Hokies, Yellow Jackets Readying for Another "Dogfight" at the Top of the ACC Coastal in 2015

Players and coaches from both Techs discuss the division rivalry at the ACC Kickoff.

Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson yells at a referee after a penalty. [Mark Umansky]

Although the Hokies' heartbreaking 27-24 loss to Georgia Tech happened nearly a full year ago, the memory of the game still stings.

Despite taking a 24-17 lead with roughly eight minutes left in the game, the Hokies managed to slip up at the worst possible moments to cede the game to their ACC Coastal rivals in one of the most bizarre contests of the whole season.

Michael Brewer won't soon forget it.

"That was a tough one," Brewer said with an air of resignation at the ACC Kickoff. "A couple things happened in the fourth quarter where it was like, if just one of them went our way, it would've been game over. But all three went against us, and that's the way it went."

The Hokies troubles started when Brewer threw an interception early in the fourth quarter that the Yellow Jackets were able to take 41 yards to the house, grabbing a 17-16 lead.

But then fortune seemed to turn back in VT's favor. After a lengthy drive to GT's 31-yard line, RB Marshawn Williams fumbled. Yet in the scrum, Brewer picked up the football and scampered into the endzone and, with a two-point conversion, gave the Hokies a 24-17 lead.

That play still baffles senior Yellow Jacket CB D.J. White.

"At the time, you're like 'man,' you know, but you've got to get back on the field," White said. "There were guys out there saying 'forget that, we've got to go back out there and play' right after that happened, that's just kind of how our team was."

White's teammates clearly took that message to heart. After a pair of punts by each team, redshirt junior Yellow Jacket QB Justin Thomas tossed a pair of long balls to then-senior WR Deandre Smelter, and suddenly the game was tied at 24.

"That was a pretty crazy game," Thomas said. "The meeting we had last year, man, it was probably one of the first games that I played in that was of that caliber. It was tough, physical, it was a grind game up until the last second."

It took the Jackets until time expired to seize the win, but they seized it all the same. After Brewer threw another interception, this time picked off by White himself, the Rambling Wreck methodically drove down the field and kicked a game-winning field goal to come away with the road victory.

"You never saw anybody on the sideline panicking, never saying 'man, we messed up,'" White said. "I mean, dudes just felt deep down we were gonna win the game and we took care of it. The emotion was really a sense of calm."

For the Hokies' secondary, the loss was especially hard to take. Thomas' long bombs to Smelter went a long way toward sealing the game for GT, particularly the pair's 19-yard connection on 4th and 15 on the game-tying drive.

CB Kendall Fuller calls the GT game one of two last year that he felt his unit didn't play up to its potential, along with the equally heartbreaking ECU loss.

But he bristles at the notion that he regrets that performance.

"I don't say regret is the word, regret kind of makes it seems like you let something happen, as a defense we didn't let them get certain plays or as an offense we didn't let up certain plays, they're just plays that we gave up," Fuller said. "We've got to move on and look forward to next year and get better."

The rivalry between the two Techs engenders plenty of hard feelings on both sides.

While the Hokies might've been on the losing end of a tight game last season, Paul Johnson is quick to point out the Jackets have suffered plenty of tough losses as part of the rivalry.

Whether it was Jeremiah Attaochu's late hit on Logan Thomas to keep a crucial VT drive alive back in 2011 or Cooper Taylor's late hit as Tyrod Taylor ran out of bounds to prolong the Hokies' game-winning drive back in 2008, Johnson has no problem recalling plays that tipped the balance in tight contests between the two teams.

"We've lost so many close games that we've had a chance to win," Johnson said. "I remember, I think it was the Thursday night game where we got them backed up on the five yard line, six yard line, then we get a late hit on the quarterback and they go 90 yards and win the game. We played them up there in '08, we're thinking the game's over, we get a late hit call on the sideline and give them a first down. And even the games we've won, you could say the same thing, with a late interception.They've always been close, hard fought games. We look forward to it. They're our rival in the division."

Still, even with a few bitter feelings present, there's no doubt that there's a mutual respect that exists between the rivals as they prepare to enter a season in which they're each predicted to finish at the top of the Coastal division.

Fuller particularly relishes the challenge of the physical play that comes with facing GT.

"Running the offense that they run, you've got to know it's going to be a dogfight," Fuller said. "It's one of those games that I always look forward to because it's a fun game. You get to play in the box, you get to play against the run a lot. Those games are always gonna be a dogfight."

While Brewer doesn't have to go up against Johnson's offense the way Fuller and the rest of the defense has to, he admits that GT's style affects the way his unit plays as well.

"They're a tough team to play," Brewer said. "Obviously, we know what they like to do on offense, they like to keep the ball away from you. They're going to drain the clock the whole game. Where you might get eight possessions in the first half against a normal team, you're getting four against them, so you've got maximize your opportunities when you're playing teams like Georgia Tech."

By the same token, Thomas readily admits that facing Bud Foster's defense is never a cakewalk.

"They always have great defenders, from the d-line to the secondary," Thomas said. "You've just got to go out there and play. You can't just play to their level, you've got to take it to your own level."

Johnson is more begrudging in his praise for the Hokies' defensive coordinator and his system, but he offers some nonetheless.

"There are six teams in the league that line up and play the same way they do, they just do it with better players," Johnson said. "Bud does a good job, he has wrinkles and they take chances. They'll take chances, they'll fire people and void zones, and you have to find them and hit them. He does a good job with that."

Yet White notes these fuzzy feelings of respect only last until everyone steps on the field.

"I was talking to Kendall the other night, he knows we have a lot of history as well at GT, so it's respect, but at the same time, when we're on the field, you're trying to take that guy out," White said.

The Hokies' offense should look pretty familiar when White lines up to try and find someone to hit this season. With only two starters from a season ago departing in David Wang and Laurence Gibson, VT has plenty of continuity on the offensive side of the ball.

The Yellow Jackets, however, should look significantly different to Fuller and company.

Both of the team's starting wideouts from a season ago are now bound for the NFL, with Smelter now a 49er and Darren Waller a Raven, a welcome development for the Hokies' secondary after last season's issues.

"We lost two big play guys," Johnson said. "Probably on offense, that would be my biggest concern, wide receiver. I think we had a decent spring there, we have some freshmen we think could play, we'll see how it goes. We'll trot some guys out there."

New starters could include redshirt junior Micheal Summers and redshirt sophomores Ricky Jeune and Antonio Messick, and Thomas says each one of them have "come a long way" this offseason, even if there are a few "bad habits" he's working with them to correct.

Running back is another potential concern for the Jackets. Johnson doesn't lack options at both A-back and B-back, but four of the team's five leading rushers have departed. Thomas took the top spot last year in the category, but Synjyn Days, Zach Laskey, Charles Perkins and Tony Zenon each contributed plenty, combining to run for 2,511 yards last year.

Yet Johnson is accustomed to that kind of turnover, and he has plenty of experience plugging new players into his vaunted triple option and watching them stack up numbers.

"We'll be ok, whoever plays B-back will have a thousand yards, one or two guys or whatever," Johnson said with a shrug that has to be seen to be believed.

Johnson's new batch of B-backs and receivers will get a chance to test their mettle in yet another Thursday night game against the Hokies this season.

The two Techs will match up on November 12 in Atlanta in a game that could have huge implications for which squad goes to the ACC Championship game.

"It's great anticipation, it's on a Thursday night again, last time we played on a Thursday night, it was a great atmosphere, the crowd was in it," Thomas said. "Hopefully up until that point we can have the type of season we had last year, that will make that game that much more impactful."

Johnson doesn't need be told how meaningful the contest could be.

"Whoever's won that game every year that I've been here but once has won the Coastal," Johnson said. "So it's a big game."

Brewer, meanwhile, is a relative newcomer to the rivalry, and he relishes the chance to see Bobby Dodd Stadium in person.

"We're looking forward to going back there and competing at their place," Brewer said. "I've heard it's a very fun place, a very cool atmosphere to play in, so I'm looking forward to that."

White assures him that GT will live up to those expectations.

"Those are the games you live for," White said. "Prime time, Thursday night, at GT especially. We're looking forward to it. They're gonna be a good team this year, it's gonna be a good game."

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