Jan. 16, 2014
Quick Hitters
• Georgia Tech finished the 2013 season with a 7-6 record, 5-3 in the ACC, and played in a bowl game for the 17th consecutive season to extend the nation’s third-longest streak.
• The Yellow Jackets were the nation’s sixth-best rushing team in 2013 at 299.3 yards per game and have rushed for more yards than any FBS team since 2008.
• Georgia Tech appeared in a bowl game for the 42nd time — 17th consecutive — and its .548 bowl winning percentage is ninth-best among teams with at least 25 appearances.
• Tech finished at .500 or better for 19th consecutive season in conference play to extend the nation’s longest such streak.
• With 12.5 sacks in 2013, senior All-American DE Jeremiah Attaochu finished sixth nationally in the category and set Georgia Tech’s all-time sacks record with 31.5 in his standout career. Attaochu accumulated 10.5 sacks over the final six games of the season, including four versus Georgia.
• Senior A-back Robert Godhigh was one of the nation’s best big-play threats as his 15 plays from scrimmage of 30 yards or longer were fourth-most nationally. The 5-foot-7 former walk-on was named the 2013 recipient of the ACC’s Brian Piccolo Award, which is presented annually to the league’s most courageous player.
• Godhigh logged 1,215 yards from scrimmage (744 rush, 471 catch) and his average of 11.9 yards per play led all running backs in the FBS. Of his 102 touches, 55 percent resulted in first downs or touchdowns.
• Five Tech players earned All-ACC honors from the media, including OG Shaq Mason (first-team) and DE Jeremiah Attaochu (second team). Running backs David Sims and Robert Godhigh, and OG Will Jackson earned honorable mention honors.
• On the coaches’ All-ACC team, Attaochu was first team, Mason third team and Sims honorable mention.
• Georgia Tech ranked in the top 10 nationally in eight different statistical categories.
• The Yellow Jackets led the nation in yards per pass completion (18.42), a full 1.5 yards better than second-place Baylor.
• Tech finished tied for fourth nationally in third-down percentage (.514) behind only LSU, Louisville and Florida State. Only eight FBS teams had third-down percentages better than .500.
• Tech blocked three punts in 2013 – all by Chris Milton. North Texas was the only FBS team with more blocked punts.
• The Jackets blocked five kicks – three punts, one field goal and one PAT. Only four FBS teams blocked more kicks in 2013.
• Tech had more rushing attempts (808) than any team in the country.
• The Yellow Jackets tied Oregon for the most rushing touchdowns (48) nationally.
• Tech produced 41 rushing plays of 20 yards or more. Only Oregon (43 plays) had more in 2013.
Tech Notebook
• Tech’s six losses were to teams that were all bowl eligible with a combined record of 52-26. Five of the teams were either ranked or receiving votes in at least one of the final top 25 polls.
• The Jackets faced 10 bowl-eligible teams in 2013.
• Tech’s scoring average of 35.1 points per game was the third-highest in the modern era (since 1950). The school’s modern record is 40.7 ppg in 1999.
• Georgia Tech, Ohio State and Wisconsin are the only teams in the nation to rank in the top 11 nationally in both rushing offense and rushing defense. The Jackets were sixth in rush offense and 11th in rush defense.
• Tech began the season 3-0, marking the second 3-0 start in the last three years, but just the third in the last 12 years. Tech started 2-0 in the ACC for the second time under Paul Johnson (2011).
• The Jackets defeated Elon 70-0, Syracuse 56-0 and Alabama A&M 66-7 to move Paul Johnson to 20-0 at Tech when surpassing 40 points.
• The shutouts to Elon and Syracuse marked the first since 2008 — and marked the first time since 1985 that Tech recorded two shutouts in the same season.
• Tech’s 38-14 win at Duke was the Jackets’ 10th consecutive win in the series.
• Overcoming two different 13-point deficits, Tech defeated UNC, 28-20 — its fifth straight win over the Heels.
• Tech scored 136 points through its first three games in 2013 — the second-most through three games over the program’s last 50 seasons.
• After averaging 6.0 penalties over the first six games of the season, Georgia Tech was flagged just 3.7 times per games over the final six games (the second-fewest penalties in the ACC over that span).
• Tech led Miami 17-0 in the first quarter, and was within one (24-23) in the fourth quarter before three straight Hurricane touchdowns.
• Tech’s margin of victory in the Syracuse win (56-0) was its largest ever in an ACC game and ranks as the eighth-largest all-time in ACC conference games.
• Tech amassed more than 400 yards of total offense in 10 of the 13 games — only Virginia Tech (273), Pitt (360) and Ole Miss (298) held Tech below 400.
• Zach Laskey (133), Robert Godhigh (111) and David Sims (107) all rushed for 100 yards in the Virginia win – the first time in modern Georgia Tech history (since 1950) that three different Yellow Jackets have rushed for 100 yards.
• The Jackets beat both of the ACC’s newcomers – Pitt and Syracuse – by a combined score of 77-10.
• Robert Godhigh racked up 229 all-purpose yards at Clemson (126 rushing, 103 receiving) and became the first Jacket since Orwin Smith in 2011 to rush and receive for 100 yards in a game.
• In the regular-season finale, Tech jumped on Georgia 20-0 early and led 27-17 in the fourth before surrendering the lead and falling in double overtime.
• Jeremiah Attaochu’s four sacks against Georgia were the third-most single-game sacks in Georgia Tech history.
• Vad Lee rushed for two touchdowns and passed for two touchdowns against Georgia. The last time a Georgia Tech player had at least two rushing touchdowns and two passing TDs in the same game was Joshua Nesbitt on Oct. 31, 2009 against Vanderbilt.
