After a few hours, not many of which were spent sleeping, we try again to comprehend the incomprehensible: Tennessee 42, Georgia Tech 41 (2OT) . Again we fail.
Tech outgained Tennessee by 279 yards in regulation. Tech also outgained Tennessee by seven yards in overtime. (The Vols got seven yards via penalty.)
Tennessee gained 379 yards as a team. Two Tech players – TaQuon Marshall and KirVonte Benson – rushed for 373 yards.
Tech rushed for 166 more yards than Tennessee managed running and passing.
Tennessee scored seven points over its first seven possessions. It scored five touchdowns over its final six.
Tech punted once over its final 12 possessions.
Of Tech’s 96 plays, two lost yardage. The first came when Marshall flipped a pitch over Qua Searcy’s head, the second when Benson was halted for a yard loss.
Tech converted 13 of 18 third downs.
Neither team had a sack.
Tennessee threw 37 times and managed 221 yards passing. Tech threw 10 times and managed 120. Tech’s yards-per-attempt was 12.0; Tennessee’s was 6.0. (Among the statistical set, YPA is held as a leading indicator.)
On its final five touchdown drives – including two in overtime – Tennessee faced three third downs. On its final six possessions Tech faced five third downs. It converted four.
Every play in both overtimes gained yardage – until Tech was blunted on its 2-point conversion.
Under Paul Johnson, Tech is 54-11 and 9-5 against ranked opponents when it scores 30 or more points.
Read that again. In nine seasons plus one game, Tech has scored 30 points 11 times and not won. That’s more than once per year. This year just got started.
From very early this morning: About Georgia Tech, we can only ask: How do you lose THAT game?
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