Georgia Tech schedules non-conference games against UCF

Georgia Tech’s football past is set to collide with its present after an announcement on Monday pitting the Yellow Jackets against University of Central Florida in the near future.

The home-and-home series is scheduled to begin when Georgia Tech travels to Orlando for a Sept. 16, 2017 game. UCF is scheduled to return the favor heading to Atlanta on Sept. 19, 2020.

The significance of the game at this time has former Yellow Jackets coach George O’Leary taking on current head coach Paul Johnson. The underlying relevance is a recruiting opportunity for both schools to showcase their programs in fertile recruiting grounds.

O’Leary was the head coach at Georgia Tech from 1995-2001. In two seasons O’Leary had the Yellow Jackets trending upwards winning the 1997 CarQuest Bowl against West Virginia 35-30. In 1998 G-Tech finished 10-2 winning the ACC and scored a Gator Bowl, now TaxSlayer Bowl, win over Notre Dame 35-28.

The 1998 season would be the height of O’Leary’s run in Atlanta winning eight games in 1999, nine in 2000, and seven in 2001 before he left for Notre Dame. Days after taking the helm for the Fighting Irish O’Leary was fired for lying on his resume. O’Leary’s tenure at Georgia Tech was tainted after an investigation showed he had used ineligible players, an accusation he was cleared of showing there was no wrong doing on his part.

Paul Johnson took over the Yellow Jackets program in 2008 after the dismissal of Chan Gailey. In seven seasons in Atlanta Georgia Tech under Johnson has only suffered through one losing season going 6-7 in 2010 after a 14-7 Independence Bowl Game loss to Air Force. Four times the Yellow Jackets have won the ACC Coastal Division under Johnson.

Georgia Tech slipped into mediocrity from 2010 through the 2013 season hovering just above or at .500 after a 10-win season in 2009. In 2014 Johnson led G-Tech on a resurgence finishing 11-3, winning the Coast Division, and claiming just his second bowl win as the Yellow Jackets head coach, a 49-34 win over highly regarded Mississippi State.

Since O’Leary took over the UCF program the Knights have been a boom or bust program. In his first season in Orlando UCF finished 0-11. In his second season they won eight games then only won four in 2006 before winning 10 in 2007. The roller coaster up and down ride has been the case for O’Leary and company.

UCF fans have hope that a new trend is emerging. The Knights won 10 games in 2012, then 12 in 2013, and had nine wins last season. The three winning seasons are the best time frame during O’Leary’s tenure and the best three year period since the school started fielding a football team in 1996. The previous best three year run was from 2000-2001 under Mike Kruczek. In each season the Knights finished above .500 winning seven, six, and seven games.

Georgia Tech owns the all-time series between the two schools winning all three contests with each being played at Bobby Dodd Stadium; 27-20 (1996), 41-10 (1999), and 21-17 (2000).

 

Written by Ryan Wright

Photo credit: guysgirl.com; Paul Johnson leads Georgia Tech onto the field.