It only took two seasons for coach Paul Johnson to do what nobody else has done since 1966 -- reach a BCS bowl. In a conference where inconsistency is the dominant trait, Georgia Tech was the most unflappable team from start to finish.
Georgia Tech, which boasted the nation’s No. 2 rushing offense, navigated its way through a tiring, five-game stretch in October that included four road games without a single blemish. There were two bookend bumps along the way -- a Sept. 17 loss to Miami and a disappointing 30-24 home loss to rival Georgia on Nov. 28. In the end, though, neither diminished the significance of the rapid success under Johnson, the ACC’s Coach of the Year.
This Georgia Tech team was able to accomplish what many others before it weren’t. Tech’s 34-9 win at Virginia on Oct. 24 marked the program’s first win in Charlottesville since 1990, breaking a string of eight straight losses in Scott Stadium. And the 28-23 win over Virginia Tech was its first win at home against a team ranked in the top five since 1962. The memorable shootout in Tallahassee against Florida State snapped an 0-6 streak to the Seminoles for the program’s first win at FSU. The Jackets also won five road games in a season for the first time since 1998.
It was the 49-10 win over Duke, though, that gave the program its first Coastal Division crown since 2006. This time, the Jackets seized the opportunity and won the program’s first outright conference title since 1990.
Offensive MVP: Jonathan Dwyer. He ranks third in the ACC and 24th nationally in rushing yards per game (103.5). He has rushed for 100 yards in a game seven times this season, including five of the past six. He is just the third player in Tech history to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons.
Defensive MVP: Defensive end Derrick Morgan. He finished with 12.5 sacks, which ranks first in the ACC and second nationally. He has 17 tackles for loss, which ranks first in the ACC and tied for the seventh nationally. He recorded three sacks in a game twice this season -- Wake Forest (Nov. 7) and Clemson (Sept. 10). Over the past six games, Morgan has 10 tackles for loss and 7 sacks.
Turning point: Paul Johnson’s fourth-down call in overtime against Wake Forest. It was the kind of gutsy call that will be remembered for a long time, though to Johnson, it was an easy decision. But had the Jackets lost at home to the struggling Deacs, they might not be where they are now. After failing to convert on fourth down four times during regulation, the Jackets got the first down when they needed it most. Quarterback Josh Nesbitt ended the series with a 3-yard touchdown run that pushed the Yellow Jackets one win away from the ACC championship game with a 30-27 victory over Wake Forest.
What’s next: No. 9 Georgia Tech will face a stingy Iowa defense in the Orange Bowl, but has a chance to end the season as the fourth team in ACC history to finish with 12 wins.
Georgia Tech, which boasted the nation’s No. 2 rushing offense, navigated its way through a tiring, five-game stretch in October that included four road games without a single blemish. There were two bookend bumps along the way -- a Sept. 17 loss to Miami and a disappointing 30-24 home loss to rival Georgia on Nov. 28. In the end, though, neither diminished the significance of the rapid success under Johnson, the ACC’s Coach of the Year.
This Georgia Tech team was able to accomplish what many others before it weren’t. Tech’s 34-9 win at Virginia on Oct. 24 marked the program’s first win in Charlottesville since 1990, breaking a string of eight straight losses in Scott Stadium. And the 28-23 win over Virginia Tech was its first win at home against a team ranked in the top five since 1962. The memorable shootout in Tallahassee against Florida State snapped an 0-6 streak to the Seminoles for the program’s first win at FSU. The Jackets also won five road games in a season for the first time since 1998.
It was the 49-10 win over Duke, though, that gave the program its first Coastal Division crown since 2006. This time, the Jackets seized the opportunity and won the program’s first outright conference title since 1990.
Offensive MVP: Jonathan Dwyer. He ranks third in the ACC and 24th nationally in rushing yards per game (103.5). He has rushed for 100 yards in a game seven times this season, including five of the past six. He is just the third player in Tech history to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons.
Defensive MVP: Defensive end Derrick Morgan. He finished with 12.5 sacks, which ranks first in the ACC and second nationally. He has 17 tackles for loss, which ranks first in the ACC and tied for the seventh nationally. He recorded three sacks in a game twice this season -- Wake Forest (Nov. 7) and Clemson (Sept. 10). Over the past six games, Morgan has 10 tackles for loss and 7 sacks.
Turning point: Paul Johnson’s fourth-down call in overtime against Wake Forest. It was the kind of gutsy call that will be remembered for a long time, though to Johnson, it was an easy decision. But had the Jackets lost at home to the struggling Deacs, they might not be where they are now. After failing to convert on fourth down four times during regulation, the Jackets got the first down when they needed it most. Quarterback Josh Nesbitt ended the series with a 3-yard touchdown run that pushed the Yellow Jackets one win away from the ACC championship game with a 30-27 victory over Wake Forest.
What’s next: No. 9 Georgia Tech will face a stingy Iowa defense in the Orange Bowl, but has a chance to end the season as the fourth team in ACC history to finish with 12 wins.
Heather Dinich | email
College Football- ESPN.com ACC blogger
- Joined ESPN.com in 2007
- Wrote for The Baltimore Sun
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Heather Dinich
Dinich covered ACC and Big Ten football for five seasons before joining ESPN.com in November 2007. She's an Indiana grad but somehow her favorite day of the week is Saturday.
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