Georgia Tech: 14
Louisiana State: 28

Having lost just two games, the 15th ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets would face the 7-4 Louisiana State Tigers in search of their 10th victory in the Peach Bowl on December 29th.

Tech all but dominated the opening half, scoring on a 32 yard run by Joe Burns and a 9 yard run by Jermaine Hatch to take a 14-0 lead. The performance was bittersweet though, as the Wreck could’ve easily put the game away. Instead, Tech committed four turnovers and had a 59 yard touchdown pass to Kelly Campbell called back due to illegal motion.

LSU’s lone score of the first half came on a 32 yard John Corbello field goal midway through the first quarter, and Tech took a 14-3 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Yellow Jacket mistakes caught up with them in the second half when backup quarterback Rohan Davey replaced Josh Booty for the Tigers. While Tech’s turnover problems continued, LSU found her offense and took control of the game. Davey led his team 70 yards in 9 plays to get within a score after he connected with Tommy Banks on a 3 yard touchdown pass.

The Tigers trailed 14-10 for the remainder of the third quarter before finally snatching the lead at the start of the final period. Davey connected with Josh Reed just a minute into the quarter to give the Tigers a 17-14 advantage that they would not relinquish.

LSU scored twice more while holding the Jackets scoreless. Corbello first made a 49 yard field goal to increase the lead to 20-14, and Davey then moved his offense 91 yards in 13 plays, hitting Banks on a 3 yard pass for the final score. Davey connected with Reggie Robinson for a two point conversion to put the Tigers ahead 28-14 with just three minutes to play.
Late in the game, Tech lost Godsey to a torn ACL to put a sour note on the end of the season.

First year head coach Nick Saban did wonders with the Tigers over the next several seasons, guiding them to two SEC Championships and the 2003 BCS National Championship before departing after the 2004 season to coach the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.

Statistics:

First Downs:
GT – 19
LSU – 21

Rushing Yards:
GT – 140
LSU – 90

Passing (Comp-Att-Yds):
GT – 19-38-177
LSU – 25-44-284

Fumbles (Total-Lost):
GT – 7-4
LSU – 3-1

Interceptions thrown:
GT – 2
LSU – 0

Penalties (Total-Yards):
GT – 6-45
LSU – 7-59

References:
Game Summary: http://www.ramblinwreck.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/gah.at.lav.game.html
USA Today Recap: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/scores100/100364/100364381.htm