ATLANTA-Georgia Tech hosts Atlantic Coast Conference foe Wake Forest for Homecoming Saturday, October 14, at 12 noon at Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field in a regionally televised contest on the Jefferson-Pilot/ACC network (Fox Sports Net South in Georgia).
The telecast features Steve Martin and Rick Walker in the announcers’ booth and Mike Hogewood on the sideline. The radio broadcast on the Georgia Tech-ISP Sports Network, including Atlanta flagship WGST 640 AM, has Wes Durham as the play-by-play voice and former Tech quarterback Kim King as the color analyst.
Tech, coming off an open date following its Sept. 30 victory over North Carolina (42-28), has a record of 3-2 overall, 1-2 in the ACC. Wake Forest ( 0-5, 0-3 ACC), which is still looking for its first victory, fell to Vanderbilt, 17-10, despite dominating most statistical categories in the game.
“Wake Forest is a dangerous team,” said Tech head coach George O’Leary, whose squad was upset at Wake Forest last season, 26-23. “They graduated a lot of players from last year, but they’ve moved the ball on everyone they’ve played.”
After the season-ending injury to starting quarterback C.J. Leak, the Deacons have turned to true freshman Anthony Young, although sophomore James MacPherson is also seeing action. Young is Wake’s leading rusher with 223 yards and a 6.8-yard average. He has passed just 14 times, completing seven for 76 yards and a touchdown, while MacPherson is 20-for-44 for 241 yards. Ira Williams is the top receiver with 18 catches for 167 yards and one touchdown.
Tech quarterback George Godsey (Tampa, Fla.) has completed 92 of 155 passes for 1,008 yards and 10 touchdowns with just three interceptions.
Junior Kelly Campbell (Atlanta, Ga.) leads a balanced receiving corps with 24 catches for 297 yards. He ranks 18th in the nation with a 26.1-yard average on kickoff returns. Sophomore Will Glover (Tampa, Fla.) has 20 receptions for 187 yards and two scores.
After two straight 100-yard rushing efforts, Joe Burns (Thomasville, Ga.) is Tech’s top rusher with 396 yards and five touchdowns on 87 carries, along with 16 catches for 136 yards. Backup Sean Gregory (Homewood, Ill.) has 105 yards on 32 attempts.
Sophomore linebacker Recardo Wimbush (Blakely, Ga.) is Tech’s top tackler with 48 hits and 10 tackles for loss. Sophomore defensive end Greg Gathers (LaPlace, La.) has 29 tackles and a team-leading five sacks.
THE SERIES VS. WAKE FOREST
Georgia Tech has won four of the last five meetings and eight of the last 11 to take a 16-6 lead in the series with Wake Forest, but the Demon Deacons captured last year’s game, 26-23, in Winston-Salem.
Tech leads 10-3 in Atlanta, including a 63-35 victory in 1998. The Jackets have won the last two games at Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field by a combined 93-45 margin. Wake’s last win in Atlanta was a 20-13 decision in 1994.
LAST MEETING WITH WAKE FOREST
In 1999 in Winston-Salem, Morgan Kane gained 228 of Wake Forest’s 322 yards on the ground and the Demon Deacon defense held Georgia Tech nearly 20 points below its average in a 26-23 victory. The Deacons had to weather a late rally when Jeremy Muyres recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown that pulled the Jackets within three points with 2:27 left, but Wake Forest recovered the ensuing onsides kick. Tech’s all-America quarterback Joe Hamilton completed 23 of 40 passes for 281 yards but was intercepted twice.
In 1998 in Atlanta, Georgia Tech recorded its highest scoring total in an ACC game and its most points against any opponent since 1921 as the Yellow Jackets won 63-35. Charlie Rogers scored two touchdowns rushing and added a 63-yard punt return for a score, and Kofi Smith had a school-record 90-yard fumble return for a touchdown.
HOMECOMING RECORDS
Georgia Tech has a 37-13-1 record in Homecoming games, including last year’s 31-24 overtime victory over North Carolina. The Yellow Jackets are 1-1 against Wake Forest on Homecoming. Tech defeated the Demon Deacons, 49-33, in 1983 but lost 20-13 in 1994.
FASTEST TO MILLENIUM MARK
After five games as Georgia Tech’s starting quarterback, George Godsey has passed for 1,008 yards. The junior from Tampa, Fla., has reached the 1,000-yard mark faster than any previous Tech quarterback. Godsey’s predecessor, Joe Hamilton, had 658 yards passing through five games, while Shawn Jones (1989-92) had 852 yards. Before Godsey, Eddie McAshan (1970-72) had the most yards passing through five starts with 853.
Godsey also has more touchdown passes (10) than any of his predecessors at this point. Jones and McAshan each had seven touchdowns after five games.
BURNS BACK ON TRACK
Sophomore tailback Joe Burns has shaken off any rust after last year’s broken ankle to record outstanding efforts in the last two games, combining for 223 yards rushing, eight receptions and five touchdowns.
Burns led Tech to a 42-28 win over UNC as he tied the school record by scoring four touchdowns on runs of one, one and two yards and an 11-yard reception. After Carolina tied the game at 28-all, Burns scored two touchdowns in the final four minutes, the second of which he set up with a 51-yard run. One game earlier, Burns gained 100 yards on 21 carries against NC State, including a 31-yard touchdown run, and also caught five passes for 37 yards.
Burns has 941 career yards rushing and stands poised to become the 29th 1,000-yard rusher in Tech history. Earlier this season, backup Sean Gregory went over the 1,000-yard mark and now has 1,022 yards. Tech’s two tailbacks have combined for 1,963 career rushing yards.
JACKETS BAG SACKS
The Georgia Tech defense has recorded 13 sacks in the last two games, giving Tech 20 for the season. The Yellow Jackets had 16 sacks all of last season.
Tech collected seven sacks against NC State, the Jackets’ best total since a seven-sack effort against Maryland in 1997. Tech followed with six sacks in its win over North Carolina.
Greg Gathers leads the Jackets with five sacks.
COOL HAND LUKE
Sophomore placekicker Luke Manget is eyeing the school record for consecutive extra points. Manget is a perfect 69-for-69 in his career, just one shy of the record of 70 in a row by Scott Sisson over the 1989-91 seasons.
After just 16 games, Manget, who is 16-for-24 on field goals, ranks 8th in Tech history in career points by kicking with 117.
CAMPBELL TIES TD RECORD
With his 16-yard touchdown catch against North Carolina, junior flanker Kelly Campbell tied the Georgia Tech career record. Campbell’s score was the 14th of his career, as he now shares the Tech record with his former teammate Dez White as well as Gary Lee and Buck Martin.
Last fall, Campbell shattered Tech’s season records with 69 receptions for 1,105 yards and 10 touchdowns. He now ranks 6th in Rambling Wreck annals in career receptions (104) and 8th in yardage (1,533).
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Georgia Tech has won 12 of its last 14 home games, with both defeats coming at the hands of Florida State (2000 and 1998). In 10 of those 12 home wins, Tech has scored 40 or more points.
