Georgia Tech overwhelms Pittsburgh in ACC opener
ATLANTA — KirVonte Benson is taking advantage of his unexpected opportunity to lead Georgia Tech’s running game.
Benson ran for a career-high 196 yards with two touchdowns, TaQuon Marshall added 112 yards rushing with two scoring runs, and Georgia Tech beat Pittsburgh 35-17 on Saturday in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for each team.
Benson, a third- year sophomore, was in line to be a backup before Dedrick Mills, the team’s leading returning rusher, was dismissed from the team three weeks before the season.
Benson flourished on his 29 carries.
“I like the amount of times I got the ball,” Benson said. “I’m just glad I could perform when I had the ball in my hands.”
Georgia Tech (2-1, 1-0) ran for 436 yards with five touchdowns.
“We expect to run for at least 300 yards every game,” Benson said. “That’s our goal.”
Pittsburgh couldn’t find a way to stop Benson on Georgia Tech’s fullback dive, a staple of coach Paul Johnson’s spreadoption offense.
“It’s a little bit of everything, guys missing tackles,” said Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi. “... They can run the ball, especially if you give them 10 more minutes.”
Georgia Tech c ontrolled the clock, holding the ball 35 minutes. The Panthers were successful on only 1 of 13 third-down plays.
“When you don’t move the ball against Georgia Tech, the way they hold the ball, you’re in deep, deep trouble,” Narduzzi said.
With the game tied at 7 in the second quarter, Marshall used a spin move to dodge Pittsburgh safety Damar Hamlin on an 18-yard run to the 1. Marshall scored on a keeper the next play. He had a 32-yard scoring run down the Georgia Tech sideline in the first quarter.
The Yellow Jackets overcame four lost fumbles, including two by Benson. Georgia Tech’s defense all owed no points on the four turnovers.
“If it weren’t for the defense, we wouldn’t have won this game,” Marshall said.
Benson lost his second fumble inside the Pittsburgh 5 midway through the fourth quarter. He had a 47-yard scoring run about two minutes later.