Nov. 23, 2009
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Jackets, Bulldogs Set For 104th Meeting Saturday At Bobby Dodd
Georgia Tech, which has not played since clinching the ACC’s Coastal Division title Nov. 14 at Duke, takes on in-state rival Georgia for the 104th time Saturday night at Bobby Dodd Stadium (8:00 p.m./ABC).
The Yellow Jackets, ranked seventh by the Associated Press, USA Today and in the BCS standings, are coming off a much-needed open date after playing 11 consecutive weeks.
Tech, 10-1 overall and 7-1 in the ACC, clinched its first Coastal Division championship since 2006 by scoring 49 unanswered points at Duke. Junior Jonathan Dwyer ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns, and junior quarterback Josh Nesbitt threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in the victory.
The Yellow Jackets will play Clemson, the Atlantic Division champion, Dec. 5 in Tampa, Fla. in the Dr. Pepper ACC Championship Game.
Georgia, 6-5 overall and 4-4 in the SEC, saw its two-game winning streak end last Saturday with a 34-27 home loss to Kentucky. The Bulldogs had more rushing, passing and total yards than the Wildcats, but committed four costly turnovers.
Georgia leads the all-time series, 59-39-5. Georgia Tech snapped a seven-year losing skid to the Bulldogs with a 45-42 win last season in Athens.
Key Statistical Match-Ups
• Georgia Tech ranks second nationally in rushing offense (314.1 ypg). Georgia ranks third in the SEC in rushing defense (120.5 ypg).
• The Bulldogs rank first nationally in net punting (42.8 ypa), while the Jackets rank 11th nationally in punt returns (14.32 ypa).
• Georgia ranks second in the SEC in red-zone offense. Tech ranks fourth in the ACC in red-zone defense.
2009 Has Been A Season Of “Firsts” For The Yellow Jackets
• Georgia Tech’s 49-10 win at Duke (Nov. 14) gave the Yellow Jackets their first ACC Coastal Division crown since 2006.
• Tech’s 34-9 win at Virginia (Oct. 24) was its first in Charlottesville since 1990, breaking a streak of eight consecutive losses at UVA’s Scott Stadium.
• The Yellow Jackets’ 28-23 win over Virginia Tech (Oct. 17) was its first win at home against a team ranked in the top five since 1962.
• Tech’s 49-44 win at Florida State (Oct. 10) marked its first win ever in Tallahassee, breaking an 0-6 streak.
• Georgia Tech has won 10 games overall and seven conference games for the first time since 1998.
• The Jackets won five road games in a season for the first time since 1998.
• Tech’s eight-game winning streak is its longest since 1990 and ties for the seventh-longest current streak nationally.
Tech’s Numbers Over Last Seven Games: Eye-Popping
Over the last seven games, Georgia Tech has averaged 41.1 points, 343.9 yards rushing and 485.3 yards of total offense.
Tech’s average time of possession over the last seven games has been 35:36. Junior running back Jonathan Dwyer has averaged 125.3 yards rushing, and junior quarterback Josh Nesbitt has rushed for 13 touchdowns during that stretch.
Quick Notes On The Jackets
• Georgia Tech has punted in the second half of a game just once since October 3rd, vs. Mississippi State.
• Tech went through an extremely difficult October — five games, including four road games — without a blemish.
• Tech ranks second nationally in rushing offense (314.1 ypg) behind Nevada. The Jackets have rushed for more than 300 yards in a game nine times this season. No other ACC team averages 200 yards rushing.
• Tech has produced more than 300 yards of total offense in 15 of the last 16 games.
• Georgia Tech has rushed for 400 yards in a game seven times over the last 20 seasons. Six have come under Paul Johnson, including a 412-yard effort vs. Wake Forest on Nov. 7.
• Tech might not pass that often — 128 attempts in 11 games — but it averages a remarkable 24.4 yards per completion and has completed nine passes of 50 yards or longer.
ACC Title Game Opponent: Clemson
One week after Georgia Tech clinched the ACC’s Coastal Division title, Clemson grabbed the Atlantic Division crown this past Saturday.
The two teams will meet in the Dec. 5 Dr. Pepper ACC Championship Game in Tampa, Fla. Tech, making its first appearance in the title game since 2006, beat Clemson earlier this season, 30-27, in a wild game at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Tech has won the last three and five of the last six meetings with the Tigers.
Yellow Jackets Remain At No. 7 In BCS, Major Polls
Georgia Tech remained seventh in the Associated Press poll, the USA Today poll and in the BCS standings for the third straight week.
Tech’s No. 7 national ranking is its highest national ranking since Nov. 1, 1999. The Yellow Jackets were ranked seventh for three weeks in the 1999 AP poll.
Tech-Georgia Series History
• Georgia leads the all-time series, 59-39-5.
• The Yellow Jackets’ 45-42 win in Athens last season snapped a seven-year losing skid to the Bulldogs.
• Tech is 26-31-4 against Georgia in Atlanta. The Yellow Jackets have lost four straight in Bobby Dodd Stadium to the Bulldogs. Tech’s last home win in the series was a 51-48 overtime win in 1999.
• The last meeting in Bobby Dodd Stadium (Nov. 24, 2007) resulted in a 31-17 Georgia victory. That was Chan Gailey’s final game as Tech’s head coach.
• Four of the last five meetings have been decided by seven points or less.
• Tech has played Georgia more often (103 meetings) than any other opponent. The two teams first met on the gridiron in 1893.
• The Tech-Georgia series is the 20th-most frequently-played rivalry in the FBS and the 12th-most played among in-state rivals. The series has been played uninterrupted since 1925.
• Georgia Tech was a member of the SEC, along with Georgia, from 1933 to 1963.
• The Yellow Jackets are 21-5 against Georgia when scoring at least 21 points.
• Georgia Tech is 2-0 against SEC teams this season (wins at Mississippi State and Vanderbilt), 4-1 over the last two seasons and 203-207-24 all-time.
• Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson is 1-1 all-time against Georgia, including a 1-0 mark at Tech. His 2000 Georgia Southern team lost to the Bulldogs, 27-9 in Athens.
