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DETROIT — Georgia Tech was doomed by slow starts in each half of a 34-10 loss to Minnesota in the 2018 Quick Lane Bowl on Wednesday evening at Ford Field.
Georgia Tech (7-6) went three-and-out on its first two offensive series of the game and Minnesota (7-6) scored on each of its first three possessions to build an early 13-0 lead, as the Yellow Jackets were outgained 124-3 in the first quarter of the game.
The Yellow Jackets appeared to grab some momentum by driving 44 yards in 18 seconds before halftime, setting up a 44-yard field goal by Wesley Wells on the final play of the first half that cut the Jackets’ deficit to 13-3.
However, that would be as close as Tech would get, as Minnesota scored touchdowns on each of its first three possessions of the second half to stretch its lead to 24 points.
TaQuon Marshall ran for 75 yards and threw for 76 in his final collegiate game. He fell just 29 rushing yards short of becoming the first Georgia Tech QB ever to post multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
Postgame Notes
Team
- Georgia Tech closed the season with a 7-6 overall record. The Yellow Jackets went 5-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, good for a second-place finish in the ACC Coastal Division.
- Georgia Tech fell to 25-20 in 45 all-time bowl appearances. The Yellow Jackets’ 25 bowl wins are 10th in NCAA Division I FBS history and their 45 bowl appearances are 13th all-time.
- The loss snapped Georgia Tech’s two-game winning streak in bowl games and was only its second loss in its last five bowl appearances.
- Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson, who announced on Nov. 28 that he was stepping down as the Yellow Jackets’ head coach following the Quick Lane Bowl, finished with an 82-60 record in 11 seasons at the helm of the Jackets. His 82 wins rank fourth in school history and his .577 winning percentage ranks fifth. He is 189-99 (.656) in 22 seasons as a head coach at Georgia Southern (1997-2001), Navy (2002-07) and Georgia Tech (2008-18).
- Georgia Tech’s 10 points were tied for the sixth-fewest that it has ever scored in its 45 all-time bowl appearances.
- Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim rushed for 224 yards, which were the most rushing yards ever allowed by Georgia Tech in a bowl game, tied for the sixth-most ever allowed by the Yellow Jackets in any game and the most allowed by the Jackets in any game since Clemson’s C.J. Spiller ran for 233 in the ACC Championship Game on Dec. 5, 2009 and.
- Ibrahim became the first opposing player to rush for 200 yards against Georgia Tech since Middle Tennessee’s Benny Cunningham on Sept. 29, 2012 (217).
Individual Notes
- Georgia Tech true freshman PK Wesley Wells finished his first collegiate season a perfect 48-of-48 on place-kick attempts (9-of-9 on FG, 39-of-39 on PAT), including a 44-yard field goal against Minnesota.
- With 75 rushing yards, Georgia Tech Sr. QB TaQuon Marshall fell just 29 yards short of becoming the first quarterback and fourth player overall in school history with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Marshall ran for 1,146 yards as a junior in 2017 and 971 as a senior in 2018.
True freshman Wesley Wells finished 48-for-48 on place kicks this season, including a 44-yard field goal in the Quick Lane Bowl.
Multimedia
ACC Digital Network Highlights (Video)
Nathan Cottrell takes the pitch for 6⃣
#TogetherWeSwarm🐝 (@GeorgiaTechFB, @nathancottrell5) pic.twitter.com/Z7XyE2LxV2— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) December 27, 2018
Taquon Marshall takes a huge hit and gets the pass off and Qua Searcy comes down with it! 👐
#TogetherWeSwarm🐝 (@GeorgiaTechFB,@quonmarshall16, @QuaSearcy) pic.twitter.com/aPfFzv4jeN— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) December 27, 2018
Head Coach Paul Johnson Postgame Press Conference (Video – Courtesy: Quick Lane Bowl/Detroit Lions)
Georgia Tech Student-Athletes Postgame Press Conference (Video – Courtesy: Quick Lane Bowl/Detroit Lions)
Head Coach Paul Johnson Postgame Press Conference (Audio)
