Nov. 23, 2012
HOW TO WATCH IT
One of college football’s great rivalries – Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate – is renewed Saturday when Georgia Tech and No. 3 Georgia collide at Sanford Stadium in Athens for the 107th time. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. in a game nationally televised on ESPN, ESPN3 and ESPN 3D. Dave Pasch, former Michigan QB Brian Griese and Jenn Brown will call the action.
Click Here: ESPN Coverage Map (Tech vs. Georgia Game)
HOW TO HEAR IT
As always, you can hear Wes Durham and Rick Strom on the Georgia Tech IMG Sports Network – in Atlanta on 790AM and 106.7FM, on Sirius Channel 135, XM 204 (Tech broadcast), or check the radio affiliate list.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow @gtathletics for in-game updates on Twitter and use the hashtag #GTUGA12 for in-game discussion. Like Georgia Tech Athletics on Facebook for photos and more from Saturday’s game.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
1. What’s at stake? With its back against the wall for the final month of the regular season, Georgia Tech, the ACC Coastal Division Champion, now has a lot to play for as the month of December nears. The Jackets, who have won three straight and four of their last five, are looking for their second win in Athens since 2008 and aiming to keep their momentum rolling as they head into next Saturday’s Dr Pepper ACC Championship Game versus Florida State in Charlotte. Tech has averaged 47.7 points over its three-game win streak and its 40.0 points/game scoring average in ACC play this season is a school record.
2. Inside the Rivalry. Georgia Tech and Georgia have differing records when it comes to the all-time series. The Jackets list it as 62-39-5 in favor of Georgia, yet the Bulldog media guide is two Tech wins short. Georgia claims Tech used “illegal players” in Yellow Jacket wins in 1943 (48-0) and 1944 (44-0). As a point of reference, the NCAA record book agrees with Tech’s. Here’s another rivalry nugget… Tech and Georgia refused to play from 1917-1924 because of a dispute caused by a Georgia parade float that ridiculed the Jackets for playing football during WWI.
3. Book Ends. Most of Georgia Tech’s 2012 seniors were dressed in street clothes when the Yellow Jackets last beat Georgia – a 45-42 comeback thriller in 2008 in Athens. That win stands as Tech’s last road win over a Top 25 team. Those seniors could book end their careers with a win over the Dawgs on Saturday.
4. Did You Know? This is the first time Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate will be played with both Tech and Georgia as the champions of the respective conference/division. The Jackets are the champions of the ACC Coastal and play in the Dr Pepper ACC Championship Game next Saturday in Charlotte at 8 p.m. The Dawgs are the SEC East champs and play in the Georgia Dome Saturday at 4 p.m.
5. Take Your Pick. Georgia Tech has recorded at least one interception in 10 consecutive games – the nation’s longest streak this season. Tech has 12 interceptions as a team, spread over nine players, with only multiple interceptions by Jemea Thomas (three) and Jamal Golden (two). Tech’s streak of 10 consecutive games with an interception is the longest streak at Tech in at least the last 35 years. Meanwhile, Georgia QB Aaron Murray leads the FBS in passing efficiency.
THEY SAID IT
“They played their base defense, which is what they’ve done against us the last two years. They didn’t do anything a whole lot differently. We’ve played each other enough now that I don’t think they’ll be a big guessing game as to what we’re doing and what they’re doing. It’ll come down to execution and maybe having the right thing on at the right time. They’ve got their plan and they’re gonna run with it.”
–Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson
“I’d probably have to say (defensive end) Izaan Cross, I guess because he’s been around for the longest, he’s built up the most hate for them. He tells us out there at practice, `Y’all need to get this together, because these boys aren’t going to play (around) with us,’ and stuff like that. I can tell, I can sense it in his eyes, that he really hates Georgia.”
–Georgia Tech sophomore ILB Quayshawn Nealy
“He knows it so well that he doesn’t even need a call sheet. It’s in his brain and he’s seen just about everything under the sun as far as people trying to defend it. When he sees something, he knows where to go next, and that’s the beauty of the system that they have. They know what to do to counteract what a defense is trying to do to stop something or slow it down.”
–Georgia coach Mark Richt on Tech’s offense
STAT(S) OF THE WEEK
** Saturday is the 107th meeting all-time between Georgia Tech and Georgia, and the Bulldogs, obviously, are Tech’s most-commonly played opponent. Georgia leads the series 62-39-5 and has won three in a row over Tech.
** Since throwing a career-high three interceptions in a 17-9 win over Florida, Georgia QB Aaron Murray has not one in three consecutive games. Murray has 28 TD passes against just seven interceptions this season.
** The winner of the Tech/Georgia game has scored 30+ in each of the last five years.
** Two of Georgia Tech’s last three wins in the series have come in the two highest scoring games in Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate history – a 45-42 comeback win in Athens in 2008 and a 51-48 thriller on the Flats in 1999.
