Box Score Game Box (pdf)

ATLANTA, Ga. – The Wofford football team was defeated 38-19 by Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Terriers cut the lead to one possession in the fourth quarter, but the Yellow Jackets scored the final two touchdowns of the game.
 
The Terriers open at 0-1, while Georgia Tech is 1-0. Wofford was led by Ray Smith with 108 yards on four carries and a touchdown, while Evan Jacks ran for 89 yards on 13 carries along with 5-of-9 passing for 26 yards. The Yellow Jackets were led by Justin Thomas with 282 passing yards and two touchdowns, while DeAndre Smelter had five catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
 
"I saw some good things and I saw some bad things," said head coach Mike Ayers. "We should have had a chance to beat them, but we just did not execute defensively. I thought we would have defended them better and we did not tackle well in space. We had some really good stuff go on and I thought our kicking game went well. We had a lot of young guys on the offensive line and I thought they accounted for themselves really well. We had our chances. I think it is going to be a game we can learn from. We need to be sharper and that comes down to coaching. We have an open date and two weeks to get better."
 
The Terriers had the ball first and a 34-yard kickoff return by Lorenzo Long gave Wofford good starting position. After going three-and-out, the Terriers punted. The Yellow Jackets picked up four first downs on their opening drive and scored a touchdown with a four-yard run by Zach Laskey. Georgia Tech had a 7-0 lead at the 8:16 mark in the first quarter.
 
On the next drive for Wofford, Evan Jacks ran for a first down and Will Irwin caught a first down pass to move the ball across midfield. Evan Jacks added a 20-yard run for a first down before the drive ended with a 39-yard field goal by David Marvin. The score was 7-3 with 2:16 left in the first quarter. Both teams then went three-and-out and traded punts.
 
Georgia Tech gained four first downs but a 31-yard field goal attempt went wide right with 7:40 left in the second quarter. The Terriers picked up rushing first downs by Lorenzo Long and Nick Colvin before punting. On a punt, the return was fumbled but went out of bounds before Wofford could recover. The Yellow Jackets gained one first down, before three incomplete passes and punting back to the Terriers.
 
Wofford had the ball back with 1:28 left in the first half and had third and 8 from the eight yard line. Evan Jacks handed the ball off to Ray Smith, who went right up the middle 92 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was blocked, but Wofford had a 9-7 lead with 51 seconds left in the half. The Yellow Jackets began the final drive of the half at midfield. After gaining 33 yards on a pass completion, Georgia Tech kicked a 30-yard field goal as time expired for a 10-9 lead at the break.
 
To open the second half, the Yellow Jackets converted a fourth-and-one. After another first down, Georgia Tech gained 22 yards on a fourth-and-five. On the next play, DeAndre Smelter scored on a 19-yard touchdown pass for a 17-9 lead at the 9:10 mark of the third quarter. Wofford had three first downs on the ensuing drive, however a personal foul penalty pushed the Terriers back. David Marvin then hit a 51-yard field goal for a 17-12 score with 4:27 left in the third quarter.
 
The Yellow Jackets wasted no time on their next drive, scoring on a 71-yard pass from Justin Thomas to DeAndre Smelter for a 24-12 lead with 4:02 remaining in the third quarter. Wofford gained two first downs and then Michael Weimer picked up a fourth-and-two for the Terriers. A first down after a pass interference led to a 4-yard touchdown run by Octavius Harden. The 16-play drive took 9:13 off the clock and went 75 yards to make it a 24-19 game with 9:49 remaining.
 
On the next drive by Georgia Tech, a 65-yard completion set-up an 11-yard touchdown run by Zach Laskey. With 8:34 on the clock, the Yellow Jackets had a 31-19 lead. Wofford was forced three-and-out on the next possession and punted. Georgia Tech then went on a ten play drive that culminated with a four-yard touchdown run by Synjyn Days to take a 38-19 advantage with 1:34 left in the game. Wofford gained one first down before turning the ball over on downs with 57 seconds left on the clock. The Yellow Jackets ran two plays to end the game with a 38-19 final score.
 
Wofford had 326 total yards, with 288 on the ground. Georgia Tech had 508 total yards, 282 of which were passing. Georgia Tech had a 21 to 16 advantage in first downs. Wofford was 5-of-13 on third downs and 1-of-2 on fourth down. Georgia Tech was 5-of-10 on third down and 2-of-2 on fourth down. Each team had five penalties. Wofford had a 31:26 to 28:34 time of possession advantage.   
 
Wofford vs. Georgia Tech Post-Game Notes
 
Wofford opened on the road for the sixth straight season and are 2-4 in those games.
 
The game was only the second between Wofford and Georgia Tech and the first since a meeting in 1901.
 
The Terriers have now lost five straight games, the longest streak since a seven-game skid to end the 1987 season and start the 1988 season.
 
Wofford players with their first career starts included OL Bradley Way, OL Davis Lenoir, OL Dequan Miller, DL Steven Cornellier, LB Terrance Morris, LB Terrance Morris, LB Drake Michaelson, S Philemon Permis, and S Jaleel Green.
 
The 51-yard field goal in the third quarter by David Marvin was the second-longest in school history. The longest was 53 yards in 2012 by Kasey Redfern. Marvin suffered a knee injury in the fourth quarter.
 
The 92-yard touchdown run by Ray Smith was the fifth-longest in school history. It was the longest run ever allowed by Georgia Tech. Ray Smith had his first career 100+ rushing game with 108 yards on four carries.
 
Game captains were T.J. Chamberlin and Travis Thomas.
 
Attendance was 45,403 at Bobby Dobb Stadium.
 
Wofford is off next weekend before opening the home slate on September 13 against North Greenville at 7:00 p.m.