2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team The 2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology in the college football season of 2006 – 2007 . The team ' s coach is former Dallas Cowboys , Samford Bulldogs , and Troy Trojans coach Chan Gailey . It plays its home games at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta , Georgia . Previous seasons . Georgia Tech had posted four consecutive seasons with 7 wins under Coach Gailey . The team had been to four bowl games under Chan Gailey and had a 2 – 2 record in postseason play . Under Chan Gailey , Georgia Tech had become notorious for having a stifling defense and a ball control offense . In 2004 Georgia Tech held Maryland to under 85 yards of total offense , while in 2005 Georgia Tech held No . 3 Miami to only 10 points in Georgia Tech ' s victory in the Miami Orange Bowl . Georgia Tech defeated two highly heralded Auburn teams in 2003 and 2005 and only allowed 17 points in the two matchups ( the 2005 game ended Auburn ' s 15 - game winning streak ) . Pre - season . Head Coach Chan Gailey returned for his fifth year at the helm of the program . Senior Reggie Ball ( QB ) was expected to lead the team as a seasoned veteran with three full years of starting behind him . Junior Calvin Johnson ( WR ) was considered by many sports writers to be the top wide receiver in the nation . Oklahoma transfer Tashard Choice ( RB ) found the starting job behind an experienced offensive line . Georgia Tech was in some pre - season top 25 polls . Pre - season awards . Preseason Football Buzz Schedule . ! Preview ! Recap Game notes . Notre Dame . Pregame Line : Notre Dame −7 . 5 The game began with Georgia Tech taking a 10 – 0 lead over the Irish . Reggie Ball connected with Calvin Johnson for a touchdown and Travis Bell kicked a field goal . At the end of the first half , Notre Dame finally scored on a Brady Quinn quarterback draw . The second half featured two relentless defenses . Notre Dame would score the final points in the game on a Darius Walker touchdown run . The run followed a controversial late hit penalty , which took Notre Dame from 4th down to 1st down and goal . The game had no turnovers and was highlighted by Calvin Johnson ' s 7 receptions , 110 yards receiving , and touchdown and Reggie Ball ' s 207 all - purpose yards . Samford . Pregame Line : Samford + 37 Georgia Tech returned two interceptions for touchdowns for the first time since their 1966 victory over Tulane in what would turn out to be another great defensive performance . Samford only scored two field goals in the first quarter and Georgia Tech only allowed 12 yards rushing to the 1 - AA school . 69 Georgia Tech players saw action in the game , including four different quarterbacks and four different tailbacks . The game was highlighted by Calvin Johnson ' s two touchdown catches , a Tashard Choice rushing touchdown , Reggie Ball ' s 92 all - purpose yards , and Djay Jones and Jamal Lewis ' interception touchdowns . Djay ' s interception was 28 yards long and Jamal ' s interception was 98 yards long . Troy . Pregame Line : Troy + 17 . 5 Georgia Tech needed two late interceptions from Gary Guyton and Jamal Lewis to help put down the Trojans . The game was tied 14 – 14 going in to the fourth quarter before the Yellow Jackets got the go ahead touchdown on a play action pass to fullback Mike Cox . The next Trojan possession saw a tipped pass get intercepted by Guyton and Tech would drive down the field for a Tashard Choice rushing touchdown . Jamal Evans would score another rushing touchdown following a second GT pick by Lewis . The game was highlighted by Rashaun Grant ' s 53 yards and a touchdown on two end around plays , Tashard Choice ' s 73 yards rushing and a touchdown , Reggie Ball ' s single game GT QB rushing record of 138 yards , and James Johnson ' s 74 yards receiving with a touchdown . Virginia . Pregame Line : Virginia + 16 . 5 Georgia Tech ended its three - game losing streak to UVA with a dominating defensive effort and superb performances by Reggie Ball and Calvin Johnson . Reggie Ball is now 1 – 3 against the Wahoos and had 205 yards passing , 2 touchdown passes , and a rushing touchdown . Calvin Johnson set his personal longest touchdown reception record twice recording 58 and 66 yard touchdowns in a 165 yard effort . Tashard Choice , Rashaun Grant , and Jamaal Evans added 103 yards on 26 carries between them . Patrick Nix called three risky plays in the game . The first was a fullback pass from Mike Cox to Reggie Ball . The blocking back has never rushed for yardage but managed to complete a 17 yard pass to Ball . Rashaun Grant also received two reverse pitches from Tashard Choice , whiched netted only 7 yards . The defense held the Cavs to 166 yards of offense and forced three turnovers ( two interceptions by Djay Jones and Jahi Word - Daniels and a fumble recovery by Jamal Lewis ) . The only Cavalier score was made possible by a fourth quarter fumble by Ball and Choice on a speed option . Also of note , Georgia Tech sported a white helmet and mustard uniform from the Bud Carson era ( 1969 – 1971 ) . Virginia Tech . Pregame Line : Virginia Tech −8 . 5 Georgia Tech opened with 21 straight points and never relented against the Hokies . The first play from the line of scrimmage was a 59 yard pass from Reggie Ball to James Johnson . Georgia Tech would block a punt to help set up their third touchdown . The defense also added points to the effort with a Philip Wheeler strip on Sean Glennon , which was recovered by Gary Guyton and returned for a touchdown . Calvin Johnson added 115 yards and 2 touchdowns , Tashard Choice accumulated 104 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns , and Reggie Ball added 211 yards of total offense to the victory . Maryland . Pregame line : Maryland + 14 Georgia Tech needed a 13 - point fourth - quarter rally to rid Bobby Dodd Stadium of Terrapin red . Georgia Tech ' s first drive resulted in a touchdown but the celebration was short - lived as Maryland ' s cornerback Josh Wilson returned the ensuing kickoff for a 104 - yard touchdown . Georgia Tech ' s placekicker Travis Bell faulted three times in the game , missing two field goals and throwing an incompletion to punter – holder Durant Brooks . The missed field goals allowed a stuttering Maryland offense to keep the game close . Maryland drove to the 7 yard line with 1 : 02 left in the game . QB Sam Hollenbach was sacked two times on 3rd and 4th down by end Michael Johnson in the last minute to seal the victory for Georgia Tech . The game featured a 133 - yard and one - touchdown effort by Calvin Johnson , 245 yards of offense and two touchdowns from Reggie Ball , and most importantly a dominating effort by Tashard Choice of 137 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns . Georgia Tech ' s defense held Maryland to only 87 yards rushing , garnered 5 sacks , had 1 fumble recovery , and picked off 1 Hollenbach pass . Georgia Tech had not been 5 – 1 and 3 – 0 in conference since GT ' s co - ACC Championship in 1998 . The game was also the 90th anniversary of the 222 – 0 victory over Cumberland College . Clemson . Pregame Line : Clemson −7 . 5 Georgia Tech suffered its first conference loss to Clemson in Death Valley . CJ Spiller and James Davis accounted for 92 % of Clemson ' s offense in the loss . Georgia Tech ' s vaunted rush defense gave up over 300 yards on the ground after only allowing 81 yards a game coming into the contest . Calvin Johnson was held to no catches for the first time since his first game as a Yellow Jacket and only had −4 yards rushing on a speed option . Reggie Ball had 130 yards of offense and James Johnson had the Jackets only touchdown on an awkwardly deflected 35 yard pass . The Jackets forced two turnovers and had one sack . Djay Jones had the Ramblin ' Wreck ' s pick and Philip Wheeler recovered a fumble after Tyler Grisham got drilled by Djay Jones . This game continues the Yellow Jackets streak of losing in ESPN College Gameday events with an overall record of 0 – 4 – 1 . Miami . Pregame Line : Miami + 6 Georgia Tech got off to a rocky start when a Reggie Ball fumble was returned for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage . The two teams then exchanged field goals until Georgia Tech ' s offense kicked out of neutral . Reggie Ball connected on a Hamilton - Campbellesque 46 yard play action touchdown to James Johnson . Six field goals were kicked in the game by both squads , three by Travis Bell . Calvin Johnson had a 1 yard touchdown reception and 67 yards receiving . James Johnson had 69 yards receiving and his 46 yard touchdown bomb . Tashard Choice had 101 yards rushing and a 24 yard break away touchdown that put the game out of reach . Mike Cox had 2 receptions of 36 total yards , which resulted in punishing hits to Miami defenders . The Georgia Tech defense and special teams managed to force 4 turnovers and the defense sacked Kyle Wright 7 times ( Pat Clark interception , Avery Roberson fumble recovery , Chris Dunlap fumble recovery , and KaMichael Hall fumble recovery ) . Durant Brooks pounded 6 punts at 51 yards per kick and his last punt sailed over the returner ' s head , was mishandled , and recovered by GT for the victory . Georgia Tech now has an 11 year winning streak in homecoming games . NC State . Pregame Line : N . C . State + 6 The Georgia Tech defense shut NC State out of the end zone and continued Georgia Tech ' s dominance over Chuck Amato . The only NC State touchdowns were scored off of an interception return and kickoff return . NC State could not capitalize on field position and the second Georgia Tech interception turning all red zone attempts into field goal attempts . NC State also misfired on 2 of their 5 field goal attempts and committed 102 yards in penalties . Reggie Ball , James Johnson , and Calvin Johnson lit up the skies with over 215 passing yards and four touchdowns . Tashard Choice also contributed 165 yards on the ground behind a solid Georgia Tech offensive line effort . Georgia Tech has now outscored their last four opponents 47 – 21 in the fourth quarter of play . North Carolina . Pregame Line : North Carolina + 13 . 5 Georgia Tech shut out the Tar Heels in a game reminiscent of the 1990 tie that almost cost the Jackets the 1990 UPI title . The game marked the first shut out for Georgia Tech in six years and featured the longest drive of the year by an ACC team . The ten and half minute drive was the only score for the Jackets as Tashard Choice pushed his way into the end zone . Choice accumulated 119 yards on 32 carries . The defense added two picks by Jamal Lewis and Kenny Scott , which staved off any real Tarheel threats to score . The Tar Heels were held to only 65 yards rushing and gave up two sacks . Tech ' s offense had an 11 minute advantage in time of possession . Georgia Tech has now clinched the ACC Coastal division and will be playing in Jacksonville on December 2 . Duke . Pregame Line : Duke + 26 . 5 Tech finished its ACC schedule with an easy victory over mismatched Duke . The game was won on the legs of Tashard Choice and the big connections between Reggie Ball and Calvin Johnson . Choice ran for 118 yards and a score while Reggie connected with Calvin for 5 passes , 78 yards , and two touchdowns . Ball finished the day by the end of the second quarter with 7 – 13 passing for 122 yards and 3 touchdowns against the maligned Blue Devils . Taylor Bennett lead the second team in the third and fourth quarter adding another score on his second pass on a 20 yard dart to Greg Smith . Bennett and Smith connected later on another score of 25 yards . Third string back Jamaal Evans added another 90 rushing yards and a score . The defense added 4 sacks , 2 interceptions , and 2 fumble recoveries . Georgia . Pregame Line : Georgia −3 For the third straight year , the Tech - UGA game has been settled by a touchdown or less in a defensive brawl . The Jackets could not overcome three turnovers to end their losing streak to the Dogs and lost on a Matt Stafford touchdown pass with 1 : 45 remaining in the fourth quarter . The true bright spots for Tech in the loss were the spectacular play of Tashard Choice , Durrant Brooks , Travis Bell , and the Tech Defense . The defense recorded two sacks and held the Bulldog offense to less than 100 yards rushing . The defense also recovered a fumble to help set up a Travis Bell field goal . Travis Bell was 2 for 2 on field goals . Durrant Brooks boomed 5 punts for a 44 . 6 yard average . 3 of the 5 punts landed within the 20 . Tashard Choice continued his streak of 100 yard games with a 143 yard and 1 touchdown performance . Choice ' s touchdown lifted the Jackets to their final lead early in the fourth quarter but the lead would only last for 7 minutes . Georgia Tech ' s last possession saw Tech starting within their own 20 and needing a big play downfield . UGA ' s defensive line aided Tech with a personal foul on 4th down and 12 , but Reggie Ball , who finished the game 6 – 22 for 42 yards with 0 TDs , 2 interceptions and a lost fumble , threw the ball right into the arms of Georgia cornerback Paul Oliver to seal the Bulldogs win . ACC Championship Game . Pregame Line : Wake Forest + 2 . 5 On a day that featured heavy rain and a soggy field , conservative play - calling , the kicking games of Tech and Wake Forest , Wake prevailed by kicking a field goal with 2 : 55 left on the game clock to go ahead for good 9 to 6 after a long pass completion gave the Deacons good field position . Both teams punted a combined 12 times for almost 550 yards . There were 6 field goal attempts made , the ony miss coming from Wake ' s backup field goal kicker . The Tech defense recorded 4 sacks and held the Demon Deacons under 100 yards rushing . Tashard Choice recorded 99 yards rushing , Calvin recorded 117 yards receiving , and Reggie Ball recorded 170 all - purpose yards . Also of note , Georgia Tech sported navy blue jerseys for the game , a style not worn since Bill Lewis ' 1994 season . Gator Bowl . Pregame Line : West Virginia −10 . 5