ATLANTA -- Some may call it an innovative approach to scouting and pregame preparation.
Others could call it a bizarre, unnecessary tactic based half in fear and half in boredom.
But whichever side of the Georgia-Georgia Tech divide people align themselves might color their thoughts about the presence of Bulldogs players in the stands at Bobby Dodd Stadium on a college football Saturday.
Just before the start of Georgia Tech’s home-finale against Duke, Bulldogs running back Tavares King tweeted from his @tkunodos Twitter handle that he was “headed to the tech game.” According to messages on the social network from Georgia Tech fans located in the north end zone stands, he and Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray were there with other Georgia players, scouting their rivalry-game competition.
Georgia was off this weekend as it welcomes the Yellow Jackets to Sanford Stadium for the teams’ annual end-of-year rivalry game.
“I hope they enjoyed themselves,” Yellow Jackets center Sean Bedford said. “I went and saw them on our bye week.”
Bedford’s motivations, however, were slightly different. Growing up in Gainesville, Fla., he has long been a Florida Gators fan. He wanted to share the experience of the Jacksonville, Fla.-based Georgia-Florida contest with a teammate since Georgia Tech’s off week happened to occur that same week.
To Yellow Jackets B-back Anthony Allen, a Tampa, Fla., native who played briefly Murray in high school, even the Bulldogs’ potential presence suggests something deeper.
“That means they’re worried about us,” Allen said. “Obviously, they want to come watch us. But they’re worried about something. We’ll just have to see what they do next week.”
The Bulldogs won last year’s rivalry game 30-24. One player was even photographed having ripped up a large chunk of Bobby Dodd Stadium sod and placing it in his mouth in mocking celebration. The year before, when the Yellow Jackets snapped a seven-game series losing streak with a 45-42 win in Athens, Georgia Tech players snatched pieces of Sanford Stadium’s famed hedges and placed them in their mouths.
Not only will this Saturday’s contest have the emotion of those previous two games riding with it, but also will have postseason implications attached to it. The Bulldogs are still one win from bowl eligibility, while Georgia Tech’s 30-20 win over Duke on Saturday vaulted the Yellow Jackets into bowl eligibility for a 14th consecutive year.
Despite all that, the presence of Bulldogs at Bobby Dodd Stadium left at least one Georgia Tech player unfazed.
“It means that they were bored,” A-back Roddy Jones said. “Obviously, they wanted to make a trip down to Atlanta. It doesn’t really say a whole lot to me. They’re not going to see anything here (at the game) that they’re not going to see on film. I guess it’s good that they’re getting a head-start on it, but they’ve had a bye week so they’ve already started on it.
“As much as people want to make a big deal out of it, it’s not a big deal for us.”
Allen’s banner day
Coming into Saturday’s game, the film on Duke’s defense against the option gave away a key tendency.
The Blue Devils, having played Army and Navy earlier this season, had already seen semblances of Georgia Tech’s unique spread option scheme. When they played those teams, their game plan was to send linebackers flowing toward the outside, charging them with taking away the Yellow Jackets’ perimeter running game.
So what was Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson’s response to that scheme?
Run the ball a different way.
“I knew I was going to get it a lot today,” Allen said. “I was expecting to take a bang in there and try to hit it up in there. That’s what we did and here we are.”
Handing the ball to Allen 34 times--the most touches any Yellow Jackets rusher has had under Johnson--Georgia Tech was set on attacking the interior of Duke’s defense.
“They were running the inside linebackers hard outside to the perimeter, so they only had four guys inside,” Johnson said. “I told our guys all week we were going to hammer the guy. I mean, that’s what you have to do. I don’t care if you are making yards or not. If they’ve got everybody on the perimeter, we’ve got five to block four.”
In addition to the numbers game keying the Yellow Jackets’ rushing success, they got a lot of help from Allen, too.
“Anthony ran with a purpose,” Jones said. “He broke a lot of tackles.”
Allen finished with 168 yards rushing and a touchdown, en route to passing the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season.
“Coach said before the year that B-backs in this system get 1,000 yards and they were definitely hard-fought for,” Allen said.
Blair’s busy day
If there has been a consistent Georgia Tech player this season, Scott Blair has come closest to being the epitome of it.
On 17 tries, the senior place-kicker has converted a career-high 15 field goals this season, tying him for fifth-most in Georgia Tech history.
Three of those successful attempts came Saturday, when he knocked home kicks of 41, 43 and 44 yards.
But that wasn’t all Blair was asked to do.
Following a freak injury to starting punter Sean Poole and a hamstring tweak by his backup, Chandler Anderson, Blair was thrust into punting duty as the reserve.
“It was pretty short notice,” said Blair, who last punted in 2008.
Making matters even more strange for the Yellow Jackets, Poole and Anderson were not only both injured, but went down the same day.
“That’s just kind of the way this year has gone,” Johnson said of their Tuesday injuries. “It’s just been one of those years.”
Earls, Cone get starts
In addition to Blair being moved to punter, starting the game there as well as at place-kicker for the first time in two seasons, the Yellow Jackets made two other pregame roster moves.
Receivers Correy Earls and Kevin Cone started in place of Tyler Melton and Stephen Hill as they concluded their Georgia Tech home careers.
Earls, a senior from Macon, got just his second start of the year, while Cone, a senior from Atlanta, got his eighth.
Neither had a reception, although the sophomore Hill, had a 79-yard touchdown catch to cap the Yellow Jackets’ win.
Noted for his several drops, Hill’s reception helped ease the pain of an emotional year, he said.
“Just focus and concentration,” Hill said. “(Receivers) Coach Buzz (Preston), he had a big conversation (Friday) and he said he just wanted me to concentration and stop worrying about what you’re going to do after the catch. Catch the ball first. That was part of my problem was that I was trying to run before I caught the ball.
When he catches it, what is his philosophy on sprinting for the end zone?
“Oh, nobody can catch me. I’m too fast,” Hill said. “But that’s just me being confident in myself. I’m not trying to be no arrogant type of person. I’m just confident in myself that I can run.”
Tech tidbits
Georgia Tech’s 1985 All-America Bowl team was honored with its 25th anniversary Saturday. Former Yellow Jackets head coach Bill Curry, who led that group and now serves as Georgia State head coach, was an honorary captain during the coin toss. … Georgia Tech safety Jerrard Tarrant forced two fumbles to give him three for his career. It marked the first time a Yellow Jackets player has forced a pair of fumbles in a game since the 2006, when defensive end Michael Johnson did it in the 2006 ACC title game. … Duke place-kicker Will Snyderwine’s 52-yard field goal was the first 50-yard-plus field goal by a Georgia Tech opponent since Sept. 2009 (53 yards by Clemson’s Richard Jackson)
