MIAMI — Here’s how little life Georgia Tech’s slick, sleight-of-hand offense manages to generate in the football fiefdom dubbed Sun Life Stadium:
Only three times since the start of the 2009 season have the Yellow Jackets failed to amass at least 200 rushing yards in Coach Paul Johnson’s innovative shell game of a rushing attack.
The site for all three ignominious efforts has been the home of the NFL’s Dolphins, the Miami Hurricanes and the Orange Bowl Classic.
Quarterback Tevin Washington and the Jackets, who arrived Saturday averaging 347 rushing yards per game through seven, never got on track in a 24-7 loss to the Hurricanes and netted only 134 on the ground in 48 attempts, a paltry 2.8-yard average per attempt.
A subdued Johnson voiced his obvious frustration over the fact “we couldn’t find something [Washington and Co.] could do on offense. [Miami’s defensive coaches] had a better plan than we did. We couldn’t get any rhythm ... Couldn’t get much going ... Never hit any big plays.”
Saturday’s game played out similarly to Georgia Tech’s 2009 visit to Sun Life. Then the Miami defense smothered the Tech attack, allowing only 95 yards on the ground in a 33-17 Miami triumph.
On Saturday, the Hurricanes, supposedly handicapped on defense by an injury to one starting defensive tackle (Marcus Forston) and the one-game suspension of the other (Micanor Regis), overcame any and all problems.
“Our defensive line allowed us linebackers to roam free and run,” said Sean Spence, who led the Hurricanes with 10 tackles. “You have to play assignment football.’’
The opponent changed a couple of months after that 2009 drubbing when the Jackets returned for the 2010 Orange Bowl, but the result, and the statistics, looked similar. Iowa permitted only 143 rushing yards en route to a 24-14 victory.
Tech generated one brutally effective drive Saturday: 20 plays, 92 yards, nine minutes and 15 seconds elapsed. “That’s hard to do,’’ Johnson said of the drive that carved into a 14-0 Miami lead. But in a sense, that too reflected exasperation. Johnson’s attack is designed to spring backs for long runs.
For the third consecutive game, Washington led the Jackets in rushing, but this time with only 36 yards on 20 attempts. He also completed only six of 12 passes for 63 yards. Tech’s first offensive snap may have discouraged Johnson from going airborne more.
Washington tried to catch the Hurricanes off-guard rolling right and heaving downfield. But he overthrew his target and watched JoJo Nicolas make an interception to set up Miami’s go-ahead-for-good 46-yard touchdown drive.
“We had Orwin Smith wide open, and I threw a bad pass,” Washington said softly. “It’s real frustrating any time you lose. For me, it’s like I let the team down.”
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