ATLANTA - Georgia Tech defensive end Eric Henderson had three sacks and forced a fumble in an upset of Auburn last week, earning himself defensive linemen of the week in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
But the award could've gone to a number of Henderson's teammates.
Linebackers Keyaron Fox and Daryl Smith combined for 25 tackles and two sacks. Safety Dawan Landry was in on 12 stops, including three for losses. And cornerback Dennis Davis sealed the 17-3 victory with a late interception that he returned 52 yards.
Georgia Tech (1-1) completely stymied then-No. 17 Auburn, holding the Tigers to 40 yards rushing 230 total and sacking quarterback Jason Campbell seven times.
In the aftermath, Yellow Jackets coach Chan Gailey called the execution of the defensive scheme developed by coordinator Jon Tenuta the best he'd ever seen. Three days later, Gailey still seemed a bit incredulous at the performance of his defense.
``I knew how good Auburn's line and backs were, they could block and they could run,'' Gailey said Tuesday. ``I didn't know we could shut them down like that. I thought we would play good, but I didn't know we would hold them to 40 yards.''
Henderson and the rest of the team didn't take much time to celebrate the victory, following a team rule that allows only 24 hours to reminisce about the previous game, win or lose.
But the atmosphere on campus has made that a bit difficult, with students joyously slapping players on their backs and shouting encouragement about Saturday's game at No. 10 Florida State (2-0).
After nearly 10 months without a win Georgia Tech lost its final two games of 2002 fans needed something to cheer.
``It's been very exciting,'' Henderson said. ``The students are very happy for us. It's just great for us. We're just looking to build off of that, and hopefully, this is the start of a successful season.''
The Yellow Jackets probably will have a hard time matching their stinginess against the Seminoles, who appear back on track after two less-than-stellar seasons. They beat Maryland 35-10 last week after opening with a 37-0 victory at North Carolina.
They're one of only two unbeaten teams in the ACC, joining No. 20 Wake Forest.
``This is our biggest challenge so far, and I think that's an understatement,'' Gailey said. ``I can't imagine there being a lot of overall teams better than this football team.''
Florida State tailback Greg Jones provides one of those challenges. Very large for his position at 6-foot-1 and 255 pounds, he still has the speed and shiftiness to beat defenses.
He missed the final five games of last season with a knee injury, but so far, he appears fully recovered. In limited duty thanks to the blowouts, he's averaging nearly 7 yards a carry.
``He is what everybody thought he would be. Size, speed, he's got it all,'' Gailey said. ``He's got some wiggle to him, and a lot of times those big backs don't have that.''
If the Yellow Jackets can stop Jones and that's a big if it should make it easier to pressure quarterback Chris Rix. That's the same strategy that worked so well against Auburn.
``Hopefully, we can stop the run and get those guys passing,'' Henderson said. ``If we do that, I think we've got a great chance.''
Saturday
March 22nd, 2025
11:37AM
