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Football Hosts Pitt for Hall of Fame Weekend

Oct. 12, 2015

GameDay Central • 2015 Info Guide • Season Statistics • Game Notes • Depth Chart
GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS (2-4, 0-3) VS. PITTSBURGH PANTHERS (4-1, 2-0)
SATURDAY, OCT. 17 • 12:30 P.M. ET • ATLANTA • BOBBY DODD STADIUM (55,000)
TV: ACC Network (Listings) | Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM / GT Radio Network | Satellite: Sirius 119 / XM 202
#PITTvsGT

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech begins a stretch of playing four of its next six games at home, beginning Saturday at 12:30 p.m. against Coastal Division rival Pittsburgh. The Panthers lead the all-time series 5-4, but the Yellow Jackets have won the fi rst two meetings since Pitt joined the ACC.

Tech will induct nine sports icons into its Athletic Hall of Fame this weekend, including former tailback Joe Burns and radio voice Wes Durham. The game is live on the ACC Network, and can be heard on the Georgia Tech IMG Sports Network, locally on 680 The Fan and 93.7 FM.

QUICK SLANTS
• Tech is third nationally in Red Zone touchdown percentage (80.0%) and the Jackets’ 20 touchdowns in the Red Zone are 10th-most in the FBS.
• Through six games, Georgia Tech remains the least penalized team in the nation. The Yellow Jackets have been yellow fl agged just 16 times for 148 yards — both FBS lows.
• Tech has amassed 52 rushing plays of 10+ yards — the fi fth-most in the FBS behind Oregon (66), Baylor (60), Arizona (54) and Georgia Southern (54).
• 40 percent of Tech’s offensive touchdowns (12 of 30) have been scored in two minutes or faster — the ninth-best percentage in the Power 5.
• The injury bug has hit hard, especially on offense. Tech has lost 25 games to injury of offensive starters or projected starters, and a total of 35 games to offensive players on the depth.
• The combined record of Tech’s last four opponents is 19-2, and three are currently ranked. The Yellow Jackets’ next two opponents are currently a combined 9-1.
• Tech has thrown for a touchdown pass in 14 consecutive games, a streak that began Oct, 18, 2014, at North Carolina. According to ESPN.com, it’s tied for the third-longest active streak in the ACC with Pitt. Junior QB Justin Thomas has a TD pass in 10 consecutive games.
• Since the start of 2014, Georgia Tech has scored 194 points off turnovers and owns a +122 points-off-turnover margin (194-72). This year, Tech is +36 in points-off-turnover scoring (57-21).
• Senior DB Chris Milton is the FBS’s active career leader with seven blocked kicks. Georgia Tech has blocked 13 kicks since 2013 — the most in the FBS. Two of Milton’s seven career blocked kicks have come this season.
• The 2015 season marks the 25th anniversary of Georgia Tech’s 1990 National Championship. A full season of events are planned and a special 25th Anniversary coin will be used by the game offi cials for every coin toss at home.

SERIES NOTES
• Georgia Tech and Pitt will meet for the 10th time and third as ACC rivals.
• Pitt leads the all-time series, 5-4, but the Yellow Jackets have won the last two meetings (21-10 in 2013, 56-28 in 2014)
• The Yellow Jackets are 1-2 against Pitt at home. Georgia Tech defeated Pitt 21-10 on Nov. 2, 2013 at Bobby Dodd Stadium – the two team’s fi rst meeting since 1976, a 42-14 Panther victory in Atlanta.

MORE ON THE PITT SERIES
• In last year’s meeting at Pitt, Georgia Tech tied an FBS record with six fumble recoveries, including five in the fi rst quarter,as the Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the fi rst quarter en route to a 56-28 victory.
• The wins over Pitt in each of the last two seasons have clinched bowl eligibility for Georgia Tech.
• The Yellow Jackets are 1-2 against Pitt at home. Georgia Tech defeated Pitt 21-10 on Nov. 2, 2013 at Bobby Dodd Stadium – the two team’s fi rst meeting since 1976, a 42-14 Panther victory in Atlanta.
• The two teams met in bowl games in back-to-back seasons. The Yellow Jackets beat Pitt 7-0 in the Sugar Bowl following the 1955 season. In 1956, Tech beat the Panthers 21-14 in the Gator Bowl.
• Coach Johnson is 3-0 vs. the Panthers (1-0 at Navy, 2-0 at Georgia Tech).
• Georgia Tech is 8-11 all-time against teams from the Keystone State.

TECH-PITT CONNECTIONS
• Georgia Tech’s director of video services Todd McCarthy served in a similar position at Pitt from 1996 to 1998.
• Georgia Tech has one player on its roster from Pennsylvania – Trey Klock (Hummelstown, Pa./ Lower Dauphin) – while Pitt does not have any players from Georgia on its roster.
• Georgia Tech and Pitt both have players on their roster from Hawaii – Shaun Kagawa (Hilo) and Jeremiah Taleni (Kaneohe).

TECH’S HALL OF FAME CLASS
• First Team All-ACC tailback Joe Burns
• Four-time Academic All-American punter Dan Dyke
• All-American football player and golfer Jakie Rudolph
• Long-time director of broadcasting Wes Durham
• Four-year football manager and alum Charlie Germany
• Three-time Olympian and NCAA track champion Chaunte Lowe
• All-American softball pitcher Jessica Cole
• First Team All-American shortstop Tyler Greene
• All-ACC golfer Kris Mikkelsen

YOUTH WILL BE SERVED
• Attrition from the 2014 squad, combined with a growing list of injuries this season, have left the Yellow Jackets with a void of experience on offense.
• Tech lost all of its skill players in the offensive backfi eld, expect for starting QB Justin Thomas and reserve AB Broderick Snoddy.
• Comparing the average number of career games played between Georgia Tech’s offensive skill players from 2014 to 2015:

Two primary BBs: 2014 (44.5 games) – 2015 (5.5 games), Difference: -39.0 career games
Four primary ABs: 2014 (45.0) – 2015 (16.0), Difference: -29.0 career games
Three primary WRs: 2014 (32.7) – 2015 (18.3), Difference: -14.4 career games

FLAG-FREE ZONE
• Georgia Tech leads the FBS in fewest penalties against (16) and fewest penalty yards (148).
• The Jackets were not flagged in the Alcorn State win — the second time in Paul Johnson’s tenure that Tech did not commit a penalty (Syracuse, 2013), and committed just one penalty for five yards at Duke.

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