Postgame Notes - Georgia Tech Game
Story Links
Nov. 4, 2017
Recap | Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery 
Postgame Notes
Virginia 40, Georgia Tech 36
November 4, 2017
Team
– Virginia is now 19-20-1 all-time against Georgia Tech
– Virginia has won 11 of last 13 meetings against Georgia Tech at Scott Stadium
– UVA head coach Bronco Mendenhall is 3-1 all-time against Georgia Tech
– UVA’s five sacks of Georgia Tech are the most yielded this season by the Yellow Jackets
– UVA forced GT quarterback TaQuon Marshall to throw his first two interceptions of the season
– Collegiate Debuts: Freshman Chris Glaser (right tackle, left tackle)
– First career starts: Ben Knutson (right guard), PK Kier (running back) and Mandy Alonso (defensive end)
Individual
– ILB Micah Kiser tied a career high with 18 tackles
– For the ninth time in 19 career starts, Kurt Benkert has thrown for three or more touchdowns in a game
– Benkert now has 41 career passing touchdowns, which is No. 3 all-time at UVA
– Benkert now has 20 passing touchdowns for the season
– Benkert threw for 260 yards, his 13th career game of passing for 200 yards or more, which ranks No. 4 all-time at UVA
– Benkert now has 4,830 career passing yards, passing Michael Rocco (4,731) for No. 8 all-time at UVA
– For the second time in his career Andre Levrone had two touchdowns (Boise State)
– Joe Reed had a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, the first kickoff return for a touchdown in his career and career-long kickoff return. It was the eighth-longest kickoff return in Virginia history.
– It was the first time Virginia has returned a kickoff for a touchdown since 2010, when Terence Fells-Danzer returned one against Eastern Michigan.
– Joe Reed set a new career high with 170 kick return high yards. His previous career-high of 130 all-purpose yards came in the last game at Pitt
– Reed accumulated a career-high 208 all-purpose yards
– Reeds’ rush for 29 yards in the first quarter was a career long
– Olamide Zaccheaus had nine catches, giving him 138 for his career and tying him with Alvin Pearman (2001-04) for No. 5 all-time at Virginia
– Zaccheaus now has a catch in 25 straight games
– Zaccehaus now has 68 receptions for the season, which puts the third year No. 5 all-time at UVA for receptions in a single season
– Zaccheaus had 98 yards receiving, moving him to No. 15 all-time at UVA, passing Pearman (1,396)
– Zaccheaus had two receptions for over 30 yards, with a 33-yard reception in the first quarter and a 34-yard reception in the second quarter
– With four catches WR Doni Dowling moved to No. 17 all-time at UVA with 104
– Tight end Tanner Cowley had his first career reception for seven yards in the second quarter
– Eli Hanback had 10 tackles for a career high, including a seven-yard sack in the second quarter
Georgia Tech Postgame Notes
Team
· Georgia Tech dropped to 4-4 overall and 3-3 in ACC play.
· Georgia Tech lost for only the fourth time in its last 12 games and fifth time in its last 15 contests.
· Three of Georgia Tech’s four losses this season have come when the opponent has scored the winning points in the final 1:22 of regulation or in overtime.
· Georgia Tech has lost consecutive games for the first time since Oct. 1-8 of last season (35-21 loss to Miami, 38-35 loss at Pitt).
· Georgia Tech fell to 20-19-1 all-time versus Virginia (6-4 under head coach Paul Johnson.
· Georgia Tech dropped to 4-12-1 all-time at Virginia’s Scott Stadium (2-3 under Johnson).
· Georgia Tech lost for the third time this season after leading at halftime. Prior to this season, Georgia Tech was 54-8 in nine seasons under Johnson when leading at halftime.
· Georgia Tech’s blocked punt in the second quarter (Antonio Simmons) was its first of the season but its 19th since the beginning of the 2013 season, which is tied for fourth in NCAA Division I FBS.
· Georgia Tech’s defensive touchdown (27-yard interception return by freshman MLB Bruce Jordan-Swilling) on Virginia’s first offensive play of the second half was the Yellow Jackets’ first defensive TD since P.J. Davis returned a fumble 38 yards for a score in the first quarter of Georgia Tech’s 33-18 win over Kentucky in the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (Dec. 31, 2016).
· The interception return for a touchdown was Georgia Tech’s first since Lance Austin returned an INT 24 yards for a score in last season’s 31-17 win over Virginia (Nov. 19, 2016).
· Georgia Tech’s two interceptions were its first INTs of the season. The Yellow Jackets were the only team in the nation that hadn’t thrown an interception this season coming into this week.
Individual
· With 143 rushing yards, Georgia Tech junior QB TaQuon Marshall moved into fourth place in Georgia Tech single-season history for rushing yards by a quarterback with 870, passing Joe Hamilton (734 in 1999) and Joshua Nesbitt (737 in 2010).
· Marshall also moved into eighth place in Georgia Tech career history for rushing yards by a quarterback with 884, passing Billy Lothridge (746 from 1961-63), Donnie Davis (749 from 1992-95) and Shawn Jones (855 from 1989-92).
· Georgia Tech freshman MLB Bruce Jordan-Swilling and sophomore FS Christian Campbell both made the first starts of their careers in place of injured juniors Brant Mitchell and A.J. Gray, respectively.
· In his first-career start, Jordan-Swilling recorded his first forced fumble, fumble recovery, interception and defensive touchdown. He forced and recovered a fumble on the same play in the second quarter, which led to a Georgia Tech touchdown. On Virginia’s first offensive play of the second half, he returned an interception 27 yards for a touchdown.