Sep 3, 2013
By Matt Winkeljohn
Sting Daily
It will be a while before Georgia Tech plays another football game as the Yellow Jackets have a bye coming up, and when they return to practice Wednesday after three rare days off there will be a different vibe.
Up next: ACC action.
Nobody expected Elon to give Tech much trouble in the season opener, and a 70-0 win that was every bit that lopsided showed why.
Don’t expect more of the same at Duke on Sept. 14, let alone Sept. 21 when the Jackets play host to North Carolina, and Sept. 26 when Virginia Tech comes calling. An Oct. 5 game at Miami follows before Tech goes to Brigham Young.
“It’s been an awfully tough game the last couple of years and that’s a hard place to go play,” Tech coach Paul Johnson said after Saturday’s game. “We’re going to try to clean up what we did do well and learn from that and accentuate the positive, move on and get better.”
The Yellow Jackets have a nine-game winning streak against Duke, including four-straight in Wallace Wade Stadium, but the last couple contests have been tight at least at times.
Tech won 42-24 at home last season, and held on to win 38-31 in Durham two years ago.
Sophomore quarterback Vad Lee made it clear in the immediate aftermath of the Elon game that he’s excited about returning to his hometown. He’s pleased as well that freshman Michael Summers (three catches, 79 yards) performed so admirably in his first start against Elon.
Also, starting wide receiver Darren Waller is expected to return from a one-game disciplinary suspension.
Summers’ 54-yard reception was second only to a 59-yard scoring pass to David Sims.
“On the long pass down the field, it was a duck, and he went to go get it,” Lee said. “That’s a confidence builder for me to know that I can trust him going deep, and I can throw any kind of ball and he will go get it. That was big time.”
Duke had little trouble in its opener, beating North Carolina Central 45-0 as junior wide receiver Jamison Crowder had a big day, and quarterback Anthony Boone was impressive.
The Blue Devils have a better program than in most years during Tech’s nine-game winning streak. Before the Jackets won the past four games in Wallace Wade, Duke held an 18-17 edge over Tech in that stadium.
Tech’s last shutout prior to Elon was Duke, in Johnson’s first season. The Jackets won that one 27-0 in Bobby Dodd Stadium.
Outside linebacker Brandon Watts will look for more solid work from his teammates on the defensive line.
“They took up a lot of blockers and we were able to run around them and make plays,” Watts said after he finished with a game-high nine combined tackles and assists. “Credit them because they have the hardest job taking on blockers.”
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–RamblinWreck.com–
