North Carolina: 0
Georgia Tech: 28

After destroying Clemson 51-0 in the opener, Georgia Tech would face the North Carolina Tar Heels in their second contest of the 1944 season. After being shut out by Wake Forest and Army to start 0-2, Carolina’s hopes appeared slim against an excellent Georgia Tech team.

The Tar Heels punted after the opening possession and the Yellow Jackets got started in a hurry. Frank Broyles hit Mickey Logan on an 18 yard pass to the 38 and followed with an 8 yard strike to Phil Tinsley. Allen Bowen then gained 18 yards on two runs to the Tar Heel 12, before Broyles capped off the drive with a 12 yard touchdown run that put Tech up 7-0.

After a couple punts, Carolina saw a promising drive end when Broyles intercepted Jim Camp’s pass at the Yellow Jacket 24 yard line. But the Jackets were forced to punt it back and the Tar Heels quickly got their offense going again.

Tech came up big shortly thereafter when Ed Holtsinger picked off Bob Warren’s pass and returned it 45 yards to the Tar Heel 15 yard line. Broyles ran for 8 yards on first down before throwing a 7 yard strike to Mickey Logan for the second Yellow Jacket touchdown to extend the lead to 14-0.

The second quarter was littered with punts and turnovers before Tech took over at the Tar Heel 26 after a punt with little time remaining. The Jackets could not manifest a drive though, and would settle for a two possession lead at the half.

The third quarter dragged along much like the second had, with the teams exchanging punts throughout. At one point, Carolina recovered a Tech fumble at the Yellow Jacket 36, but failed to capitalize and turned the ball over on downs at the 27.

Midway through the final period, Carolina had their best chance at a score when Art Lowe exploded for 53 yards to the Yellow Jacket 20 yard line. But with defenders closing in, Lowe attempted a lateral that went awry and the Ramblin’ Wreck defense recovered at its own 15.

The Jackets gave it right back on the next play when Charlie Helzer coughed up the ball after catching Broyles’s pass near the 40 yard line. But the Tech defense forced a quick punt and the Jackets took over at their own 10.

Five plays gained roughly 40 yards to midfield before lightning struck for the Jackets. Tex Ritter hit Jim Dorough on a pass to the 30 yard line and as Dorough was being tackled he tossed a lateral to George Mathews. Mathews raced down the sideline for the final 30 yards to up the Yellow Jacket advantage to 21-0 on the old hook-and-lateral play.

The final score of the afternoon came on a 5 play, 56 yard drive with less than five minutes to go in the contest. Bowen and Billy Williams gained 12 yards collectively for a first down at the 44. Two plays later, Dorough made an incredible one-handed grab at the 20 yard line for a first down. Broyles went right back to Dorough on the next play, and Dorough eluded the only Tar Heel defender that stood a chance at stopping him before racing into the end zone for the touchdown. The score gave the Jackets a 28-0 lead that they would carry to the end of the contest.

After the loss, Carolina would finish the season at 1-7-1 with their only victory coming over the Cherry Point Marine Air Station in a 20-14 decision. The tie came against William & Mary in a 0-0 decision. The Tar Heels were shut out an incredible 5 times in 1944 and scored only 27 points all year.

Statistics:

Rushing Yards:
UNC – 42
GT – 119

Passing (Comp-Att-Yds):
UNC – 7-16-41
GT – 12-23-232

Fumbles lost:
UNC – 1
GT – 3

Interceptions thrown:
UNC – 3
GT – 0

Penalty yards:
UNC – 40
GT – 15

References:
Troy, Jack. “Tech Backs Gallop to 28-0 Win Over North Carolina’s Tarheels.” The Atlanta Constitution. 1944 Oct. 8