Georgia Tech taking motivation from 73-7 loss to Clemson
As might be expected, Georgia Tech’s 73-7 loss to Clemson last year has stuck with the Yellow Jackets.
“Truthfully, it’s something that we’ve spoken about,” cornerback Tre Swilling said Wednesday. “Truthfully, it’s something that I still think about, and it happened on our home turf, on our home field. Does it add any motivation going into the game? I’d be a fool to say that it doesn’t.”
The 73 points amassed by the Tigers were the second most points scored on the Jackets in program history, exceeded only by a 94-point game by Auburn in 1894 and a 73-0 win by the same Tigers in 1903, a defeat that prompted Tech to hire John Heisman away from Clemson. Defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker said Tuesday that he still carries “scar tissue” from the defeat.
Swilling said that he doesn’t want last year’s game to be distracting to Tech’s preparation, but he also doesn’t want to forget it.
“But we also want to be able to learn from that and be able to help us be in a better position for the next year,” he said.
About the Author
Ken Sugiura is a sports columnist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Formerly the Georgia Tech beat reporter, Sugiura started at the AJC in 1998 and has covered a variety of beats, mostly within sports.
