s flip pass, stopped to let the defenders slide past and headed down the sideline for the score and a 24-7 lead.
Davis finished the scoring, setting up his own five-yard touchdown with a 54-yard run.
Clemson outgained Georgia Tech 426 yards to 205.
It was just the second-ever matchup of teams ranked in the top 13 at Death Valley. Clemson fans filled Bowman Field 10 hours before the 7:45 p.m. kickoff for ESPN College Gameday, then the Tigers came out after warmups in all-purple uniforms.
The Tigers had their first-half struggles. Proctor was intercepted by Djay Jones to end Clemson’s opening possession and a second-quarter drive ended on Tyler Grisham’s fumble, which was caused by Jones and recovered by Tech linebacker Philip Wheeler.
GEORGIA TECH 0 0 0 7 – 7
CLEMSON 0 7 10 14 – 31
Scoring Summary
CU- Davis 2 Run (Dean Kick), 11:49, 2nd
CU- Dean 25 FG, 11:06, 3rd
CU- Spiller 50 Run (Dean Kick), 0:58, 3rd
GT- JJohnson 35 Pass from Ball (Bell Kick), 13:31, 4th
CU- Spiller 50 Pass from Proctor (Dean Kick), 11:37, 4th
CU- Davis 5 Run (Dean Kick), 7:29, 4th
Attendance-83,000
LEADING RUSHERS
GT- Choice 15-48; Evans 6-29; Ball 12-8; Grant 3-7
CU- Davis 21-216, 2 TD; Spiller 16-116, 1 TD
LEADING PASSERS
GT- Ball 25-12-1, 1 TD
CU- Proctor 16-7-1, 105, 1 TD
LEADING RECEIVERS
GT- JJohnson 7-75, 1 TD; Dunlap 2-21; Matthews 2-18
CU- Grisham 2-25; Ford 2-7; Spiller 1-50, 1 TD
Good News: Earls Will Be OK
Georgia Tech redshirt freshman wide receiver Correy Earls, who suffered a head injury in last Saturday’s football game at Virginia, returned home Sunday after staying overnight at a Charlottesville (Va.) hospital.
Earls, a Macon (Ga.) native, was carried off the field at Virginia’s Scott Stadium last Saturday and rushed to the University of Virginia Medical Center. After undergoing a series of radiological tests, Earls was cleared Sunday to return home after all tests were negative.
“We took precaution (Saturday) because our worst fear was that there could be damage to the cervical spine,” Georgia Tech team physician Dr. John Xerogeanes said Sunday. “In any situation such as that, we are going to error on the side of caution.”
Earls’ tests at the UVa Medical Center included X-rays, CT scans and an MRI. After all tests were negative, Earls was observed overnight and released this morning.
“Correy will be evaluated on a weekly basis,” Xerogeanes said.
Earls saw significant action in Saturday’s game at Virginia. Earls caught two passes for 21 yards and returned one kickoff 21 yards.
Clemson Game 3:30 On ABC; Maryland Game At Noon
Georgia Tech’s game vs. Clemson on Saturday will be televised regionally by ABC at 3:30 p.m.
The Georgia Tech-Maryland game, scheduled for October 6, will be played at Noon and will be televised by Raycom/Lincoln Financial.
