WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- While Colorado was honoring its 1990 national championship team at Saturday's game against Georgia, Georgia Tech associate athletic director Wayne Hogan said, "We'll be honoring the real national champions" Nov. 13 at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets and Buffaloes split the national championship in 1990, with Colorado taking the AP title and Tech taking the UPI (coaches) title.
Tech will honor its championship team during halftime of the game against the Hurricanes next month. More than 100 players and coach Bobby Ross have committed to appear.
Colorado had said it was honoring the "consensus" national champions against the Bulldogs.
"We only had four downs on all of our series," said Hogan, taking a shot at one of Colorado's wins that season when the referees mistakenly gave the Buffaloes a fifth down on the last play of the game against Missouri. Colorado scored on the gifted down to defeat the Tigers and keep its unbeaten season alive.
Tech players have been wearing a sticker with the number 20 on their helmets to honor the team.
Bedford back
With a heavily taped right shin, center Sean Bedford started against Wake Forest.
Bedford left last week's loss to N.C. State in the first quarter after he sustained a shin-to-shin hit. He was taken to the trainer's room and didn't appear. He missed practices Monday and Tuesday because he was receiving treatment.
His backup, Jay Finch, didn't dress out because of a hamstring injury. Finch also returned for this game. As a result, Ray Beno and Zach Krish, neither of whom have played the position in a game, were pressed into duty. The Jackets rushed for 247 yards, nearly 100 less than their season average to that point.
The line shuffles continued, though.
Nick Claytor started at left tackle. After starting the season's first three games, he didn't start last week. Austin Barrick started instead.
This was the third time this season that Tech used the combination of Claytor, left guard Will Jackson, Bedford, right guard Omoregie Uzzi and right tackle Phil Smith on the offensive line. The previous two times -- against South Carolina State and at North Carolina -- resulted in wins.
They weren't on the field long. Jackson limped off on Tech's first series, favoring his left leg. He didn't return in the first half. He sustained an injury to the same leg in the season opener. He missed the game against the Jayhawks and returned against the Tar Heels. He was replaced by Nick McRae.
Wake's rotating QBs
Wake Forest used three quarterbacks on its first four series. Starter Ted Stachitas left the game in the first quarter with a lower back injury. The Deacons already were missing starter Tanner Price, which forced Brendan Cross, from Alpharetta, into the game. After leading the team to a field goal, Cross was forced to leave because of an injury to his left shoulder. Skylar Jones. a junior, replaced him. He led the Deacons to a touchdown and a 10-3 lead on his second drive.
Etc.
In what may be a bad sign, members of the Orange Bowl committee didn't appear at Saturday's game. They attended last week's game at Bobby Dodd Stadium and Tech's game at North Carolina. Instead, the Champs Sports Bowl attended. The ACC champion automatically is invited to play in the Orange Bowl, unless it is selected to play in the national championship game. ... Seniors Scott Blair and Kevin Cone joined Joshua Nesbitt and Brad Jefferson as Tech's captains. Cone caught the first pass of his career on Tech's first series when Nesbitt hit him in the flat. Cone ran 9 yards. Blair's 47-yard field goal in the first quarter and 45-yarder in the second quarter made him a perfect 6-for-6 this season. It was his longest kick this season. ... Julian Burnett, who is becoming a special-teams ace, made the first two tackles on kickoff returns. ... Jerrard Tarrant had a 25-yard punt return in the second quarter, his longest of the season. ... Continuing a disappointing season, wide receiver Stephen Hill dropped two passes on Tech's last series in the first half. He had fallen down as he attempted to catch another one earlier in the game.
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