News / Sports
Gator Bowl: #13 West Virginia Uses Third Quarter Burst to Beat Ga. Tech 38-35.
The West Virginia Mountaineers (11-2) overcame an 18-point second half deficit to beat the Ga. Tech Yellow Jackets (9-5) 38-35 in the Gator Bowl.
Both teams combined for 928-yards of total offense, 73-points, and 40 first downs in a game that featured offensive bursts from each team.
West Virginia scored first when they drove 80-yards on four plays in the first quarter. With a 1-yard plunge, the Mountaineers Owen Schmitt provided his team with a 7-0 lead.
Tech responded with 21 unanswered points and seemed in command of the game. Their first score came on a 31-yard touchdown pass from Taylor Bennett to Calvin Johnson. Bennett was starting in place of Reggie Ball who was named ineligible for the game by the school.
Calvin Johnson scored his second touchdown of the game in the second quarter, this time a 48-yard pass from Bennett and Tech had a 21-7 advantage.
Pat McAfee interrupted the Tech scoring with a 25-yard field goal for the Mountaineers and the Yellow Jackets lead was trimmed to 21-10. Bennett was determined to get the Jackets back on the board and this time he hit James Johnson on a 27-yard touchdown pass.
The Mountaineers were able to find the end zone before the end of the half when Schmitt scored for the second time on a 12-yard touchdown.
It seemed the Tech offense would continue its assault on the scoreboard as they scored on their first possession of the third quarter. Tashard Choice scored his second touchdown of the game on a 5-yard run and Tech was back on top by 18-points.
West Virginia then rattled off 21 straight points in the third quarter and took a lead they would never relinquish. Patrick White hit Tito Gonzales on a 57-yard touchdown pass to cut their deficit to 35-24. White then hit Brandon Myles on a 14-yard touchdown pass, and then White ran 15-yards for the go-ahead touchdown with just under six minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Pat White finished the night with 131-yards passing and two touchdowns while rushing for 145-yards and a touchdown to lead the Mountaineers. Owen Schmitt rushed for 109-yards and two touchdowns in the win.
Ga. Tech was led by Taylor Bennett who threw for 326-yards and three touchdowns while Calvin Johnson had nine receptions for 186-yards and a pair of touchdowns.
