Nov. 25, 2001
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech concludes the regular season with a nationally-televised contest at Atlantic Coast Conference rival Florida State, Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Doak Cambell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla.
In addition to national television on ESPN, the game, which was originally scheduled for Sept. 15, can also be heard on the Georgia Tech ISP radio network, including Atlanta flagship WQXI-AM 790 The Zone, featuring the call of Wes Durham and Kim King.
Tech is eligible for a fifth straight bowl berth but looks to regroup following a disappointing 31-17 loss to 23rd-ranked Georgia that dropped the Jackets’ record to 7-4 overall, 4-3 in the ACC. Florida State is 6-4, 5-2 in the ACC following a 37-13 loss to Florida on Nov. 17.
“It was disappointing loss, especially because I thought we had a good week of practice,” said Tech head coach George O’Leary. “That one will hurt for a while, but we’ve got to move on to Florida State and our last ACC game.
“Florida State is obviously a very talented football team that plays extremely well in Tallahassee. I think the kids understand that we have to refocus immediately if we’re going to have any success down there.”
Tech quarterback George Godsey (Tampa, Fla.) leads the ACC in passing and is strong candidate for all-conference honors. He has completed 64.9 percent of his passes for 2,810 yards and has 18 touchdowns passing and four touchdowns rushing. He directs a Tech attack that leads the ACC in passing offense (279.3) while ranking third in total offense (426.3) and scoring (33.1).
Godsey has spread to the ball to Tech’s quartet of talented receivers-senior Kelly Campbell (Atlanta, Ga.), juniors Kerry Watkins (LaPlace, La.) and Will Glover (Tampa, Fla.) and sophomore Jonathan Smith (Argyle, Ga.)-who each have at least 38 catches.
Despite missing three games, Campbell leads the team with 49 catches for 644 yards and three touchdowns, followed by Smith with with 46 receptions for 541 yards and four touchdowns. Watkins has 39 catches for 645 yards but leads the team in touchdown catches (5) and yards per catch (16.5), and Glover adds 38 catches for 507 yards and three touchdowns, all but 12 of his receptions coming in the last three games.
Tech’s passing attack is complemented by the running of junior tailback Joe Burns (Thomasville, Ga.), the ACC’s second-leading rusher with 102.4 yards per game and just the fifth 1,000-yard rusher in school history. Burns also leads Tech with 13 touchdowns, 12 of them on the ground.
Defensive ends Greg Gathers (LaPlace, La.) and Nick Rogers (East Point, Ga.) headline a Tech defense that is second in the the ACC in total defense (325.8), rushing defense (112.5) and pass defense (213.4) and third in scoring defense (21.7).
Gathers leads the league with 10 sacks, along with 18 tackles for loss. Rogers adds 11 tackles for loss and five sacks. Linebackers Keyaron Fox (Atlanta, Ga.) and Recardo Wimbush (Blakely, Ga.) are Tech’s top tacklers with 86 and 82, respectively. Free safety Jeremy Muyres (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and cornerback Marvious Hester (Atlanta, Ga.) each have three interceptions.
Tech placekicker Luke Manget, a junior from Conyers, Ga., is the ACC’s leading scorer with 38-of-38 PAT and 18-of-27 field goals for 92 points.
GEORGIA TECH VS. FLORIDA STATE
Florida State leads the series with Georgia Tech, 9-7-1, including all nine meetings since the Seminoles joined the ACC in 1992. FSU is the only ACC school with a winning all-time record against Tech.
Florida State won last year’s game in Atlanta, 26-21, and captured the last meeting in Tallahassee, 41-35, in 1999. Tech’s last win over the Seminoles was a 30-0 victory in Atlanta in 1975.
The Yellow Jackets are 0-4 at FSU’s Doak Campbell Stadium.
LAST MEETING WITH THE SEMINOLES
On Sept. 9, 2000 in Atlanta, FSU’s Chris Weinke passed for 453 yards and two touchdowns as the second-ranked Seminoles defeated Georgia Tech, 26-21. Tech held a 15-12 lead late in the third quarter after Joe Burns’ eight-yard touchdown run. After two FSU touchdowns, Tech’s George Godsey threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Jon Muyres to pull the Jackets within 26-21 with 4:50 left. Godsey’s pass on fourth-and-one at the FSU 40-yard line fell incomplete with 1:32 to play. Godsey completed 13 straight passes in the fourth quarter and finished 18-for-32 for 189 yards.
In the last meeting at Tallahassee in 1999, Tech quarterback Joe Hamilton completed 22 of 25 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns, but No. 1-ranked Florida State outlasted the Yellow Jackets for a 41-35 victory. Hamilton rallied the Jackets to within six points with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Kelly Campbell with 1:35 left, but FSU recovered Tech’s onsides kick to seal the verdict. Campbell caught seven passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns.
GATHERS NAMED ALL-AMERICA
Georgia Tech defensive end Greg Gathers was named a second-team all-America by Football News. The junior from LaPlace, La., leads the ACC with 10 sacks and also has 53 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and 28 quarterback pressures. With one season to play, he is Tech’s career leader in sacks (30) and tackles for loss (56).
BURNS BURNS BRIGHT
The ACC’s second-leading rusher, junior running back Joe Burns is just the fifth 1,000-yard rusher in school history and the first since 1995. Burns now has 1,126 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The Thomasville, Ga., is averaging 102.4 yards per game, including 118.3 yards in ACC games.
TECH'S 1,000-YARD RUSHERS1. Eddie Lee Ivery 1978 1,5622. Jerry Mays 1989 1,3493. Robert Lavette 1982 1,2084. Robert Lavette 1984 1,1895. C.J. Williams 1995 1,1386. Joe Burns 2001 1,126
SEASON LEADERS – RUSHING ATTEMPTS 1. Robert Lavette 1982 280 2. Eddie Lee Ivery 1978 267 3. Joe Burns 2001 262
SEASON LEADERS – RUSHING TD 1. Robert Lavette 1982 19 2. Robert Lavette 1984 14 3. Sean Gregory 1999 13 4. Lenny Snow 1966 12 C.J. Williams 1995 12 Joe Burns 2000 12 Joe Burns 2001 12
SEASON RECORD FOR MANGET
Placekicker Luke Manget, the ACC’s leading scorer with 8.4 points per game, has broken his own Georgia Tech season record for points by kicking.
With one game to play, Manget has scored 92 points on 18 field goals and 38 PAT, bettering the mark of 86 points that he set as a freshman in 1999. The overall scoring record is 114 points by Robert Lavette in 1982.
Manget is within one of Scott Sisson’s season record of 19 field goals in 1992.
GODSEY HAS TWO OF TECH’S TOP SEASONS
In his two years as Georgia Tech’s starting quarterback, George Godsey has enjoyed two of the best seasons in school history.
In 2000, he passed for 2,906 yards and 23 touchdowns while completing 63.6 percent of his passes for an efficiency rating of 151.9.
With one game to play in 2001, Godsey has completed 64.9 percent of his passes for 2,810 yards with an efficiency rating of 144.8. He has fewer touchdown passes (18) than last year but has scored four TDs rushing.
SEASON PASSING YARDS1. Joe Hamilton 1999 3,0602. George Godsey 2000 2,9063. George Godsey 2001 2,810
SEASON PASS EFFICIENCY 1. Joe Hamilton 1999 175.0 2. George Godsey 2000 151.9 3. Joe Hamilton 1997 146.6 4. George Godsey 2001 144.8
SEASON COMPLETION PERCENTAGE 1. Joe Hamilton 1999 .666 2. George Godsey 2001 .649 3. Joe Hamilton 1997 .646 4. George Godsey 2000 .636
SEASON COMPLETIONS 1. George Godsey 2001 224 2. George Godsey 2000 222 3. Joe Hamilton 1999 203
SEASON TD PASSES 1. Joe Hamilton 1999 29 2. George Godsey 2000 23 3. George Godsey 2001 18
SEASON TOTAL OFFENSE 1. Joe Hamilton 1999 3,794 2. George Godsey 2000 2,945 3. Joe Hamilton 1998 2,792 4. George Godsey 2001 2,749
SEASON TDR 1. Joe Hamilton 1999 35 2. George Godsey 2000 25 3. George Godsey 2001 22
BURNS RUSHES UP RUSHING LIST
With 1,126 yards rushing this season, junior tailback Joe Burns has raised his career rushing total to 2,595 yards and now stands in fourth place in Georgia Tech history. He also ranks second with 29 career rushing touchdowns and 32 touchdowns overall.
CAREER RUSHING Years Yards Needs 1. Robert Lavette 1981-84 4,066 1,472 2. Jerry Mays 1985-89 3,699 1,105 3. Eddie Lee Ivery 1975-78 3,517 923 4. Joe Burns 1998- 2,595
CAREER ATTEMPTS Years Att Needs 1. Robert Lavette 1981-84 914 321 2. Jerry Mays 1985-89 695 102 3. Eddie Lee Ivery 1975-78 609 16 4. Joe Burns, rb 1998- 594
