Navy: 13
Georgia Tech: 40

After nearly upsetting 2nd ranked Florida State in week two, the 1-1 Yellow Jackets would stay home to face the Navy Midshipmen at Grant Field.

Navy caught the Jackets off guard to begin with game when they successfully executed an onside kick and began at their own 46 yard line. The Midshipmen would advance 39 yards in eight plays to the Yellow Jacket 15 before Jeremy Muyers dropped Asad Lambert for a loss of four yards on 3rd down, stalling the drive at the 19. Navy would not come up empty handed though, as David Hills nailed a 36 yard field goal for an early 3-0 lead.

Tech would take over at its own 23 after the ensuing kickoff and quickly answer her opponent. Joe Burns exploded for 20 yards out to the 43 on Tech’s first play. Three plays later, Godsey connected with Burns for a 29 yard completion to the Navy 23, but an illegal procedure penalty pushed Tech back to the 28 on the play that followed. The Jackets would gain to the 17 before the drive stalled, and Luke Manget was called upon to hit a 34 yard field goal that tied the game midway through the opening period.

Navy turned the ball over on downs at the Tech 35 on their following drive and then both teams punted as the game moved into the second quarter of play.

The Ramblin’ Wreck regained possession at the 12:41 mark of the second quarter and began a drive to take the lead back from their opponent. Godsey moved the ball 67 yards to the Navy 9 yard line before failing to score on third and goal. Manget returned for his second field goal, this from 26 to give Tech a 6-3 lead.

Although Tech’s defense held the Midshipmen on the drive that followed, Will Glover fumbled on the punt return and Navy took back over at the Yellow Jacket 36 yard line. But Tech caught a quick break when Brian Broadwater fumbled while being sacked on the next play and Daryl Smith recovered for the Jackets at the Tech 43.

Godsey then made the most of Tech’s drive, marching 57 yards in 15 plays to extend the Yellow Jacket lead to 13-3. The touchdown resulted from an 11 yard pass from Godsey to Glover with just under a minute to play in the first half.

Taking over at her own 20 with little time remaining, Navy quickly moved 56 yards in 8 plays before stalling at the Tech 24. On 4th and 2, with just 11 seconds to go, Hills hit a 41 yard field goal to trim the Ramblin’ Wreck lead to 13-6 and the Midshipmen would trail by just 7 at intermission.

The Yellow Jackets quickly took control off the game in the opening minutes of the second half. After the defense forced a three and out on Navy’s opening drive, Godsey threw a 50 yard touchdown strike to Kelly Campbell on Tech’s second play to increase the Ramblin’ Wreck lead to 20-6. Navy then advanced to her own 31 before making a crucial mistake. After a five yard loss pushed the visitors back to the 26, Broadwater scrambled backward to his own 6 yard line while attempting to evade the Yellow Jacket pass rush. It was here that Nick Rogers forced a fumble that Greg Gathers scooped up and returned six yards for a Tech touchdown. The score had given Tech a commanding 27-6 lead with roughly five minutes gone in the third quarter.

Navy would score once more before Tech shut the door on the game. On a trick play, wide receiver Bill Hubbard took a lateral and tossed a 34 yard touchdown pass to Gene Reese with three minutes to go in the third quarter. The score cut Tech’s advantage to 27-13 with 3:16 left in the period.

After Tech’s next drive stalled, Dan Dyke pinned Navy at her own 6 yard line. The Midshipmen advanced to their own 31 as the fourth quarter began, but the drive ended here with Daryl Smith recovered Joshua Bock’s fumble at the Midshipmen 30.

The Jackets scored after just five plays to push the lead back to 21 at 34-13. Godsey connected with Glover from 10 yards out for the pair’s second touchdown connection of the day.

Tech subbed its second string offense for the remainder of the game, while Navy never seriously threatened again. The final touchdown came after Brett Basquin recovered a muffed punt at the Navy one yard line with 1:52 to play. Sidney Ford scored on the first play to push the lead to 40-13 after Tech intentionally forfeited the PAT.

Navy advanced to the Tech 29 as time expired, and the Jackets would improve to 2-1 on the season. The Midshipmen dropped their next eight games before defeating the Army Black Knights to finish at 1-10 for the year.

Statistics:

First Downs:
NAVY – 25
GT – 18

Rushing Yards:
NAVY – 165
GT – 139

Passing (Comp-Att-Yds):
NAVY – 24-40-199
GT – 10-19-166

Fumbles (Total-Lost):
NAVY – 6-4
GT – 3-1

Interceptions thrown:
NAVY – 0
GT – 0

Penalties (Total-Yards):
NAVY – 5-39
GT – 5-45

References:
Game Summary: http://www.ramblinwreck.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/091600aaa.html