Sep 8, 2007, 21:34 GMT
Atlanta, GA - Tashard Choice rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns, part of a Yellow Jacket rushing attack that gained 389 yards on the ground, as No. 21 Georgia Tech had no trouble in a 69-14 victory over Samford.
One week after lighting up Notre Dame for a career-high 196 yards and two scores, Choice was at it again with a pair of first-quarter touchdowns. Jonathan Dwyer ran for 71 yards and a pair of scores in relief of the star back. Taylor Bennett was an efficient 8-of-9 for 85 yards as the Yellow Jackets (2-0) rolled from the outset.
'I challenged our team to go out and set the tempo in the first 10 minutes of the ball game and I thought they did that,' Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey said.
Jefferson Adcock completed just 7-of-19 passes for 45 yards and Chris Evans ran for 49 yards in the loss. Samford (1-1) recorded only 240 total yards to 498 for Georgia Tech.
'We had a bunch of young guys, and this is not excuses by any way, shape or form, but we had a bunch of young guys and they came out and were kind of like a deer in headlights,' Samford coach Pat Sullivan said. 'Georgia Tech is a good football team.'
The Yellow Jackets wasted little time lighting up the scoreboard by following the same offensive blueprint that worked wonders last Saturday in South Bend.
After a 25-yard punt return set Georgia Tech up deep in Samford territory, Bennett threw a screen to Choice for 17 yards down to the Bulldogs 18-yard line. On 4th-and-1 from just inside the 10-yard line, Choice followed his fullback off guard and used a quick cutback to skate almost untouched into the end zone for the eight-yard score.
Georgia Tech's offense stayed on the field on two more fourth downs during its second possession. The 12-play, 61-yard drive featured plenty of Choice but was highlighted by a defensive penalty and a pair of fourth down conversions.
On 4th-and-1 from the Samford 31-yard line, Choice slashed through a gaping hole for 10 yards. On the next third down, Bennett was in trouble and about to go down well short of the marker but Jason Gaines yanked down the quarterback by the facemask for a major infraction and an automatic first down.
Bennett finally snuck into the end zone on 4th-and-goal from inside the one- yard line for a 14-0 advantage with 4:12 remaining in the quarter.
The points kept coming on GT's next possession, this time a quick-hitter instead of the previous two methodical marches. Choice slipped past the first line of defense and outran the secondary for a 73-yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead.
Georgia Tech continued to pour it on with two more touchdowns to take a 35-0 advantage. Dwyer sprinted 40 yards for a score on the first play of a possession and Greg Smith's six-yard plunge off a lateral with 10:39 left in the half pushed the edge to five touchdowns.
Travis Bell booted through a 21-yard chip shot for a 38-0 lead and Jamaal Evans' six-yard burst with 3:08 left in the half increased the advantage to 45-0. Dwyer's 19-yard run with 12:50 remaining in the third period made the score 52-0, as the Yellow Jackets began resting most of their starters.
Another Bell field goal, this one from 31 yards out, made the score 55-0, and Dwyer's 65-yard jaunt increased the lead to 62-0 with 2:55 remaining in the third quarter.
Samford finally got on the scoreboard near the end of the third quarter when Alex Barnett scampered into the end zone from four yards out. Georgia Tech answered when Jason Davis ran for a five-yard score with 9:59 remaining in the contest.
Adcock found Jeff Moore for a 34-yard touchdown connection late in the fourth to close out the scoring.
Game Notes
Chan Gailey was the head coach at Samford during the 1993 season...Georgia Tech has won all eight meetings between the schools...Choice led the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing last season.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Game Notes.
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