Georgia Tech upsets third-ranked Miami

MIAMI — Blitzing on almost every play, Georgia Tech was in Kyle Wright's face all night. And when he threw the ball up for grabs with the game on the line, the Yellow Jackets were there, too.

They sacked Wright seven times and made two late defensive stands, intercepting his final pass to upset the third-ranked Miami Hurricanes 14-10 Saturday night.

"Not anyone believed it could happen," Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey said.

KaMichael Hall had two sacks and made a fourth-down stop to end a Miami threat midway through the fourth quarter. Wright moved the Hurricanes 62 yards to the Georgia Tech 27 with 1:46 left before he was intercepted by Dennis Davis, and the Yellow Jackets ran out the clock.

"With any quarterback, if we keep pressuring him, he's eventually going to fold," defensive end Eric Henderson said. "He can't keep getting hit like that all night. No quarterback can."

The Hurricanes (8-2, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) were eliminated from contention for a berth in the national championship game. They lost for the first time since their season opener at Florida State.

"We played about as bad as we could have played," said Wright, who threw for five scores a week ago at Wake Forest but managed just one touchdown pass against the Yellow Jackets' relentless blitzing. "They were doing things we prepared for. They just did a good job of doing it."

The Yellow Jackets (7-3, 5-3) bounced back from a loss a week ago to Virginia. They also shook off an NCAA decision this week to place the school on two years' probation for using 17 academically ineligible athletes in four sports, including 11 in football.

"These guys have a tremendous ability to compartmentalize — put all the junk to the side and play the game," Gailey said. "All the other stuff they can't control. What we can control is what happened out there."

Georgia Tech mounted touchdown marches of 68 and 61 yards against the nation's No. 1-ranked defense, and Miami penalties contributed to both drives.

Interference on Marcus Maxey negated an interception in the end zone three plays before Tashard Choice scored the game's first points on a 2-yard touchdown run. A penalty for excessive celebration led to the Yellow Jackets' other score on a 16-yard keeper by Reggie Ball.

Ball went only 11-for-30 for 159 yards, but in key situations he repeatedly found Calvin Johnson, who had six receptions for 89 yards.

Georgia Tech hardly looked like the same team that gave up 51 points to Virginia Tech in September, shutting out Miami in the second half. The Hurricanes converted one of 14 third-down situations and totaled 30 yards rushing.

Wright went 14-for-31 for 207 yards and netted minus-35 yards rushing.