Georgia Tech’s Hamilton Passes for Five Touchdowns

Don’t count Georgia Tech quarterback Joe Hamilton out of the Heisman Trophy race.

“It’s not over yet,” Hamilton said after he passed for 322 yards, matched a school record with five touchdown passes and ran for 88 yards Saturday as the 13th-ranked Yellow Jackets held off a fourth-quarter charge to beat Clemson, 45-42, at Atlanta.

“What Ron Dayne is doing is great,” Hamilton said. “I’m just not too informed on what it [the voting] is based on.”

Georgia Tech, 7-2 overall and 5-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, took over second place in the conference from Clemson (5-5, 5-3) and virtually clinched a second consecutive bid to the Gator Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Hamilton had touchdown passes of 28 and 42 yards to Kelly Campbell and a 12-yarder to Conrad Andrzejewski in the first half. Hamilton passed to Kerry Watkins for a nine-yard touchdown pass and Ed Wilder for a three-yard score in the second half.

Hamilton’s five touchdown passes equaled the school record set in 1972 by Eddie McAshan against Rice. He completed 22 of 30 passes, with two interceptions, and also had 19 carries.

Clemson rallied from a 45-28 deficit and had a chance to win until late in the game.

Duke 48, Wake Forest 35--Scottie Montgomery scored three touchdowns in Duke’s school-record 34-point first quarter and the Blue Devils (3-7, 3-4) held off the Demon Deacons (5-5, 2-5) at Durham, N.C. Wake Forest will have to upset Georgia Tech on Saturday to become eligible for a bowl game.

Virginia 50, Buffalo 21--Thomas Jones, the nation’s leading rusher, ran for 221 yards and Dan Ellis passed for six touchdowns, a school record, as the Cavaliers (6-4) beat the 49-point underdog Bulls (0-10) at Charlottesville, Va.