Sunday, October 21, 2012

7C

Yellow Jackets back on track

georgia TeCh 37, BosToN College 17
By Paul newberry
Associated Press

ATLANTA Georgia Tech got its new season off to a good start. Of course, it helped to be playing one of the nations worst teams. Tevin Washington ran for two touchdowns and backup quarterback Vad Lee also accounted for two scores, leading the Yellow Jackets to a 37-17 victory over Boston College on Saturday. Georgia Tech (3-4, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) snapped a threegame losing streak in its first contest since firing defensive coordinator Al Groh. Were 1-0 right now, linebacker Quayshawn Neely said. Were not even thinking about the losses. Losing is about all Boston College (1-6, 0-4) can think about. The Eagles dropped their fifth in a

row and have yet to beat a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent, keeping the heat on embattled coach Frank Spaziani. As the sand goes out of the hourglass, there are some games left, Spaziani said. Were not that far away, but were miles away. Georgia Tech built a 31-3 lead by early in the third quarter. Chase Rettig threw two touchdown passes to give the Eagles a glimmer of hope, but this was essentially total domination by the home team. The Yellow Jackets finished with 563 yards 407 in the first half and played keep-away from Boston College, running a season-high 91 plays and holding the ball for a staggering 43 minutes, 37 seconds. School officials said it was the most time of possession by the Yellow Jackets since at least 1975. Its nice to be back on the right

Georgia Tech backup QB Vad Lee accounted for two scores as the Jackets dominated Boston College to end a three-game slide.

DAVID GOLDMAN/ASSOCIATeD PReSS

side of the scoreboard again, coach Paul Johnson said. The staggering advantage in time of possession sure helped out the

defense, which had surrendered more than 40 points in each of the past three losses the first such stretch in school history. Johnson

finally got fed up, firing Groh heading into an off week and promoting Charles Kelly to interim coordinator, with explicit orders to simplify the scheme. The Yellow Jackets surrendered 296 yards, their lowest total against an FBS opponent this season, and held Boston College to 1 of 9 on third-down conversions, one of the major weaknesses under Groh. We didnt have to think about a lot of things, Neely said. We could just go play. There were not a lot of calls. It was pretty basic. It just came down to the players. With Boston College intent on keeping Georgia Techs option game from running outside, Zach Laskey kept bulling up the middle and finished with 101 yards, the second 100-yard game of his career. He wasnt able to finish, going out with a shoulder injury after an Eagles defender crashed into him helmetfirst.

Klein shines; smith falters

No. 4 KaNsas sTaTe 55, No. 17 WesT VirgiNia 14
By ralph D. russo
Associated Press

Clemson running back Andre Ellington (left) scores a 12-yard touchdown during the second half. He finished with 96 yards as the Tigers defeated Virginia Tech again. Clemson earned its 11th consecutive victory at home.

RAINIeR eHRHARDT/ASSOCIATeD PReSS

Tigers defense steps up

No. 14 ClemsoN 38, VirgiNia TeCh 17
By Pete Iacobelli
Associated Press

more on the ACC

Duke edges North Carolina/9C

CLEMSON, S.C. It was easy to spot the happiest guy in No. 14 Clemsons locker room defensive coordinator Brent Venables. Venables had spent most of his first season watching his Tigers struggle against opponents big and small. But with one of the Atlantic Coast Conferences best players in Logan Thomas in to lead Virginia Tech, Clemsons defenders put together their best effort of the season. The Tigers got three interceptions two off of Thomas and made a pair of fourth-down stops in a 38-17 victory over the Hokies on Saturday. Clemson (6-1, 4-1 ACC) came in 10th in the 12-team conference in yards given up at more than 445 yards a game. Virginia Tech (4-4, 2-2) got 406 in this one, all but 100 of those by Thomas, but it was the Tigers defense that turned things around against the Hokies. We dont have to play like Alabama yet, Venables said with a grin. Although wed like to. But we can definitely play better than we have up to this point and hopefully, today was a sign of moving in the right direction. Jonathan Meeks had two interceptions, including one he took back for a 74-yard touchdown off Thomas. I knew right away, Thomas said of his sailing throw. Tajh Boyd ran for two touchdowns and passed for another for the Tigers, who were held to their lowest offensive output of the season at 295 yards. Boyd

Army veteran and Clemson walkon Daniel Rodriguez carries the flag onto the field Saturday.

thought the team didnt come out as strong as he hoped for its first game in two weeks. Still, Boyd said, in other seasons, such a showing would lead to defeat. I think it shows how far weve come, he said. Andre Ellington had a 12-yard touchdown run and 96 yards for the Tigers. All-American receiver Sammy Watkins had his most productive game this season with eight catches for 84 yards. Tigers coach Dabo Swinney knew it was the defense that led the way in

Clemsons third consecutive victory over Virginia Tech. They had a great performance, Swinney said. From the sidelines, I believe it was their best effort. Boyd was 12 of 21 for 160 yards, 131 fewer than he averaged coming in. Clemson tied a school record with its 11th consecutive home victory, something it had done twice before from 1937-42 and 1989-91. To match the mark this time, the Tigers had to count on their usually unreliable defense as their high-flying offense was largely grounded. Thomas had 207 yards passing and a 29-yard TD throw to Corey Fuller. He also rushed for 99 yards, including a 19-yard scoring run in the final quarter that gave the Hokies hope of a rally down 31-17. But Virginia Tech tried some trickery on its next series. Marcus Davis weak throw across the field after taking a pitch was easily picked off by Xavier Brewer. Boyd put the game away a short time later with his second 1-yard scoring run. The Hokies looked to gain a hammerlock early when, up 7-0, they tried to pick up a first down inside Clemsons 20 by twice rushing Michael Holmes on short yardage. Holmes was stopped twice and Clemson took away the momentum. We had the chance there to really get up by a couple of touchdowns, and that makes it a different game, Hokies coach Frank Beamer said. But give them credit. They did a nice job.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. Collin Klein ran for four touchdowns and threw three TD passes as No. 4 Kansas State got little resistance from No. 17 West Virginia in a 55-14 victory Saturday night that turned a matchup of Heisman Trophy contenders into campaign ad for the Wildcats quarterback. Klein was 19 for 21 for a career-high 323 yards and ran for 41 yards for the Wildcats (7-0, 4-0 Big 12). It was no surprise the Mountaineers (5-2, 2-2) were awful on defense; its been that way all season. For the second consecutive game, though, Geno Smith and the offense did nothing to keep it close. Smith followed up a clunker at Texas Tech last week with an even worse game, throwing his first two interceptions of the season and finishing 21 for 32 for 143 yards. The senior has gone from Heisman front-runner to long shot in two weeks. Kansas State (7-0, 4-0) scored on its first eight possessions, making it 52-7 with 2:25 minutes left in the third quarter when Klein hit Tyler Lockett over the middle for a 20-yard score. Milan-Puskar Stadium was already half empty by that point, and a long line of cars was creeping out of the parking lot. The optimism and excitement that was pumping through Morgantown a couple of weeks ago is gone.

In Manhattan, Kan., its all good, and everything is on the table for coach Bill Snyders team. The Wildcats are the only unbeaten team in the Big 12. Their quarterback is the Heisman front-runner. And with five games left, they are serious national title contenders. The first meeting since 1931 of the new Big 12 rivals was so lopsided that by the time it was over it was hard to even remember that this matchup started as a battle for first in the conference. On one side was Klein, the Wildcats methodical battering ram, whose passes dont look like much but usually find their target. On the other side was Smith, the future NFL firstround draft pick with the video game statistics. But Klein got to face West Virginias beleaguered defense, which ranks near the bottom of the Big 12 and the country in just about everything. The first half went like this for Kansas State: five possessions, 346 yards, four touchdowns and a field goal. The offense was unstoppable and the defense was just as good, holding Smith to 62 yards by flooding the secondary with defenders and taking away downfield throws. Maybe the pressure of having to score every time he touches the ball has gotten to Smith, but that trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation, which seemed like a lock after the Mountaineers won at Texas, is now in serious doubt.

Kansas State wide receiver Tyler Lockett avoids West Virginias Karl Joseph. Lockett caught nine passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns in the Wildcats rout.

CHRISTOPHeR JACKSON/ASSOCIATeD PReSS

how top 25 fared

No. 1 Alabama (7-0) beat Tenn. 44-13. Next: vs. Miss. St., Sat. No. 2 Oregon (7-0) beat Arizona St. 43-21, Thursday. Next: vs. Colorado, Saturday No. 3 Florida (7-0) beat No. 9 South Carolina 44-11. Next: vs. No. 13 Georgia, Sat. No. 4 Kansas State (7-0) beat No. 17 West Virginia 55-14. Next: vs. Texas Tech, Saturday No. 5 Notre Dame (7-0) beat BYU 17-14. Next: at Oklahoma, Saturday No. 6 LSU (7-1) beat Texas A&M 24-19. Next: vs. Ala., Nov. 3 No. 7 Ohio St. (8-0) beat Purdue 29-22. Next: at Penn St., Sat. No. 8 Oregon State (5-0) vs. Utah, late. Next: at Wash., Sat. No. 9 South Carolina (6-2) lost to Florida 44-11. Next: vs. Tennessee, Saturday No. 10 Oklahoma (5-1) beat Kansas 52-7. Next: vs. Notre Dame, Saturday No. 11 Southern Cal (6-1) beat Colorado 50-6. Next: at Arizona, Sat. No. 12 Florida State (6-1) vs. Miami, late. Next: vs. Duke, Saturday No. 13 Georgia (6-1) beat Kentucky 29-24. Next: vs. Florida, Saturday No. 14 Clemson (6-1) beat Virginia Tech 38-17. Next: at Wake Forest, Thursday No. 15 Mississippi State (7-0) beat Middle Tennessee 45-3. Next: at No. 1 Alabama, Sat. No. 16 Louisville (7-0) beat USF 27-25. Next: vs. Cincinnati, Fri. No. 17 West Virginia (5-2) lost to Kan. St. 55-14. Next: vs. TCU, Nov 3 No. 18 Texas Tech (6-1) beat Texas Christian 56-53, 3OT. Next: at Kansas State, Sat. No. 19 Rutgers (7-0) beat Temple 35-10. Next: vs. Kent State, Saturday No. 20 Texas A&M (5-2) lost to No. 6 LSU 24-19. Next: at Auburn, Saturday No. 21 Cincinnati (5-1) lost to Toledo 29-23. Next: at Louisville, Saturday No. 22 Stanford (5-2) beat Cal 21-3. Next: vs. Wash. St., Sat. No. 23 Michigan (5-2) beat Michigan State 12-10. Next: at Nebraska, Saturday No. 24 Boise State (6-1) beat UNLV 32-7. Next: at Wyoming, Saturday No. 25 Ohio (7-0) did not play. Next: at Miami (Ohio), Sat.
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neighborhood watch
Demarcus Rouse, North Augusta (Presbyterian). The running back had 12 carries for 109 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-21 loss to Charleston Southern. l B.J. Bostic, Jefferson County (Georgia Tech). He had two catches for 67 yards and five carries for 27 yards in a win. l Darius Eubanks, Thomson (Georgia Southern). The linebacker had seven total tackles in a 38-17 win over Furman. l Matt Hazel, North Augusta (Coastal Carolina). The receiver had three catches for 21 in a 34-7 win over Virginia Military Institute.