Tech edges UNC with last minute field goal, 27-25
By Colin Ake / Student Publications
Tech stuffs the run in the game against UNC. The Tarheels took the lead midway through the fourth quarter and looked to have won the game when kicker Travis Bell missed a 33-yard field goal.
The Jackets closed out their ACC conference schedule with a win over North Carolina. This win moved Tech to an even 4-4 in conference and an overall record of 7-4. UNC fell to 2-5 in conference, with their only wins only coming against Miami and Maryland.
Running back Tashard Choice ran for 100 yards for the seventh time this season, finishing with 142 yards on 33 attempts. Choice leads the ACC in rushing despite being out for the Virginia Tech game with minor knee surgery and having been limited to under 35 yards in three games due to a hamstring injury.
Quarterback Taylor Bennett went 13-for-24 with 196 yards passing and a touchdown. Wide receiver Greg Smith also had a big game with 155 yards receiving including two touchdowns.
"Coming off a week where he didn't, [he was] still a little gimpy. It was a great day for [Greg Smith]" said former Head Coach Chan Gailey.
The first quarter started out slowly for the Jackets, with Bennett taking two sacks in the first series forcing a three and out. This led to a 29 yard series for UNC which resulted in a 42-yard field goal and an early 3-0 lead.
Still, the Jackets responded with some trick plays. They had Choice taking direct snaps, and he scored a touchdown when the back took a direct snap and threw a 17-yard touchdown to Bennett, giving the Jackets a 7-3 lead.
Early in the second quarter, UNC quarterback T.J Yates made a long, 33-yard pass to wide receiver Hakeem Nicks who went out of bounds at the Georgia Tech 3-yard line. The Jackets, however, were able to make an impressive goal line stand led by senior linebacker Gary Guyton, who came up with one of the tackles that forced North Carolina to turn the ball over on downs.
"[Gary Guyton] made a bunch of big tackles. [He] stepped up inside and met guys one on one a lot. I thought he was on the ball in the passing better than he has ever been," Gailey said.
Durant Brooks made an amazing 77 yard punt, the sixth longest punt in Tech's history. Brooks had a total of 240 punting yards on 4 punts averaging 60 yards a punt, the highest one game average for yards per punt for a Tech player ever.
But Tech had some turnover trouble against UNC, fumbling the ball four times and losing all four. In contrast, Tech was only able to recover one of UNC's three fumbles.
"You normally don't [fumble the ball four times] and win...We've done a good job [with fumbles] up until the last three weeks...We have got to do a better job of ball security" Gailey said.
After two UNC field goals, Tech had a one point lead going late into the third quarter. A big drive led by Choice running the ball and Smith Tech a touchdown and increased their lead to eight.
In the next series, Yates led the Tar Heels to the end zone in a 57-yard, three-play drive. Carolina coach Butch Davis then opted to attempt the two point conversion, which failed.
Tech struck back with Josh Nesbitt at quarterback. On the first play Nesbitt rushed for 33 yards, taking the ball across mid-field. Nesbitt then completed a 47 yard touchdown pass to Greg Smith to extend the lead to nine. The drive only took a total of 20 seconds off the game clock.
Later in the fourth, T.J. Yates led North Carolina down the field for 40 yards, setting up the field goal for UNC and cutting the lead to six.
With just over six and half minutes to play in game, Taylor Bennett fumbled the ball after a sack, giving UNC the ball at the Tech 2-yard line. UNC took the lead two plays later by running Anthony Elzy up the middle and silenced the once loud crowd.
On the next possession Tech was able to get the ball to the North Carolina 16, but kicker Travis Bell missed a 33 yard field goal, only his fourth miss of the season.
"After the [missed field goal], for about the first thirty seconds, I thought the game was over, then everybody kept on saying 'Hey, you are going to get another chance. The defense is going to stop them'" Bell said.
Tech would have another chance after UNC went three and out, leaving a minute thirty on the clock. After a first down with a pass to Colin Peek, Tech began running Choice, getting two first downs, which in the process killed the clock to just under 19 seconds.
With the clock still running the Jackets sent their field goal unit onto the field with haste for a chance at a last minute win.
"Sixteen seconds is what you say you can normally get the field goal unit on [the field]...I didn't know if we made the first down or not so I called for the field goal team" Gailey said.
UNC called a series of time outs, first to set up their defense, then to ice Bell. Bell made the first field goal, but there was a flag against UNC for having 12 men on the field. Bell then made the second field goal clinching the game for the Jackets.
"Knowing you've missed one you should've made, knowing you better not let that happen twice, gives you that much more confidence; you have to focus that much more." Bell said.
"If that becomes a tough call [to send Bell back out] I need to get out. He's kicked it too well too long." Gailey said.
