The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NOT SO HOT IN MIAMI
Tech will try to end road slide against Hurricanes at scene of some bad memories for many Jackets.
Sedric Griffin was there when Georgia Tech beat Miami on the road. It was a 17-14 win in 2007, the Hurricanes’ final season in the Orange Bowl.
“I guess it had sentimental value, but that place was a dump,” Griffin said this week.
The Hurricanes moved into what was is now known as Hard Rock Stadium for the 2008 season. In Tech’s four trips there with coach Paul Johnson — not counting the glorious Orange Bowl championship on New Year’s Eve 2014 — the Yellow Jackets have known only defeat. Each loss has been soured by a distinct flavor, and the past two have left the Jackets with the feeling that the outcome could have been different. “They’ve beat us — bottom line,” Johnson said. “We just haven’t won down there.”
Jackets from the past and present reviewed Tech’s past four games in Miami Gardens, Fla., and their many quirks.
2009: No. 22 Miami 33, No. 14 Tech 17
The Hurricanes ended their own four-game losing streak to the Jackets with a superior offensive performance. Quarterback Jacory Harris was 20-for-25 passing for 270 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, a theme in Miami wins to come.
Johnson has often remarked that his team, playing its third game in 13 days (a Saturday/Thursday/Thursday stretch against Jacksonville State, Clemson and Miami), looked like it was playing in sand. Griffin’s most enduring memory is that the field was still set up for the Marlins, and the infield dirt was brutal.
“I literally still have scars on my legs from that game,” said Griffin, working for QuikTrip, married with two girls and living in Loganville. “It literally was like playing on concrete.”
Another memory — in the scouting report, coaches warned about a new tight end who had come over from the basketball team and could be an X-factor.
Said Griffin, “Come to find out, I’m matched up with Jimmy Graham,” who was playing his second game of college football on that humid night and went on to become a four-time Pro Bowler.
The game did serve a purpose. Griffin called it a humbling loss that helped propel the Jackets to an eight-game win streak and the ACC championship.
2011: Miami 24, No. 20 Tech 7
The Jackets entered at 6-1 with an offense that had been prolific, featuring A-back Orwin Smith, wide receiver Stephen Hill and quarterback Tevin Washington. That stopped in a hurry. Washington threw an interception on Tech’s first play from scrimmage, and the Jackets were limited to 95 rushing yards, still tied for the third-lowest total in the Johnson era.
“Just offensively, we could not get out of own way, and we didn’t get much push up front,” said David Sims, Tech’s starting B-back and now the running backs coach at Furman.
As Sims recalled it, the Hurricanes tried to take away the B-back dive on triple-option plays and “slow played” Washington, meaning a linebacker shuffled along with him to try to delay a pitch to the A-back and give another linebacker time to tackle Washington. After back-to-back 100-yard rushing games, Washington ran 20 times for 36 yards. Miami linebackers Denzel Perryman and Sean Spence, later to be second- and third-round picks, respectively, combined for 14.5 tackles — four for loss — and a forced fumble.
“At that time, they still had some really good athletes,” Sims said. “They played us probably as close to as well as you could play us.”
2013: No. 14 Miami 45, Tech 30
Tech was up 17-7 in the second quarter and driving for a potential three-possession lead when quarterback Vad Lee lost a fumble. Miami took control, scoring the next 17 points. The Hurricanes set an ACC record for a conference game by averaging 10.4 yards per play. Quarterback Stephen Morris averaged 14.7 yards per pass attempt and Duke Johnson ran for 184 yards.
“He would go behind his athletic O-line and try to hit the hole,” defensive end Euclid Cummings said. “He was definitely someone tough. It’s a new year. Hopefully our guys will stop them.”
After Sims scored to cut the lead to 24-23 with 10:38 left, kicker Harrison Butker missed the extra point. One of just two extra points he missed in his entire career, it would prove a momentum shifter. Miami scored the next 21 points, the last seven on an interception returned for a touchdown.
Then a freshman, Butker said he was thrown off by playing in an NFL stadium for the first time. The snap from Trevor Stroebel, making his first career start, was low, and Butker kicked the laces. Butker accepts responsibility, but said he likes to give Stroebel a hard time about it.
2015: Miami 38, Tech 21
This one had a little bit of everything. Quarterback Justin Thomas left after getting knocked to the ground on what Johnson later called a “cheap shot.” Torrential rain in the second half. A 30-minute lightning delay. The Jackets fumbling a school-record nine times. A 57-yard field goal for Miami. With his team playing out the season after the midseason firing of coach Al Golden, quarterback Brad Kaaya threw for 300 yards on 16-for-25 passing.
With Matthew Jordan subbing for Thomas, Tech actually ran the ball well — 314 yards, 5.5 yards per carry — but was done in by four turnovers, including a fumble returned for a touchdown.
But the rain was the lasting memory in the second-to-last game of Tech’s forgettable 2015 season.
“I just know that every step I took was just puddles of water,” wide receiver Ricky Jeune said. “It was terrible, to be honest with you.”
That’s only been the half of it for Tech with Miami. The Jackets lost in 2012 at Bobby Dodd Stadium after falling behind 19-0, going up 36-19 and then losing in overtime. Miami scored on a safety when Orwin Smith kneeled in the end zone on a kickoff after briefly crossing the goal-line plane. Last year, quarterback Justin Thomas fumbled twice in a span of three plays and both were returned for touchdowns in a 35-21 loss.
“That’s the crazy thing,” Griffin said. “These games have been so even. If you look at the scores, you’re like, ‘Oh, man, Miami really dominated Georgia Tech.’ If you look at it, that hasn’t been the case.”
Today, Tech fans — and former players — will hope for the streak to end.
Said Griffin, “I’m definitely expecting a big win from our guys this week.”