No. 7 Georgia Tech (10-1) will be going for its second straight victory over Georgia when the teams meet tonight at Bobby Dodd Stadium, and anyone who thinks this is merely a warmup for the Atlantic Coast Conference championship doesn’t understand how deep the feelings run in this rivalry.
“This is a big game in the state of Georgia,” Techreceiver Demaryius Thomas said. “This is for the bragging rights. If we lose to them before we play in the ACC championship, they would be like, ‘An SEC team beat the team that is going for the ACC championship.’ They’d be talking about that years from now.”
The Bulldogs (6-5) are eager to put a salve on their disappointing season, and nothing would feel better than to beat the school from 75 miles away that has become a national powerhouse in Johnson’s two years as coach.
“To be able to finish up against a really good team with a win can change a lot of things,” Georgia quarterback Joe Cox said. “We know how important this game is and know what it can do for us if we do win.”
When Johnson arrived, Georgia Tech had lost seven straight years to Georgia, leaving little doubt about which school was top dog. But the series quickly took a dramatic turn, the tone changed by the ultra-confident architect of the spread option offense.
Johnson never looked at Georgia as unbeatable, and his bravado didn’t change the first time he faced them — even when the Bulldogs built a 28-12 halftime lead. Georgia Tech scored 26 straight points in the third quarter and held on for a 45-42 victory, its first in the series since 2000. Several players broke off pieces of Sanford Stadium’s famous hedge as souvenirs.
“It has been tough. We’re definitely not used to losing to Georgia Tech,” Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran said. “Seeing pictures of them with pieces of our hedges is a weird feeling.”
Coming off a nine-win season in Johnson’s debut, the Yellow Jackets soared even higher in year two, putting them one win away from their first undisputed ACC title since 1990.
Star running back Jonathan Dwyer had another big season (1,203 yards), Thomas leads the conference in receiving yards and gritty quarterback Josh Nesbitt might be the most valuable player of all, running for 16 TDs and throwing for eight more. Derrick Morgan has been the star of a bend-but-not-break defense, pacing the ACC with 12 1/2 sacks despite persistent double-teaming.
Johnson downplayed what it would mean to beat Georgia.
“I think you’re putting them on a pretty high pedestal if all you want to do it beat one team and that defines your season,” he said. “Do you think beating Georgia Tech defines their season? I’ll bet if you ask them, they would say no. It’s an important game. I don’t want to diminish that. But let’s not get too carried away.”
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