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Jackets Explode for 68 on Heels

By Stuart Barefoot
SouthernPigskin.com
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The Yellow Jackets held off the Tar Heels 68-50 in the highest scoring football game in Atlantic Coast Conference history.

North Carolina scored a lot of points as expected, but was stunned when Georgia Tech tallied an astonishing 68 points in a 68-50 win for the Yellow Jackets on Saturday. Tech used a 30-point third quarter to separate themselves from the Heels after trailing 29-28 at the half. Most notably, the teams combined for 118 points, which made it the highest scoring game in the history of the ACC.

The Yellow Jackets improved to 5-5 and 4-3 in the ACC this season, and extended their four game win streak against Carolina. UNC dropped to 6-4, and 3-3 in the conference. Tech kept its hopes for bowl eligibility alive, and is still in contention for a division title in the weird and wacky Coastal Division.

GT did most of its damage on the ground, amassing 380 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. What I predicted to be an “unstable QB situation” was anything but, as Vad Lee rushed for 112 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also threw for 169 and a touchdown. This game clearly established the freshman, who is from Durham by the way, as the QB of the future in Atlanta. Despite not playing much, Tevin Washington started under center and got the scoring started for the Jackets when he tied the game at seven with a 25-yard touchdown run. Jamal Golden had the most impressive play of the game, returning a kickoff for a 100-yard touchdown.

Bryn Renner was equally impressive, compiling 350 yards and two touchdowns, which offset an unusually slow day for Gio Bernard, who picked up just 78 yards and a touchdown. Bernard’s lack of production went a long way in the Jackets pulling the upset.

As you can tell from the score, both teams were ghastly on defense. However, GT did the one thing they absolutely had to do to win, and that was stifle the UNC running game. The Heels managed just 147 yards on the ground, which is something few predicted would happen. More impressively, they held Bernard to under 100 yards, something no team had done yet this year.

Obviously this was a troubling game for UNC. While the offense proved it could score without an effective Bernard (they are 0-2 when he doesn’t play), the 68 points and 588 yards are cause for concern. The Yellow Jackets are probably worried about their defense, but for now, they can relish in the fact that they kept one of the nation’s top running back at bay and scored 68 points in the process.

Stuart Barefoot - Stuart recently graduated from UNC-Greensboro with a degree in Urban Planning, a degree he has no intention of putting to practical use. While at UNCG, he was a radio DJ at the campus station and spent his junior and senior years as the station's Sports Director. He also wrote for the school paper ,The Carolinian, where he covered various UNCG sports and wrote weekly columns. Currently, he works part time for UNCG and spends most of his time in the spare room of his parents' house watching Seinfeld re-runs, playing online chess and trying to convince employers to hire him. His off topic tweets can be found @smallleaguestu