Thomas runs, passes Georgia Tech to win
Go ahead and add another chapter to the lore of Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas.
The senior came away with a career-best 459 yards of total offense on Saturday, bettering his old mark by 106 yards, and helped the Yellow Jackets avoid a major meltdown and beat Duke 38-35.
It was the most yards accumulated by a Georgia Tech player since quarterback George Godsey had a school-record 477 against Virginia in 2001.
“You have to look at Justin Thomas and say he might have had his finest hour,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. “He played like a senior. That’s what I told him after the game. They did what they had to do to win the game at the end.”
Thomas completed 10 of 14 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 17 times for a career-best 195 yards and two touchdowns. It is the first time that Thomas has both run and thrown for 100 yards in the same game since the 2014 Orange Bowl.
Thomas became the 39th player in NCAA Division I FBS history with 4,000 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards. He is the fourth ACC player to accomplish the feat, joining Clemson’s Woody Dantzler, Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor and North Carolina’s Marquise Williams.
Georgia Tech (5-3, 2-3 ACC) remains alive in its longshot quest to reach the ACC Championship game. The Yellow Jackets play Coastal Division leaders North Carolina and Virginia on the road over the next two weeks.
Georgia Tech led 28-7 at halftime, but had two early turnovers in the second half that Duke turned into points and allowed the Blue Devils to seize the momentum. The Devils eventually took a 35-31 lead.
Georgia Tech scored the go-ahead points when Thomas fired a 21-yard touchdown pass to running back Clinton Lynch with 5:38 remaining.
Duke was unable to move the ball and was forced to punt. But it appeared the Devils might have one more chance to get the ball when they forced Georgia Tech into a third-and-17 at 21 with only 2:19 left and needed one stop to get the ball back.
It didn’t happen. Thomas dropped back and escaped the Duke defensive pressure. He turned upfield and slid down after a 50-yard gain to essentially end any chances.
“They brought an extra guy that we couldn’t handle,” Thomas said. “I knew I had to make him miss because there wasn’t anyone else on the perimeter and I took full advantage of it.”
Duke (3-5, 0-4) was led by quarterback Daniel Jones, who threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 10 times for 73 yards. Jones was 22-for-36 passing, including a 7-yarder to tight end Daniel Helm with 8:55 that put the Blue Devils ahead 35-31.
Georgia Tech forced three turnovers — two fumbles and an interception. The Yellow Jackets entered the game with only six takeaways for the season. Despite Duke’s largess, Georgia Tech was unable to turn any of the gifts into points.
Despite the takeaways, the Georgia Tech defense continued to have trouble getting off the field. Georgia Tech’s defense allowed Duke to run 73 plays and amass 559 yards. Duke was 8-for-13 on third-down conversions.
“A lot of the same problem we have had all year — can’t get off the field defensively,” Johnson said.
This story was originally published October 29, 2016 at 9:29 PM with the headline "Thomas runs, passes Georgia Tech to win."