Dec. 2, 2005
After concluding the regular season with a record of 7-4 overall and a third-place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference at 5-3, Georgia Tech awaits the bowl selection process following Saturday’s conference championship games.
The Bowl Championship Series pairings will be announced Sunday on ABC-TV from 5-6 p.m. ET. Tech could learn its bowl destination shortly after that.
In the mean time, the Yellow Jackets will practice this weekend, with workouts scheduled for 10:45 a.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at Rose Bowl Field.
NOTING GEORGIA TECH . . .
NINE STRAIGHT BOWLS
Georgia Tech is one of just six schools in the nation to play in a bowl game each of the last nine years. Florida State and Virginia Tech are the only other Atlantic Coast Conference schools in this elite group, which also includes Florida, Georgia and Michigan.
On their current streak, the Yellow Jackets have played in the 1997 Carquest Bowl, 1999 and 2000 Toyota Gator Bowls, 2001 Seattle Bowl, 2002 Silicon Valley Classic, 2004 Humanitarian Bowl and 2004 Champs Sports Bowl, posting a 5-3 record. Tech’s longest previous streak was six straight bowl games from 1951-56 under legendary head coach Bobby Dodd.
Georgia Tech has also recorded its ninth straight winning season, all with seven or more wins, in 2005, the second-longest string in school history, and the longest since Tech had 18 consecutive winning seasons from 1908-1925 under John Heisman and William Alexander.
SCHEDULE STRENGTH
Georgia Tech played one of the nation’s most challenging schedules, with non-conference tests against Auburn and Georgia in addition to ACC road games at Miami and Virginia Tech. The Yellow Jackets faced four teams that won nine or more games (Virginia Tech, Miami, Auburn, Georgia) and a total of seven bowl-eligible teams (pending Connecticut’s game vs. Louisville).
Georgia Tech is the only school other than No. 1 Southern Cal to defeat two teams currently ranked in the Top 10. Tech defeated Auburn, now ranked ninth, and Miami, now No. 10. The Trojans have wins over No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 8 Oregon.
Tech, which also defeated No. 22 Clemson, is one of just four teams with three wins over teams that are currently in the Top 25, along with Southern Cal (Notre Dame, Oregon, Fresno State), LSU (Auburn, Alabama, Florida), and Virginia Tech (West Virginia, Boston College, Georgia Tech).
BACK-TO-BACK BOWL ROUTS
Georgia Tech has won its last two bowl games by a cumulative score of 103-24. The Yellow Jackets routed Tulsa, 52-10 in the Humanitarian Bowl on Jan. 4, 2004. Then 353 days later, 2,100 miles away and 30 degrees warmer, Tech drilled Syracuse, 51-14, in the Champs Sports Bowl on Dec. 21, 2004.
Most of the damage in the two games was actually done over two halves. After leading Tulsa just 10-7 at the half, Tech errupted for 42 second-half points. Then the Jackets scored 35 first-half points against Syracuse.
P.J. Daniels provided much of the offense for Tech, totalling 426 yards rushing on 48 carries and scoring six touchdowns. The Tech defense was smothering, holding Tulsa to minus-56 yards rushing and then allowing the Orange just 51 yards for a net of minus-five yards in the two games. The Jackets collected 12 sacks and recovered eight fumbles in the two contests.
A CASE FOR THE DEFENSE
Georgia Tech, under defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta, ranks in the Top 15 nationally in total defense (12th), rushing defense (12th), pass efficiency defense (14th) and interceptions (6th) as well as 18th in scoring defense, 16th in turnover margin and 16th in takeaways.
Over the last two games against third-ranked Miami and 13th-ranked Georgia, the Tech defense allowed just three touchdowns, 24 points and 503 total yards, including just 98 yards rushing in the two games. Miami and Georgia were a combined 5-for-29 on third downs.
PRINCE IS REGAL IN BOWL GAMES
P.J. Daniels has rushed for 426 yards on 48 carries and scored six touchdowns in Georgia Tech’s bowl victories the last two years.
In Tech’s 52-10 win over Tulsa in the Humanitarian Bowl, Daniels set an NCAA bowl game record with 306 yards rushing on 31 carries. He recorded the second-best rushing game in Tech history while tying the school record with four touchdowns on runs of nine, one, 33 and 38 yards.
He added 119 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just 17 attempts in the Jackets 51-14 victory over Syracuse in the Champs Sports Bowl. He also caught four passes for 19 yards for a total of 445 all-purpose yards in the two games.
Daniels did not carry the ball as a freshman in the 2002 Silicon Valley Classic.
JOHNSON NAMED FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICA
“Calvin Johnson is the best receiver in the nation . . . by far,” says ESPN’s Lee Corso
Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech’s sensational sophomore wideout, has been named a first-team all-America by the American Football Coaches Association.
Just a sophomore, Johnson becomes the 48th Yellow Jacket to earn first-team all-America honors and the first since offensive tackle Chris Brown in 2000. Johnson is the first Tech receiver to be named to any all-America team, including first, second or third teams, since end Billy Martin was a first-team selection in 1963.
The 6-4, 230-pounder from Tyrone, Ga., leads Tech with 52 receptions for 869 yards and six touchdowns.
He was a unanimous first-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection this fall, following first-team all-ACC and ACC Rookie of the Year honors as a freshman.
In two-year his career, Johnson has totalled 100 catches for 1,706 yards with 13 receiving touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. He already ranks sixth in Tech history in career receiving touchdowns, seventh in receiving yards and 11th in receptions. He has a career average of 17.1 yards per catch.
Over the last two seasons, Johnson has accounted for nearly one-third of Tech’s pass completions and more than 40 percent of its passing yards, despite facing constant double teams.
FIVE JACKETS NAMED ALL-ACC
Five Georgia Tech football players were named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference football team, led by unanimous first-team selection Calvin Johnson.
Linebacker Gerris Wilkinson, safety Dawan Landry, defensive end Eric Henderson and running back P.J. Daniels were named to the second team. Senior tackle Brad Honeycutt earned honorable mention recognition.
Johnson, Tech’s sensational sophomore wide receiver, was one of two unanimous first-team selections, along with Wake Forest running back Chris Barclay.
Tech’s defense did not have one player recognized on the All-ACC first team despite ranking in the Top 15 nationally in total defense (12th), rushing defense (12th), pass efficiency defense (14th), interceptions (6th) and takeaways, as well as 18th in scoring defense and 16th in takeaways.
Henderson, the senior from New Orleans, La., is just the fourth Yellow Jacket to be named all-ACC three times, joining wide receiver Kelly Campbell (first team in 1999, 2001, second team in 2000), placekicker Luke Manget (first team in 2000 and 2001, second team in 2002) and safety Jeremy Muyres (second team in 2000 and 2001, first team in 2002).
Wilkinson made the second team for the second straight year, while Daniels was a first-team selection in 2003. Landry, a senior from Ama, La., earned all-ACC honors for the first time.
BALL’S “FEETS”
Over the last seven games, junior quarterback Reggie Ball has rushed for 352 yards and three touchdowns on 74 carries. For the season, Ball is Tech’s third-leading rusher with a net of 379 yards (4.1 yds per carry) and four touchdowns.
Ball has been sacked only six times all season. As a team, Tech leads the ACC in fewest sacks allowed with eight, including just three the last seven games.
Ball has moved into second place in career rushing yards by a Tech signal caller, trailing only Joe Hamilton. Against Virginia, he became the 31st player in Georgia Tech history to reach the 1,000-yard plateau in his career. Ball now has 1,095 career rushing yards.
Career Rushing Yards by Tech QB Years Yards 1. Joe Hamilton 1996-99 1,758 2. Reggie Ball 2003- 1,095
ACC QB Rushing Leaders Years Yards 1. Woodrow Dantzler, CU 1998-01 2,615 2. Mike Dunn, Duke 1975-78 1,939 3. Larry Russell, WF 1969-71 1,923 4. Joe Hamilton, GT 1996-99 1,758 5. Steve Fuller, CU 1975-78 1,665 6. Shawn Moore, Va 1987-90 1,268 7. Johnny Evans, NCS 1974-77 1,259 8. Ronald Curry, UNC 1998-01 1,249 9. Reggie Ball, GT 2003- 1,095
SAFETY VALVES
Georgia Tech’s senior safety tandem of Dawan Landry and Chris Reis are Tech’s second and third-leading tacklers, respectively, combining for 144 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, six interceptions and seven pass breakups.
Reis has 76 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and two pass breakups. An honorable mention all-ACC selection as a junior, when he played outside linebacker, he has 27.5 career tackles for loss.
Landry earned second-team all-ACC honors this fall after grabbing four interceptions and two fumble recoveries for a team-high six takeways. He has 68 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and five pass breakups.
Landry, whose brother LaRon is an all-SEC safety at LSU, ranks fourth in Tech history in career tackles by a defensive back.
CAREER TACKLES BY DEFENSIVE BACKPlayer, Years, Tackles1. Jeremy Muyres, 1999-02, 2732. Ken Swilling, 1988-91, 2673. Mark Sheffield, 1979-82, 2444. Dawan Landry, 2002- , 242
