CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – For roughly half of Saturday’s game at Virginia, Georgia Tech’s defense got a taste of the futility opponents so often feel in attempting to stop the Yellow Jackets’ powerful ground attack.
From their first offensive snap, when junior Perry Jones motored through a gaping hole for a 14-yard gain, the more-physical Cavaliers imposed their will on a Tech defense that was mostly helpless to stop them.
But even after surrendering more than 200 rushing yards to a team that needed a failed two-point conversion to nip lowly Idaho in overtime two weeks ago, the Jackets trailed only 24-21 and still had a chance to win when their defense took the field for the final time with 5:58 left.
Tech’s task was simple: stop Virginia, force a punt and get the ball back to Tevin Washington’s offense with enough time on the clock to mount a game-winning drive.
Instead, the Jackets never touched the ball again.
Virginia marched from its own 23 to the Tech 6 in 13 plays — 11 of which were runs. Jones’ final carry netted 10 yards, and with the visiting Jackets having already exhausted their supply of timeouts on the previous play, Virginia coach Mike London saw no sense in landing a knockout punch.
Quarterback Michael Rocco took a knee twice, and Virginia’s fans stormed the field to celebrate, the horde engulfing Tech’s defensive players in much the same manner the Cavaliers’ massive offensive line had overwhelmed the Jackets’ front seven all afternoon.
“That last drive summed up the entire game,” Tech defensive end Izaan Cross acknowledged. “Give credit to them for running the ball. They felt that was our weakest point and they did a good job.”
Led by Jones, who rushed for a career-high 149 yards on 18 carries, Virginia nearly did the unthinkable: outgain Tech on the ground. Even after Rocco’s kneel-downs at the end cost the Cavaliers three yards, they still finished with 272 rushing yards — their highest output since a 2004 game against Duke and the most surrendered by Tech all season.
“That’s the way everyone is going to play us,” Tech coach Paul Johnson said. “They’re going to run the ball and hold the ball.”
While giving Virginia credit for its performance, Johnson was less than satisfied with his team’s tackling and inability to prevent the Cavaliers’ runners from repeatedly bouncing outside for big gains.
“You can call it a scheme thing,” Cross said. “A lot of times they had guards and tackles pulling out on our cornerbacks. That’s a mismatch.”
Asked if he thought the defense’s struggles were a scheme issue or primarily a problem with execution, Johnson said he’d “have to look at the tape.”
“That’s something you’ll have to ask [defensive coordinator] Al [Groh],” Johnson added.
Groh, a Virginia alumnus who served as the Cavaliers’ head coach for nine years, returned to Charlottesville for the first time yesterday and watched his former team carve up his trademark 3-4 defense.
And while one subpar performance would’ve been tough enough to swallow, the Yellow Jackets' inability to stop the run is quickly becoming a trend. They’ve allowed a 100-yard rusher in each of the past four games.
Tech managed to win the first three, but weren’t so fortunate against Virginia.
“A loss always hurts,” said Rod Sweeting, whose 32-yard interception return touchdown was one of the Jackets’ few defensive highlights. “They ran the ball down our throat all day. For them to run the ball like that hurts even more.”
