THE GAME STORY ...

BY DARRYL SLATER
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

ATLANTA – Virginia Tech’s defensive coordinator, Bud Foster, watched Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt run left, up the sideline and toward the end zone, each of his strides almost certainly extinguishing the Hokies’ aspirations of playing for a national championship.

When Nesbitt tip-toed into the end zone for a 39-yard touchdown, Foster looked down at his feet and threw up his hands. His defense had few answers in the second half last night for the Yellow Jackets’ option-based offense, as Georgia Tech won 28-23 at Bobby Dodd Stadium and muddled the ACC’s Coastal Division standings.

The fourth-ranked Hokies limited the 19th-ranked Jackets in the first half, but Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson adjusted his blocking plan for the second half, and his team responded with second-half touchdown drives of 60, 86 and 75 yards – the latter ended with Nesbitt’s touchdown run and a 28-16 lead with three minutes remaining.

In the first half, after which the Jackets led 7-3, they ran 21 times for 37 yards. But their 21 third-quarter carries gained 157 yards, and they added 115 more rushing yards in the fourth. They frustrated Virginia Tech’s players and coaches by holding the ball for 22:28 of 30 minutes in the second half to prevent the Hokies from getting a leg up in the Coastal as they chase a third consecutive conference championship.

“It really was making you mad,” said linebacker Barquell Rivers, “because you wanted to get off the field but they kept driving the ball and we were getting tired.”

The Jackets (6-1) and Hokies (5-2) now both have 3-1 conference records, with Georgia Tech holding the tiebreaker advantage as Virginia Tech enters its lone off week and prepares for its final five games.

Foster had to like his players’ performance in the first half. Georgia Tech’s first four drives gained minus-4, minus-12, 3 and 6 yards. Yes, Nesbitt’s 51-yard pass to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas set up a touchdown. But other than that, the Jackets gained 37 yards on 25 plays in the half.

Then Johnson did what he does best. He adjusted. And his players showed why their offense entered last night averaging 426.7 yards – 24th in the nation. Johnson decided to change his blocking assignments by taking the player who was blocking Virginia Tech’s strong safety and outside linebacker and having him block the free safety, Kam Chancellor.

This allowed another lead blocker for Nesbitt when he ran to the outside. And the threat of a reverse kept strong safety Dorian Porch from coming over to help Chancellor. The result: Nesbitt, who ran 12 times for 22 yards in the first half, had 11 carries for 100 in the second.

“Just trying to play everything at once, it was a little bit too much for us,” Porch said. “It wasn’t the same thing that we prepared for all week. We tried to make an adjustment, and it worked for a little bit. And they switched on us. It was just kind of going back and forth, kind of like a chess match. And they won it.”

Nesbitt’s 31-yard run on the Jackets’ first possession of the second half moved them to the 4 and highlighted the 60-yard touchdown drive. After Virginia Tech pulled to 14-10 on a 66-yard touchdown by tailback Ryan Williams, the Jackets answered with an 86-yard touchdown march that featured Nesbitt bouncing right and running for 8 yards on third-and-6 from Virginia Tech’s 22.

The Hokies’ offensive players might regret missed opportunities. They started three of their first seven drives in Georgia Tech territory and got points on none of them. “It killed us,” Williams said. But credit them for cutting the score to 21-16 with 4:52 left, when quarterback Tyrod Taylor ran for a 22-yard touchdown.

The Hokies’ defense, exhausted or not, desperately needed a stop. They didn’t get it. Not on the possession’s second play, from the Jackets’ 24, when Anthony Allen took a pitch and ran 23 yards, which made Foster yank off his radio headset. And not on Nesbitt’s 39-yard scoring scamper, on third and 7, with three minutes left.

It was a brutally efficient possession – seven plays, 75 yards in 1:45 – that, a couple minutes later, had Georgia Tech’s fans spilling onto the field and scurrying up the goal posts to celebrate the signature win of Johnson’s season-plus with the Jackets.

The Hokies walked silently to the locker room, knowing they can still make this season special, glad they don’t have to handle another offense like Georgia Tech’s, which few other teams in the country run. “We put this game behind us,” Rivers said, “because we know that we won’t see this formation or them again this year.”

The damage is already done.

***

THE GRAPHICS ...

QUICK KICKS

No. 19 Georgia Tech 28, No. 4 Virginia Tech 23

For starters: Georgia Tech’s first four drives netted minus-4, minus-12, 3 and 6 yards. The Yellow Jackets trailed 3-0 when they began their fifth drive on their own 28 with 3:54 left in the first half. On the second play, quarterback Josh Nesbitt hit wide receiver Demaryius Thomas for a 51-yard pass, setting up a touchdown and a 7-3 halftime lead.

Turning point: The Hokies trailed 21-16 after quarterback Tyrod Taylor’s 22-yard touchdown run with 4:52 left. Their defense just needed a stop. But the Yellow Jackets marched 75 yards in seven plays and 1:45 – a drive capped by Nesbitt’s 39-yard run, which essentially sealed the game.

Star of the game: Nesbitt. He ran 12 times for 22 yards in the first half but finished with 23 carries for 122 yards. He scored three touchdowns – two 1-yard dives and the 39-yarder.

Big picture: Virginia Tech’s hopes of playing for a national championship are almost certainly finished. Now, the Hokies are left chasing their third consecutive ACC championship – which would put them in the Orange Bowl.

Go figure: 157 – Rushing yards for Georgia Tech in the third quarter, on 21 carries. The Yellow Jackets had 21 carries for 37 yards in the first half.

Next: Virginia Tech has its only off week this Saturday before resuming the schedule by hosting North Carolina on Oct. 29, a Thursday, at 7:30 p.m. The game is the first of the Hokies’ two ESPN Thursday night contests.

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GRADING THE THREE KEYS

PROPER TACKLING: Too often, Virginia Tech missed tackles in the second half—which simply can’t happen against Georgia Tech’s option-based offense. The Yellow Jackets ran 21 times for 37 yards in the first half and 42 times for 272 in the second. Quarterback Josh Nesbitt did most of the damage. He had a 31-yard run that set up a touchdown and a 39-yarder that scored a touchdown.

GRADE: C-

LONG DRIVES: The Hokies had touchdown drives of 61, 66 and 77 yards. But their longest possession, in terms of time, was a nine-play 56-yard drive that lasted 4:27 and resulted in a second-quarter field goal. The Jackets dominated in time of possession 38:22-21:38.

GRADE: C

PUNT COVERAGE: This wasn’t much of an issue. Georgia Tech’s punt returner, sophomore cornerback Jerrard Tarrant, returned one for 12 yards. The Hokies punted four times in all. Tarrant entered the game with seven returns this season and an average of 26.7 yards per return—second in the nation. He also had run back two for touchdowns.

GRADE: B+

Recapping the tough loss for Virginia Tech.

Posted in • College Sports • Virginia Tech
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