Jan. 8, 2014
By Jon Cooper The Good Word
Final Record: 7-6, 5-3 (4th in ACC Coastal)
The 2013 college football season has officially ended, ending with it the BCS Era in the FBS.
Before closing the door on the 2013 season, however, it is only appropriate to take one last look back at the Georgia Tech season. Their seven wins matched 2012, and although the 2013 Jackets weren’t able to leave on the high note the 2012 edition did, there was certainly a lot to be proud of.
It started with a historic victory in their season opener, a 70-0 victory over Elon, then an emphatic 38-14 trouncing of eventual Coastal Division Champion Duke, at Wallace Wade Stadium, no less. It included a couple of not-so-hospitable Conference-warming parties for Syracuse and Pittsburgh — they’ll get their first shot at Notre Dame in 2014 — and concluded the regular season with a heroic, but heartbreaking effort against rival Georgia, then the school’s 17th straight bowl appearance.
The Good Word takes one final look at some of the numerical achievements, team and individual, of the 2013 Yellow Jackets.
17 – The number of seniors that played their final game at Georgia Tech. They include: LB Corey Alford, DE Jeremiah Attaochu, OL Ray Beno, DE Chris Crenshaw, DT Euclid Cummings, DE Emmanuel Dieke, LB Daniel Drummond, OL Jay Finch, A-Back Robert Godhigh, OL Will Jackson, DT Ben Keith, P Sean Poole, PK David Scully, B-Back David Sims, DB Jemea Thomas, LB Brandon Watts and CB Louis Young.
.5 – The amount by which DE Jeremiah Attaochu is Georgia Tech’s all-time sack king. Attaochu shared a sack of Ole Miss QB Bo Wallace with defensive tackle Adam Gotsis in the second quarter of the Music City Bowl to give him 31.5 career sacks and break the tie with previous record-holder Greg Gathers. Attaochu, who had two sacks in the Jackets’ first seven games, recorded 10.5 sacks over the final 6 — really the final five, as he barely played against Alabama A&M — to set the school record. Unofficially, his 226 sack yards also are a school best.
4 – Where Attaochu’s 2013 ranks in school history for single-season sacks. Only Pat Swilling (15.0, 1985), Coleman Rudolph (13.0, 1991), and Gathers (13.0, 2000) had more sacks in a season.
5 — Attaochu’s place all-time in the ACC among career sack leaders.
6 – Attaochu’s final standing in school history in tackles for loss. His 43.5 TFLs trail only Eric Henderson (59.5, 2002-05), Gathers (57.0, 1999-02), Rudolph (52.0, 1989-92), Marco Coleman (50.0, 1989-91), and Daryl Smith (48.0, 2000-03).
.514 – Georgia Tech’s third-down success rate in 2013. The Jackets earned a fresh set of downs 90 times on third down in 175 attempts. That was fourth in the FBS, behind LSU (57.1, 92-for-161), Louisville (56.0, 98-for-175) and Florida State (55.2, 80-for-145) and made them one of only eight teams to be better than 50 percent on third down.
.364 – Tech opponents’ conversion rate on third down (61-for-168).
2- The number of times Georgia Tech overcame a 13-point deficit in beating North Carolina, 28-20, Sept. 21st at Bobby Dodd.
2 – The number of passing and rushing touchdowns scored by quarterback Vad Lee against Georgia on Nov.30. Lee had the two TD runs (3- and 2-yards) and a pair of scoring passes (26- and 7-yards). He was the first Tech QB to run and pass for two TDs in a game since October 31, 2009, when Joshua Nesbitt did it in a 56-31 win at Vanderbilt.
5 – The number Yellow Jackets to earn All-ACC honors. OG Shaq Mason was first-team, DE Jeremiah Attaochu was second team, while running backs David Sims and Robert Godhigh and OG Will Jackson were honorable mention.
6 – The number of wins in eight games by Georgia Tech this season when scoring first. Tech is 35-8 (.814) under Paul Johnson when drawing first blood.
7 – The number of wins in nine games by the Yellow Jackets this season when they held opponents to 30-or-fewer points. They are 41-16 (.719) in such games under Paul Johnson.
8 – The number of offensive statistical categories in which Georgia Tech ranked in the nation’s top 10. They were top-10 in rushing offense (299.3 rypg, 6th), sacks allowed (1.08, 9th), third-down conversions (.514, fourth), time of possession (33:19, tied for sixth with Michigan State), passing yards per completion (18.42, first), blocked kicks (5, fifth), blocked punts (3, second) and blocked punts allowed (0, tied for first).
3 – The number of blocked punts by redshirt sophomore Chris Milton. That was more than all but one TEAM in the entire FBS (North Texas had five blocks).
5 – The number of times in the last six games that Georgia Tech scored a touchdown on its first possession. They did it eight times all season and were 6-2 when they scored first.
6 – The number tackles made on kickoffs by freshman kicker Harrison Butker. Butker was 53-of-54 on PATs and 10-of-14 on field goals, with a long of 49.
8 – The number of times in the last three seasons that Georgia Tech has put up at least 50 points in a game. They hit 50 three times in 2013. The Jackets had one 50-point game in the first three years under Paul Johnson.
20 – The number of wins in 20 games under Johnson when scoring at least 40 points. The Jackets added three to that total in 2013.
11 – The number of teams in addition to Georgia Tech that had a winning record despite having a negative turnover margin. The Yellow Jackets finished the season minus-5 on turnovers.
15 – The number of times Georgia Tech turned a turnover into points. Fourteen of those 15 scores were touchdowns. Jackets opponents scored just 11 times (nine touchdowns) following Tech giveaways.
18.2 – The average yardage gained by Georgia Tech on interception returns. That included a 95-yarder by LB Tyler Marcordes and a 54-yarder by Milton against Elon QB Mike Quinn in the season-opener.
34 – The number of points by which Georgia Tech outscored opponents in points off turnovers. The Jackets turned their 20 turnovers in 100 points, including a momentum-changing touchdown in the Music City Bowl following freshman D.J. White’s pick. Opponents managed only 66 points following Tech miscues.
11.9 – The number of yards per touch by A-Back Robert Godhigh in 2013. Godhigh ran for 744 yards on 79 carries (9.4 rypc) and had 471 receiving yards on 23 catches (20.5 ypc).
14 – The number of plays from scrimmage by Godhigh that went for at least 30 yards.
14 – The number of years since Georgia Tech had blocked an extra point prior to the Music City Bowl. Adam Gotsis became the first Yellow Jacket to block a PAT since cornerback Kofi Smith blocked Notre Dame kicker Jim Sanson’s extra point attempt in the third quarter of the 1999 Gator Bowl, when he deflected Ole Miss kicker Andrew Ritter’s second quarter try.
28 – The number of years since Georgia Tech put up two shutouts in the same season, as they did in 2013. Tech shut out Elon, 70-0, in the season opener, on Aug. 31, then whitewashed Syracuse, 56-0, on Oct. 19, both at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Jackets last had two shutouts in a season in 1985, when they blanked North Carolina, 31-0, on Oct. 5, at Bobby Dodd, then Duke, 9-0, Nov. 2, at Wallace Wade Stadium. Tech’s current Defensive Coordinator Ted Roof was a captain on that ’85 team.
28.4 – The amount of rushing yards fewer allowed per game by the Yellow Jackets defense in 2013 vs. 2012. The ’13 Jackets surrendered 115.8 rushing yards per game. That was 11th in the nation. Tech was 41st in 2012, allowing 144.2 rypg.
54 – The number of career games played by Jemea Thomas. “iPod” tied former teammates T.J. Barnes (2009-12) and Rod Sweeting (2009-12) for the most in school history.
57 – The number of big plays (plays over 20 yards) made by Georgia Tech in 2013.
72 – The length of Darren Waller’s team-season-long touchdown reception from Vad Lee in the fourth quarter of the Music City Bowl against Ole Miss.
64.5 – Coach Paul Johnson’s career winning percentage in ACC games. Johnson is 31-17, fourth overall behind only Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher (26-6, 81.2), Clemson’s Dabo Swinney (33-12, 73.3) and Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer (35-13, 72.9).
67 – The total margin of victory for Georgia Tech against ACC newcomers Syracuse (56-0) and Pittsburgh (21-10). 126/103 – The number of receiving and rushing yards by A-Back Robert Godhigh at Clemson on Nov. 14. He was the first Jacket to have a 100/100 day since Orwin Smith (157 rushing, 108 receiving) did it against Kansas at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Sept. 17, 2011.
133/111/107 – The rushing yardage totals by B-Back Zach Laskey, Godhigh and B-Back David Sims in the 35-25 win at Virginia on Oct. 16. It was the first time in the modern era (since 1950) that Tech had three 100-yard rushers in the same game.
353 – The number of consecutive home games in which Tech has scored. The Jackets will carry that streak into 2014. Tech has not been shut out at Bobby Dodd Stadium since Nov. 30, 1957, a 7-0 loss to Georgia. The Jackets’ overall shutout streak is 210 games.
546 – The total offense accumulated by redshirt junior wide receiver DeAndre Smelter. In his debut season playing football on The Flats, Smelter, who had played baseball, finished second on the team (to Godhigh) with 21 catches for 345 yards (16.4 ypc, with a long of 42 yards) and four TDs. He led the team with 11 punt returns for 124 yards (11.3 yards per return, a long of 25), returned five kickoffs for 65 yards (13.0 ypr, a long of 19), and carried once for 12 yards.
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