Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson always has a trick up his sleeve.

With his team facing a second-and-12 deep in their own territory in the first quarter of Saturday's contest against No. 17 Virginia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium, the creative offensive mind called a counter-sweep to A-back Nathan Cottrell.

The Hokies defense wasn’t expecting the call as Cottrell went the opposite way the rest of the offense went. The sophomore raced down the sideline for a gain of 69 yards. He picked up a huge block from wide receiver Ricky Jeune to take the ball to the Virginia Tech 14-yard line. It was the longest gain of Cottrell’s career.

Quarterback TaQuon Marshall scored a 3-yard rushing touchdown a few plays later to put the Yellow Jackets up 7-3.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Georgia Tech and Georgia have not met with a national championship within reach for both teams since 1942, but it's within reach this year. And the rivals are on parallel paths to get there, finding ways to win when it's not always pretty. (Ben McKeown/AP)

Credit: AP

Featured

Known as a dogged investigator, Ashleigh Merchant made a name for herself in Cobb County’s tight-knit legal community by taking big swings. (Natrice Miller/AJC)