Tech Stings UGA 45-42

For the past seven years, the Georgia Bulldogs have owned the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. For the past seven years, UGA has won the rivalry game in every way imaginable: low scores, high scores, blowouts, close games. Since 9/11, Tech couldn't figure out how to beat UGA... until Saturday, November 29, 2008.

Clean, Old-fashioned Hate lived up to its billing!

Under a steady drizzle at Sanford Stadium in Athens, the Georgia Bulldogs came out breathing fire on Senior Day. Pinpoint passing on the part of Georgia QB Matthew Stafford to Senior WR Muhammad Massaquoi led to four first half scores. The lack of a credible running game on the part of the Yellow Jackets had Tech going into the half time locker room down 28-12.


Tech Head Coach Paul Johnson had a simple message during his half time speech, "Hey, it’s sixty minutes. Anybody who came over here and didn’t think it’s going to be that kind of game, don’t come back out. [We’re] going to get the ball first [to open the second half] and we’re going to go down and score."


The Yellow Jackets responded with 26 unanswered points in the third quarter alone (RB Jonathan Dwyer scored a touchdown on a 60-yard run on the first play in the third quarter) - the comeback and eventual win was jump started just like that!.

Tech piled up 409 yards rushing (Dwyer had 144 yards and RB Roddy Jones had 214 yards) to Georgia's 407 years of passing; Tech won.

And left the Bulldog Faithful in dazed wonderment, "How did Tech football catch up with Georgia football so quickly?"

Just last year, Tech limped away from a game that was thisclose to being a bona fide blowout... now this year with a new coach, a bunch of young players, and an old-fashioned option running game, Tech beat the Bulldawgs at home! When the season opened, Georgia was at the top of the national polls, after today's game, they're not the number one team in the state of Georgia!

When the season started, Coach Johnson asked the team what was their number one goal for the season. The answer was unanimous, "Beat Georgia!"

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Shortly after the game, Tech learned that Virginia Tech prevailed over Virginia; the other Tech will represent the Coastal Division in the ACC Championship game in Tampa next week.

It would've been a nice capstone to the season to go down to Tampa and win the ACC Championship, but this win was much bigger than that little game next week. Much bigger.

we may not be going to Tampa for the ACC Championship,
but we beat the Dawgs,
time to strike up the band with the "Ramblin' Wreck Song"



GO TECH!

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plez sez: what's the good word? TO HELL WITH GEORGIA!

~ ~ Citations ~ ~

Read Jeff Schultz's Atlanta Journal-Constitution article predicting a Tech upset of UGA.

Read the ESPN.com article about Tech's shocking win over UGA.

Read the AJC.com article about how the Yellow Jackets stung the Bulldawgs.

Read Furman Bisher's Atlanta Journal-Constitution article about the game.

All game photos courtesy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution game photo gallery

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