Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson always has a trick up his sleeve.
With his team facing a second-and-12 deep in their own territory in the first quarter of Saturday's contest against No. 17 Virginia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium, the creative offensive mind called a counter-sweep to A-back Nathan Cottrell.
The Hokies defense wasn’t expecting the call as Cottrell went the opposite way the rest of the offense went. The sophomore raced down the sideline for a gain of 69 yards. He picked up a huge block from wide receiver Ricky Jeune to take the ball to the Virginia Tech 14-yard line. It was the longest gain of Cottrell’s career.
Quarterback TaQuon Marshall scored a 3-yard rushing touchdown a few plays later to put the Yellow Jackets up 7-3.
Support real journalism. Support local journalism. Subscribe to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today. See offers.
Your subscription to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution funds in-depth reporting and investigations that keep you informed. Thank you for supporting real journalism.