On a basic option play in the 2008 Georgia-Georgia Tech game, Georgia Tech A-back Roddy Jones ran through the rain and the Bulldogs defense and into history. His 54-yard run down the right sideline of Sanford Stadium was a back-breaker in Tech's 45-42 win, the Yellow Jackets' first after seven consecutive losses in the series.
A fan favorite for his outgoing personality, academic success and productive play, Jones will set a school record with his 51st career start Saturday. Speaking with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week, Jones looked back on that play and his Tech career.
Q: What was that play like?
A: It was surreal. It all happened so fast. I wasn't really sure if I'd stayed in bounds, I wasn't sure if they were going to review it. My celebration was one of kind of figuring out what just happened. I remember getting in the end zone and turning around and waiting for a whistle or something.
Then we got to the sideline, we were ready for a review and it never came. It was definitely an exciting game to win. The run, I just say I was at the right place at the right time. (Quarterback Joshua) Nesbitt pitched me the ball and I just tried to make the best of it.
Q: When did you know it had a chance to break open?
A: I guess when they lined up the way we designed it, I knew it was going to have a chance. But they actually played it fairly well. They just missed a couple tackles. Sometimes that happens. I guess when I broke the last tackle and started running, that's when I knew I was going to have a chance to score.
Q: What is it like to have made a play that is such an iconic part of the rivalry and Georgia Tech history?
A: It's kind of crazy, especially to still be here and have it mean so much to people. I still have people come up to me and tell me where they were when they saw it. It's a very cool feeling. It kind of shows what the rivalry means to people. It's very humbling, as well, to have people say, 'That's my favorite run' or other things like that. It's very humbling.
Q: Have you had much interaction with Georgia fans about it?
A: Not that much. Georgia fans tend not to even acknowledge that it happened. Mostly, it's from Tech fans, which is good.
Q: To what degree will what happens Saturday shape how you view your career?
A: It depends on if we win or if we lose (laugh). It's not going to make or break anything. Certainly, it'd be a nice way to go out, but it's going to come down to doing it on the field. When it's all over, I'll look back and then determine how everything ranks, but it'll really depend on the outcome.
Q: What's something about Coach (Paul) Johnson that doesn’t match his public persona?
A: Coach Johnson actually does have a soft side. You see him, when guys get hurt, he goes out on the field and checks on him. People would think that coach Johnson probably wouldn't do that, but he really cares about us. After I had surgery on my wrist, he called me after surgery to see how I was doing. That's the stuff that people don't see and the stuff that makes us play harder for him.
Q: Who's the best player you've played against, on either side of the ball?
A: Probably (former Clemson running back) C.J. Spiller. He was really good. But also, you could pick out a number of the guys from the Iowa defense or the LSU defense. I think people forget that Patrick Peterson started against us that year when we played LSU and he was just a freshman. He was very good back then, too. We've played against some really good players since I've been here, so it's hard to narrow it down, but C.J. Spiller's definitely up there.
Q: Where's your piece of the hedge (taken from Sanford Stadium after the 2008 game)?
A: My piece of the hedge is actually in a flower pot. I think it's dead now because I haven't watered it in awhile, but it was alive for, like, two years and it was growing and flourishing. It's funny, because I actually didn't get one on the field, because I got rushed away; I had to do an interview on TV.
So I didn't get one but (former linebacker) Kyle Jackson had this "ginormous" piece, so he broke me off a piece and my piece grew off of it. I stuck it in a Powerade bottle and it grew. The thing just won't die. So I figure I'll be able to keep it for another couple years and then stick it in some water and it'll grow back. Because I don't know what they put in those things, but they just don't die.
Q: Do you ever think about what would have happened if you'd gone to Clemson (Jones' second choice)?
A: I do. Well, not all the time, but I think about it and I don't really know. I think the reasons that I came to Tech, all of them have been fulfilled, so I'm happy in my decision to have come here. I played football at the highest level, earned a great degree, I'm fortunate enough to be taking grad classes and been in the city and networked and I've been close to home, so all those things have made my stay here very, very rewarding.
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