Duke: 2
Georgia Tech: 17

Having fallen 21-13 to 17th-ranked Florida State one week earlier, 6-4 Georgia Tech looked to rebound in a bout with the 2-8 Duke Blue Devils in mid-November at Grant Field. The Jackets had won the previous seven meetings in the series to improve to 39-29-1 all-time. Duke’s last victory came in 1994 when Tech fell 27-12 to a Blue Devil squad that would eventually finish at 8-4 on the year.

After forcing a punt on the opening series, the Georgia Tech offense began at its own 38 following the Duke kick. Kerry Watkins kick-started the drive with a 15 yard run to move into Duke territory before several short gains pushed the drive to the Duke 24. A.J. Suggs then hooked up with Watkins for 18 yards to the 6, and Gordon Clinkscale would eventually cap off the drive with a 2 yard touchdown run. The score gave Tech a 7-0 lead after an 8 play, 62 yard drive.

The next several drives ended with punts before Tech took over at its own 6 following a late first quarter punt. The Yellow Jacket offense lined up for an apparent trick play with Jonathan Smith at quarterback on the first play of the series, but the ball was snapped through the end zone for a safety to put Duke on the board, trailing 7-2.

Following the free kick, Duke earned a first down near midfield before Keyaron Fox picked off Adam Smith at the Tech 44 and returned the ball 35 yards to the Duke 21. The Tech offense failed to earn a first down, however, and was forced to settle for a 32 yard Luke Manget field goal to increase the lead to 10-2.

After forcing a Duke punt, Tech again pushed into scoring position at the start of the second quarter, covering 60 yards en route to the Blue Devil 5 yard line. But it was here that the drive went awry, as a false start pushed Tech back to the 10, and Suggs threw an interception to Kenneth Stanford at the 2 yard line.

The Devils pushed out to the 19 before punting, and Tech would begin at the Duke 49 following a 9 yard return by Kelly Rhino. The Jackets covered the distance in 7 plays, scoring on a 4 yard run by Clinkscale to up the lead to 17-2. Suggs hooked up with Watkins for 31 yards from the Duke 35 to setup the touchdown.

Each squad would miss a field goal on its next drive and the Ramblin’ Wreck lead stood at fifteen at the break.

A defensive battle ensued in the third quarter, as each squad spent the majority of the period backed up in its own territory. The opening of the fourth quarter saw another missed field goal by each club, but no further scoring threats were seen for the remainder of the contest.

Duke went on to fall by a score of 23-21 to UNC in its final game of the season to finish at 2-10, overall. Its 0-8 record in conference play marked the third straight season without a league win.

Statistics:

First downs:
DU – 12
GT – 19

Rushing yards:
DU – 138
GT – 127

Passing (Comp-Att-Yds):
DU – 13-34-146
GT – 18-30-200

Interceptions thrown:
DU – 2
GT – 1

Fumbles (Total-Lost):
DU – 1-1
GT – 0-0

Penalties (Total-Yds):
DU – 8-75
GT – 11-79

References:
Game Summary: http://www.ramblinwreck.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/111602aaa.html