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Georgia Tech crushes overmatched Samford

Sep 8, 2007 - 11:44 PM ATLANTA (Ticker) -- Georgia Tech ran through, over and around an outclassed opponent.

Jonathan Dwyer ran for three of a school-record nine rushing touchdowns as the 21st-ranked Yellow Jackets rolled to a 69-14 victory over Samford on Saturday.

The Yellow Jackets (2-0) surpassed their previous mark of seven rushing touchdowns against Wake Forest on November 12, 1983 and posted their highest point total since a 70-7 win over Navy on September 8, 2001.

"I challenged our team to go out and set the tempo in the first 10 minutes of the ballgame and I thought they did that," Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey said.

Georgia Tech (2-0) rushed for 389 yards, scoring six touchdowns and a field goal on its seven first-half possessions to build a 45-0 lead at the intermission.

The Yellow Jackets scored 45 points in the first half for the first time since October 7, 1916, when they defeated Cumberland, 220-0, in the most one-sided game in college football history.

"We would like to throw the ball downfield a little bit more, but we didn't have to," Gailey said. "I thought he (quarterback Taylor Bennett) managed the game again very well. He was very accurate with his throws today."

In their first two games, the Yellow Jackets (2-0) have outscored their opponents by a 102-17 margin. Georgia Tech posted a 33-3 victory at Notre Dame last week.

"This is amazing," said Bennett, who attempted only nine passes but completed eight for 85 yards. "We're on a roll right now. The rushing game, it speaks for itself. I'm not sure I've seem this much chemistry and this much production this fast."

Dwyer and Tashard Choice each went over the century mark for the Yellow Jackets, who figure to get a tougher test next week against Boston College in their Atlantic Coast Conference opener.

Dwyer rushed for 139 yards on just nine carries, an average of 15.4 yards per attempt. Choice added 110 yards on 11 attempts after rushing for a career-high 196 yards at Notre Dame. It was his ninth straight 100-yard game.

"I couldn't believe he had 110 yards," Gailey said. "Somebody told me he had 110 yards after 11 carries and I couldn't believe that. He's running extremely well right now."

Choice scored on runs of nine and 73 yards - the longest of his career in the first quarter, sandwiched around Bennett's one-yard keeper.

Choice had a short work day, heading to the bench after his long TD scamper with a minute left in the first quarter.

"Coach isn't worried about the awards and all the things they're talking about," Choice said. "He just wants me to understand that we're trying to win a championship, so he wanted me to get rest and be ready to go for next week."

Georgia Tech made it four touchdowns in as many possessions when Dwyer rambled in from 40 yards just 28 seconds later. He also scored on a 19-yard run to give the Yellow Jackets their 45-0 halftime lead.

Jefferson Adcock completed 15-of-29 passes for 156 yards for Samford, which ended Georgia Tech's shutout bid on Alex Barnett's four-yard TD with 38 seconds left in the third quarter.