Carter, seniors want to end career even against Georgia Tech

When Lorenzo Carter decided to return for his senior season, several different factors came into play.

The 6-foot-6 edge rusher knew there were personal improvements to be made before pursuing the NFL draft, such as being an every-down, complete player. There were also team goals that came into play, and evening the record against in-state foe Georgia Tech was near the top of the list.

Georgia’s senior class holds a 1-2 record against the Yellow Jackets, and a sub-.500 record isn’t something that the veterans want to exit the program with.

“That was something that I thought about, personally, that needed to be done,” Carter said. “I need to take care of unfinished business, and I didn’t want to leave with a losing record to Tech.”

The importance of beating Georgia Tech is painted vividly in the Bulldogs’ minds. A year ago, the Yellow Jackets mounted a 13-point comeback effort in the final quarter to win 28-27, the team’s second consecutive win in Athens. Moments after the clock hit triple zeroes, Georgia Tech players got a piece of the famed stadium hedges in celebration of the victory.

As Georgia begins another round of preparation for its regular-season finale, the Yellow Jackets’ logo is seen across the facility as a reminder of the team’s primary goal for the week.

Georgia knows the implications of Saturday’s contest, and Smart gave a personal anecdote of falling short in your final opportunity against the in-state rival. In 1998, Smart lost to Georgia Tech 21-19, and his experience 19 years ago stuck with the current group of seniors, who look to avoid the same farewell.

“You always get remembered as the team that lost to Tech in your last year,” Georgia senior nose tackle John Atkins said. “You don’t want that feeling with you, so a lot of guys want that bad taste out of their mouth.”

Despite Georgia Tech entering with a 5-6 record, Georgia’s task won’t be easy as it deals with the triple-option attack for the first time in a calendar year. It’ll also have to avoid looking ahead to the all-important conference championship game on Dec. 2.

With that in mind, the Bulldogs’ senior class has stepped forth once again to take charge along with the coaching staff. As the week of preparation began, different upperclassmen approached head coach Kirby Smart with ideas on how to approach practice and handle the challenges ahead.

Georgia’s benefit of its senior class continues to be plentiful, and it’s shown it once more ahead of the opportunity for a greatly desired victory over Georgia Tech.

“They help set that standard, the standard that we want to play to,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “So the guys that are younger in the room, they will then try to emulate the older guys. The seniors have been there the most, they make the least mistakes, they have been through it, they're very calm and that's what our group has been, good leaders for this team.”

The rivalry holds additional significance for Carter since he is from Norcross, which is only 23 miles from downtown Atlanta. Carter’s high school teammate, Clinton Lynch, is an offensive leader for the Yellow Jackets as a running back. The two highly regarded athletes have frequent trash talk, and much of it has come from Lynch after he was victorious a year ago.

With one more chance, Carter looks to flip those bragging rights.

“I have to finish my career off right,” he said.

This story was originally published November 20, 2017 at 6:07 PM with the headline "Carter, seniors want to end career even against Georgia Tech."