Field Level Media
Sep 7, 2019
Jordan Mason rushed for a career-high 99 yards to help Georgia Tech defeat South Florida 14-10 on Saturday in Atlanta and give first-year coach Geoff Collins his first victory with the Yellow Jackets.
Mason carried 20 times and scored once for the Yellow Jackets (1-1). His previous career high of 95 yards came last season against South Florida (0-2).
Georgia Tech used three quarterbacks, with Lucas Johnson rushing for 36 yards and completing 11 of 17 passes for 45 yards and one interception. Tobias Oliver, who started last week against Clemson, ran for 48 yards and one touchdown and completed 2 of 3 passes for 11 yards.
South Florida starting quarterback Blake Barnett completed 12 of 20 passes for 79 yards and ran for a team-leading 42 yards. But Jordan McCloud played most of the second half and completed 4 of 5 passes for 90 yards and one touchdown.
South Florida got on the board first, driving 56 yards to set up a 27-yard Coby Weiss field goal in the first quarter.
Georgia Tech took the lead with 11:03 left in the first half. Ahmarean Brown returned a punt 23 yards to the USF 43 to give the Yellow Jackets a short field. They scored in seven plays -- with the help of two 15-yard penalties -- on Mason's 1-yard run.
The Yellow Jackets made it 14-3 with 53 seconds left in the half. Oliver, the third quarterback used, scored on a 7-yard run.
South Florida scored on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Bulls took over late in the third quarter at the Georgia Tech 25 after Johnson's pass was tipped by Patrick Macon and picked off by K.J. Sails. Four plays later, McCloud hit Johnny Ford with a 20-yard slant pass for a touchdown, trimming the lead to 14-10.
The Bulls squandered a chance to take the lead on their next possession.
They took over after at their 45 after Darius Slade recovered a fumble. On the next play, McCloud completed a 54-yard pass to Mitchell Wilcox, who was stopped at the 1. Three plays later, Jordan Cronkrite had the ball knocked away and recovered by Georgia Tech's T.K. Chimedza as he tried to dive into the end zone.
--Field Level Media