Nov. 26, 2002
Georgia Tech (7-4, 4-4 ACC) concludes its regular season Saturday with the annual meeting with in-state rival and fifth-ranked Georgia (10-1, 7-1 SEC) at Athens’ Samford Stadium. The 3:30 p.m. matchup will be nationally-televised by CBS.
“The biggest thing that you notice about Georgia is that there are no weaknesses,” said Tech head coach Chan Gailey. “You can’t say that we can exploit this or we can exploit that. You have to play very solid in all areas to give yourself the opportunity to win and you have to do it for 60 minutes.”
The Bulldogs are currently 10-1 and are in search of an 11th victory for just the sixth time in school history. UGA has not won 11 games since 1982. The Dogs have been very successful in close games, taking seven games that have been decided by six points or less.
“I’m sure you gain a certain level of confidence that you gain by being able to win a number of those type of games,” said Gailey. “They’ve done a nice job in those games this season.”
Offensively, Georgia is led by redshirt sophomore quarterback David Greene, who has thrown for 2,394 yards and 20 touchdowns against just eight interceptions. His touchdown total ranks as the third-best single-season mark in UGA history.
“He does a lot of things well,” said Gailey about the play of Greene. “There really isn’t anything flashy about him. All he does is win and in my book, that’s pretty flashy.”
Greene’s favorite target is Terrence Edwards, who has 47 catches but will miss the game due to injury. Fred Gibson has the most catches of any available receiver, as he has caught 33 balls for 580 yards and three scores.
Junior running back Musa Smith paces the ground attack with 952 yards and five touchdowns. He ranks second in the SEC with 95.2 yards per game and needs just 48 yards to become Georgia’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Garrison Hearst in 1992.
Georgia’s defense has also been strong, allowing just 17.2 points per game to rank 12th nationally. Nagurski Trophy finalist David Pollack leads the SEC and stands seventh nationally with 11 sacks. He also leads the league with 28 quarterback pressures and 19 tackles for loss. Senior linebacker Boss Bailey leads the team with 100 tackles.
The Jackets have a stout defense of their own, allowing just 16.9 points per game to rank 14th nationally. Over the last two outings, only 14 points have been scored on the Yellow Jacket defensive unit. Over the last four games, Tech has surrendered only 13.8 points per game. The unit also stands near the top of the ACC in every defensive category, including first in scoring defense, second in total defense (336.2 ypg), second in rushing defense (121.3 ypg) and second in pass efficiency defense (107.2).
Leading the Tech defensive unit is the linebacking trio of Daryl Smith, Recardo Wimbush and Keyaron Fox, who lead the team with 78, 77 and 70 tackles, respectively. First-team All-ACC safety Jeremy Muyres anchors the defensive secondary and leads the team with five interceptions. He ranks fourth on the team with 59 tackles.
On the offensive side of the ball, senior wide receiver Kerry Watkins is tied for first in the ACC in receiving yards per game while ranking second in receptions per game. He has 61 catches for 907 yards and four touchdowns. Classmate Will Glover has also been impressive, making 42 catches for 372 yards and three scores.
“I don’t think that you can ever put into words what they’ve meant to our team,” said Gailey. “They’ve been good leaders, they’ve blocked and they’ve done all the little things that help you have a successful offense. Kerry has ended up with bigger numbers because he has been in certain spots to do those things, but Will has been a vital part of the success we’ve had. They are similar players in some respects, but Kerry has a little more speed.”
Tech quarterback A.J. Suggs, who started against Georgia two years ago while playing for Tennessee, has thrown for 2,044 yards and 10 scores this season.
Tech trails the all-time series with Georgia, 38-53-5, but has won three of the last four meetings, including the last two in Athens. The Jackets won there in 2000 by a score of 27-15 and by a count of 21-19 in 1998. The Bulldogs took last year’s game, 31-17, in Atlanta.
Both teams enter the game well rested, as neither squad has played since November 16. Tech posted a 17-2 victory over Duke last time out, while Georgia defeated Auburn, 24-21.
