Georgia has no answer for Tech

Georgia Tech had not defeated Georgia since 2000, and it wasn’t looking good when the Yellow Jackets trailed by 16 points at halftime.

Then Roddy Jones and the triple-option offense went to work.

Jones rushed for a career-best 214 yards, including a decisive 54-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, and No. 18 Georgia Tech rallied to end a seven-game losing streak against its state rival with a 45-42 victory over 13th-ranked Georgia on Saturday at Athens.

The cold, rainy day wasn’t a total victory for the visiting team: Virginia Tech denied the Yellow Jackets a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game with a 17-14 victory over Virginia.

But Georgia Tech (9-3) celebrated anyway, gathering in front of its small contingent at Sanford Stadium to sing the school fight song while the red-clad Georgia fans headed to the exits, a season that started at No. 1 winding down far short of expectations.

After building a 28-12 halftime lead, the Bulldogs (9-3) simply had no answer for Georgia Tech’s offense, which piled up 409 yards on the ground.

Georgia lost despite Matthew Stafford’s tying a school record with five touchdown passes.

Clemson 31, South Carolina 14: James Davis ran for three touchdowns to lift the Tigers (7-5) over the visiting Gamecocks (7-5) at Clemson, S.C., for their sixth win in the last seven games against their state rival.

Wake Forest 23, Vanderbilt 10: Alphonso Smith’s record-tying 20th career interception set up Rich Belton’s game-clinching touchdown run, and the Demon Deacons (7-5) beat the Commodores (6-6) at Winston-Salem, N.C.