Georgia Tech Blows Out Elon, 70-0

Aug 31, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Vad Lee (2) stiff arms Elon Phoenix linebacker Corey Mitchell (48) in the first quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Everyone knew this was going to happen.

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are a much better team than the Elon Phoenix, and that was clearly seen as Tech amassed 557 yards and scored a total of 70 points to Elon’s 253 yards and no points.

This doesn’t really say a lot about how Georgia Tech is going to do against much stiffer ACC competition (Miami, UNC, and Virginia Tech will all pose real challenges in the Coastal Division) but the team was efficient, and took care of business when they needed to.

Vad Lee only threw the ball 11 times but there was really no need to throw more than that. He was efficient in his passing (7-11) and picked up two touchdowns in the air and one additional score on the ground.

The running game is where the Yellow Jackets excel, and they definitely showed that in the season opener, posting 368 yards on the ground with 50 attempts. 12 different players rushed for positive yardage while six players had at least 40 yards on their own. Lee carried the ball six times and picked up 49 yards as well as the previously-mentioned touchdown.

QB Justin Thomas didn’t throw a single pass, but led the team in rushing with 53 yards on five carries. He also picked up a TD of his own.

Junior running back Zach Laskey was second on Tech’s long list of rushers, with 51 yards on just three attempts including a touchdown.

I could go on and on about the people that scored against Elon but it’s really not necessary. Suffice to say that eight different players scored for Georgia Tech (receivers David Sims and Robert Godhigh got in on the fun) and they didn’t have a single fourth down play. Not one.

The defense also did well, causing four turnovers (three picks, one fumble recovery) and limiting the Phoenix to 164 passing yards and just 89 rushing yards. It was a good game for the players to get used to their new 4-3 defense and there’s really nothing to complain about in any part of this game.

While it was an ideal start to the season for Yellow Jacket fans, the real challenge will start next week as the team takes on ACC competition for the first time in Duke University. Not a huge challenge but a far cry from the level of Elon