Georgia Tech vs. Miami Football 2009
Yellow Jackets, Hurricanes Look to Improve to 2-0 in ACC
Sep 11, 2009
No. 20 Miami (1-0) plays host to No. 14 Georgia Tech (2-0) on Thursday, Sept. 17, in an ACC game scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST. The contest, scheduled for telecast by ESPN, will match two teams coming off nail-biting victories.
Georgia Tech opened its conference schedule on Sept. 10, holding off Clemson 30-27. Scott Blair, who earlier threw a touchdown pass on a fake field goal, provided the decisive points by booting a 36-yard field goal with 57 seconds remaining.
That came three nights after Miami prevailed in a 38-34 shootout with then-No. 18 Florida State in its season opener. Jacory Harris passed for 386 yards and two touchdowns, and the Hurricanes defense stopped a Seminoles drive on the 2-yard line as time expired.
Sophomores Step Up for Hurricanes
It might be a bit disconcerting for the Hurricanes that their win wasn’t secure until a potential game-winning pass by Florida State’s Christian Ponder fell out of the grasp of Jarmon Forston in the end zone on the final play.
But Miami coach Randy Shannon had to like the way some of his younger players responded to pressure on the road.
Sophomore Harris threw two interceptions, including one that was returned 31 yards for a touchdown by Florida State’s Markus White early in the fourth quarter. But Harris coolly led the Hurricanes on two scoring drives in the closing minutes to put his team back on top.
Another sophomore, Travis Benjamin, had four catches for 128 yards, including a 38-yard TD in the first quarter. Benjamin also made a 40-yard grab to set up Miami’s final touchdown.
The defense was also led by a sophomore. Cornerback Brandon Harris made a game-high nine tackles and broke up two passes. And sophomore defensive end Marcus Robinson forced a fumble with a sack of Ponder, setting up a Miami touchdown late in the third quarter.
Miami Running Game Quiet
Miami outgained Florida State 476 to 404 in total yardage, with a vast majority of the yards on both sides coming through the air.
In a game that developed into a shootout, the Hurricanes perhaps weren’t expecting for a huge night rushing. But they certainly would’ve liked to produce more than 90 yards with their 30 attempts. Javarris James was the leading rusher with 36 yards on 11 carries, including a 6-yard TD.
Junior running back Graig Cooper rushed for just 31 yards, but he scored Miami’s final two TDs – on a 24-yard reception and a 3-yard run. And Cooper’s 63-yard kickoff return sparked Miami’s rally from a 23-14 deficit.
The Hurricanes gave up only 110 rushing yards to Florida State, which like Miami had just 30 attempts. Take away a 30-yard run by Ponder, and a 27-yard rush by Ty Jones, and the Miami run defense was extremely sturdy.
But next Thursday, Miami will have to worry a lot more about stopping the run when it faces the spread option offense of coach Paul Johnson's Yellow Jackets.
Yellow Jackets Piling Up Rushing Yards
Through two games, Georgia Tech is averaging 457.5 yards per contest, including 318 on the ground. The Yellow Jackets had 418 yards in their win over Clemson and 497 in their season-opening 37-17 victory over Jacksonville State.
Quarterback Josh Nesbitt is the team’s leading rusher with 194 yards per game. Jonathan Dwyer has added 161 yards and two TDs, and Anthony Allen has 148 yards on just eight carries. The Yellow Jackets are averaging a hefty 6.4 yards per carry.
Nesbitt has hit on just nine of his 25 passes, and has been intercepted twice. But he is averaging nearly 24.9 yards per completion. His 39-yard pass to Demarvius Thomas set up the winning field goal vs. Clemson on Thursday night.
And Thomas has been a home run threat, with 194 yards on seven catches. One of them was a 34-yard TD from kicker Blair in the Clemson game.
Derrick Morgan Keys Georgia Tech Defense
Defensive end Derrick Morgan has led the Tech defense, which has yielded 338.5 yards per game. Morgan has a team-high 15 tackles, including 11 solo, and has five of his team’s six sacks this season.
In addition, the 6-foot-4, 272-pound junior has 6.5 tackles for losses and a pass breakup. He recorded three sacks on Thursday night.
Sophomore safety Cooper Taylor is second on the team with 14 tackles and also has an interception. Linebacker Brad Jefferson has 13 tackles and a pair of pass breakups, and linebacker Sedric Griffin is close behind with 12 tackles.
Cornerback Jerrard Tarrant has made 11 tackles and broken up two passes, and the redshirt sophomore has already returned two punts for touchdowns – one in each game.
Georgia Tech Leads Series With Miami
Georgia Tech owns a 10-4 lead in its series with Miami, and has won four straight over the Hurricanes. The Yellow Jackets defeated Miami 41-23 in Atlanta during last year’s 9-4 campaign.
Miami, which was 7-6 in 2008, has not beaten the Yellow Jackets since a 27-3 decision on the road in 2004.
No matter what happens Thursday, both teams will have more difficult tests awaiting them.
Miami faces a road matchup with No. 14 Virginia Tech on Sept. 26, and a home date with No. 13 Oklahoma on Oct. 3. That’ll be four ranked teams in four games for the Hurricanes.
Georgia Tech is at home vs. No. 19 North Carolina on Sept. 26, and at Mississippi State on Oct. 3.
