For the third time in five games, Georgia Tech’s defense came up with a win-preserving performance in holding Miami to three points in the second half of Saturday’s 28-17 victory at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets stopped any hope the Hurricanes had of rallying with an interception by safety Jamal Golden in the end zone with 1:11 left.
Three times this season Tech’s defense has allowed fewer points in the second half than in the first.
“There were crucial stops by the defense when we had to,” Tech coach Paul Johnson said.
It wasn’t a stop, but the defense forced Miami to kick a 27-yard field goal with 3:25 left in the third quarter when a touchdown would have tied the game.
The effort was a carryover from the second-half performance against Virginia Tech two weeks ago in which the Yellow Jackets allowed just eight points and did enough to give the offense a chance to complete the rally.
Safety Isaiah Johnson, who intercepted a pass from Miami’s Brad Kaaya in the first half, said the performance was actually a carry-over from the near meltdown the group experienced against Georgia Southern. The Eagles torched the Jackets for 28 points across the third and fourth quarters before finally succumbing on a turnover.
“That’s when we knew we had to do better,” Johnson said.
After giving up 83 rushing yards as part of 193 yards in the first half, Tech held Miami to just 24 rushing yards as part of 159 yards in the second half.
Paul Johnson said the defense benefited from two things in the final two quarters on Saturday: He said they went back to basic schemes so that everyone would know what they needed to where they needed to go, and the offense continued to dominate the time of possession. The 10-minute advantage enjoyed in the first half was matched in the second half.
“We felt real fresh the whole game,” linebacker Quayshawn Nealy said. “It was great the offense keeping the ball out there, being a ball hog.”
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