Kansas entered Bobby Dodd Stadium expecting a rematch. What the Jayhawks experienced, though, was 12 months of pent-up aggression.
From its first play from scrimmage, Georgia Tech unleashed option-based fury, crumpling Kansas in a 66-24 victory Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Precise blocking, swift ballcarrying and an NCAA-record 12.1 yards per carry overwhelmed the Jayhawks.
“[On Saturday], you really saw that when we get our blocks, it’s like playing a video game,” A-back Embry Peeples said. “Scores after scores after scores.”
A wasted trip to Lawrence, Kan., set the stage for Saturday’s demonstration of cold-blooded efficiency. Last September, the Jayhawks had the temerity to break their eight-game losing streak by upsetting the then-No. 15 Yellow Jackets in a game coated with Tech mistakes and loafing play. Kansas players had the further gall to share their fond memories of the day and their aspirations to re-create them in Atlanta with news media this past week.
“In the back of your mind, as a team, as a football player, it hurts,” linebacker Steven Sylvester said. “We felt called out, so we kind of came out here and tried to make a statement [Saturday].”
On Friday night at the team hotel, at the end of a defensive meeting, defensive coordinator Al Groh clicked on a video from last year’s game, a montage of mistakes and poor-effort plays. The last image was the scoreboard showing the 28-25 final.
“Everything we did wrong on that film, we wanted to correct today,” linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu said.
Tech’s first 3-0 start in coach Paul Johnson’s four-year tenure has been mounted upon staggering offensive production. For the third game in a row, the Jackets scored on their first play from scrimmage, a school-record 95-yard scoring run by A-back Orwin Smith off a counter play that Kansas coach Turner Gill said the Jackets hadn’t run this season. Tech has outscored Western Carolina, Middle Tennessee State and Kansas by a 178-66 count.
The Jackets set two school records with 768 yards of offense and 604 rushing yards on 50 attempts. The Tech passing game resumed its high-impact form, turning seven attempts by quarterback Tevin Washington into four catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns. A-backs Smith and Roddy Jones each scored rushing and receiving touchdowns that averaged 54.5 yards in length, even including Jones’ 4-yard scoring run.
Said Washington, “As for us being a high school offense ... we just put up 700 yards.”
After finishing the first half leading 24-17, the Jackets ended suspense in a stunning third quarter. In the first four possessions of the quarter, Tech needed 12 plays to score four touchdowns. In the quarter, the Jackets held Kansas to 45 yards in 16 plays and racked up 283 yards on their own 16 plays, scoring from 63, 67, 52 and 21 yards.
The Jackets’ defense responded to a halftime challenge from Johnson and Groh to improve its form. Tech had allowed Kansas to convert seven of 10 third downs in the first half and compile 246 yards of offense. A scheme tweak and dialed-up intensity turned the tables. The Jayhawks converted two of seven third downs and gained 116 yards in the second half.
After halftime, “they put a lot of pressure on me,” Kansas quarterback Jordan Webb said. “I took a lot of hits.”
The schedule that Johnson said before the season was practically made to order, starting with three non-conference games of increasing difficulty to lead into ACC play, brings North Carolina to Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday.
The Tar Heels undoubtedly will offer a greater challenge than have Western Carolina, Middle Tennessee State and Kansas. A video-game offense and an improving defense continue their journey into a season of redemption.
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