Jackets continue to own the clock
For the AJC
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Virginia coach Al Groh went against his usual strategy when the Cavaliers won the coin flip before Saturday’s ACC Coastal Division game against No. 12 Georgia Tech, choosing to receive the opening kickoff instead of deferring until the second half.
Related
Groh’s decision backfired when the Yellow Jackets got the ball first in the third quarter and put together an 18-play, 82-yard scoring march. The methodical drive, which featured only three plays longer than six yards, consumed 10:47 and set the tone for another dominant second-half performance before ending with Anthony Allen’s 1-yard touchdown run.
“That was huge,” Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said after his team took over first place in the Coastal Division with a 34-9 victory. “I looked up and there was four minutes left in the third quarter. That’s a pretty good way to do it.”
Georgia Tech (5-1 ACC, 7-1 overall), which led only 13-6 at halftime, put the game away with two more long scoring drives in the fourth quarter and held the ball for all but 6:12 in the second half.
“That’s been the story of every team that’s played them,” Groh said.
Georgia Tech has dominated time of possession after halftime in each of their past three victories. Against Florida State, the Yellow Jackets had a scoring drives of 9:07 and 4:32 in the second half. Last weekend against Virginia Tech, they had two second-half possessions that ate up 13:53.
Equally important, all but one of those drives ended in points.
“We keep running new backs in there, so we’re staying fresh,” added Allen, who averaged 9.4 yards on his 11 carries yesterday and scored twice. “We look at the linemen across from us and see them getting tired, and we know we have them.”
That was especially true yesterday, when the Yellow Jackets extended their longest possession in the past 21 years by converting 4 of 5 third-down plays and one fourth down.
Georgia Tech caught a break early in the drive when Josh Nesbitt’s pass on third-and-6 from the Jackets’ 36 was tipped by Virginia linebacker Cameron Johnson but still fluttered into the waiting hands of Demaryius Thomas for a 13-yard gain.
Dwyer converted another third down with a 20-yard run on a perfectly executed draw play. He finished off the run by steamrolling Virginia cornerback Chris Cook at the Cavaliers’ 9-yard line, and Allen scored three plays later.
“I think they got a little tired,” Georgia Tech center Sean Bedford said. “I don’t know if they let up, but it can wear on your will to win eventually.”
The Yellow Jackets’ ball-control offense made life easy for its defense, which played only 19 snaps after halftime.
“I was enjoying the show,” Georgia Tech linebacker Brad Jefferson added. “That’s what the defense did: we took a seat and enjoyed the show.”
Inside ajc.com
'Think Like a Man'
Gabrielle Union was one of the stars on hand at The Pan African Film & Arts Festival's premiere.
Fall down go boom
As Fashion Week begins, a look at some of the unfortunate models who couldn't quite make it down the runway.
Enter to win!
Your picks could pay off. Play our Red Carpet Music Awards contest for a shot at an iPod Nano.
Reaching for the big time
Eight Georgia players and one Georgia Tech player are among the 327 entrants invited to the NFL combine.
Services »
