Georgia Tech sets FBS history in loss to Tennessee

Georgia Tech went up 28-14 on a six yard run from TaQuon Marshall early in the fourth, but left the game in the middle of the quarter with an apparent shoulder injury. “We had way too many negative yardage plays, too many third-and-longs and too many dropped passes”.

In the first overtime, Marshall scored on a 1-yard run and Tennessee responded with a 1-yard touchdown run from Kelly.

The Volunteers, who had rallied back from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter, went ahead on tailback John Kelly’s 2-yard run in the second overtime.

Over on the Georgia Tech side, they are sitting at 0-1 after a wild 42-41 loss to Tennessee that took two overtimes to decide. I got to put it behind me and come back next week – this week – ready to work.

Kelly ended the gut-check 93-yard, seven-play drive by scoring on an 11-yard scamper and Medley’s kick tied the game at 28-all with 1:29 remaining.

Tennessee came up with a crucial turnover late in the fourth quarter, blocked a field goal attempt on the final play of regulation and stopped Marshall on an attempted 2-point conversion when the Yellow Jackets chose to go for the win rather than settle for a tying PAT that would have forced a third overtime. After his first attempt sailed far wide left, Davis’s second try was blocked.

Tennessee and Georgia Tech have squared off 43 times and the Vols lead the all-time series 24-17-2. “He played with passion and energy and toughness and a will to win”.

Bolstering the outlook for embattled coach Butch Jones, the Volunteers pulled off a remarkable season-opening victory at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in a game they seemed to have no business winning. Peyton Manning, Josh Dobbs and Heath Shuler arrived to watch their alma mater take on the Yellow Jackets. Even if it had been reviewed and deemed a catch, Benson was halted short of the goal line. A sixth of his touches went to the end zone for scores, two of which came in overtime.

The junior bell cow back for Tennessee made the most of 24 touches as he gained 163 total yards (128 rushing, 35 receiving). “The second half, once they got rolling, there wasn’t much stopping them”.

“We did exactly what we wanted to do offensively”, he said.

“It’s a great opportunity for our football team, for our football program, to go to Atlanta and play against a very, very good football team in a great environment, a great new stadium”, Jones said, trying to keep things positive.

He averaged 6.7 yards on 19 carries.

The Yellow Jackets were 13-of-18 on third down and rushed for 535 yards – the most ever allowed by the Vols – and still lost.

I’ll be back throughout the game with updates.

“He’s a walk on, pays his own way for school, has two jobs to make ends meet, and we put him on there, and I’ll tell you what, just coming from the locker room, he got probably the biggest cheer and respect from our players”, said Jones. “You give them credit”.

In regulation, Tech had the ball for 41:27 and piled up 605 yards to UT’s 326.

Darrell Taylor nailed Marshall on the keeper, and Marshall tried to improvise with a desperation heave.

The Vols had essentially stopped the Jackets once since roughly 8:15 p.m., and now it was nearing midnight.

It’s finally game day for the Tennessee Vols.

Tennessee had defended 86 Georgia Tech runs on the night, the vast majority of them poorly.