Georgia Tech ready for 'big challenge' from FCS team Gardner-Webb

After picking up one of the program's biggest nonconference victories in recent history, Georgia Tech is back in Atlanta for its home opener on Saturday against FCS opponent Gardner-Webb.

Georgia Tech (1-0) went into Boulder, Colo., on Aug. 29 and earned a 27-20 win over Colorado, despite committing three first-quarter turnovers and Haynes King totaling just 143 passing yards.

Where King made up for the lack of aerial attack was on the ground, as the sixth-year quarterback ran for a career-high 156 yards and two scores for the Yellow Jackets, who posted their first power-conference victory outside the Atlantic Coast Conference since beating Georgia of the Southeastern Conference in 2016.

"We were happy to win, but we didn't play great to start by any means," Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key said. "We've got to maintain the things you did well and correct the things you didn't. That's what practice is about."

Gardner-Webb (1-0) impressed in its season opener on Saturday, rallying for a 52-45 road win over Western Carolina. The Runnin' Bulldogs, of the Big South-OVC, overcame a 35-7 deficit for the largest comeback win in school history.

Liberty transfer quarterback Nate Hampton threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns, adding 132 rushing yards and four more scores on the ground, shooting a jolt of confidence into the team ahead of an FBS matchup in Week 2.

"I'm super proud of our team's resilience and grit," second-year Gardner-Webb head coach Cris Reisert said. "I think we certainly need to correct some issues that put us down 35-7 and we will, but just to watch us band together and not flinch, it was fun to be a part of that."

In Gardner-Webb's only all-time meeting with Georgia Tech, the Runnin' Bulldogs hung with the ACC power, falling 10-7 in 2008. Despite a good chunk of the current roster just learning how to walk at that point, Reisert will use the 17-year-old tape as motivation for Saturday.

"It's definitely something we're going to continue to speak about," Reisert said of the schools' first matchup. "It's ignition. We've mentioned that, we've talked about it, but at the same time, we are so focused on having a good week at practice. That's our main objective, focus on Gardner-Webb and then on Saturday, we'll play a really cool game against a really great team in Atlanta, and we'll see how the chips fall."

Georgia Tech is the big favorite, but Key won't let his team take its foot off the pedal.

"They're going to be prepared, they're going to be ready and they're not going to back down," Key said. "It's going to be a big challenge for us."

--Field Level Media