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Georgia Tech runs over No. 23 Miami

Yellow Jackets rush for 472 yards in easy victory.

Paul Newberry • the associated press • November 21, 2008

Atlanta -- Hold off on Miami's return to national prominence. The Hurricanes ran into a huge roadblock: Georgia Tech's triple-option offense.

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The Yellow Jackets ran No. 23 Miami ragged in a game that could have moved the one-time powerhouse to the cusp of playing for the Atlantic Coast Conference championship and a spot in a major bowl. Georgia Tech piled up 472 yards on the ground -- the second-most ever allowed by the Hurricanes -- in a 41-23 rout Thursday night.

Jonathan Dwyer ripped off 128 yards with just 10 carries in the first half, including a 58-yard touchdown on a play that typified a Miami defense that looked as though it had never even seen film on Georgia Tech's unique, run-oriented scheme. Two linebackers got caught of position and Dwyer was off to the end zone.

By the end, the Hurricanes (7-4, 4-3) could do little more than huddle around heaters on a chilly night in Atlanta, totally outclassed in their first game as a ranked team in more than two years.

The five-time national champs, who had a losing record in 2007 but came into the game with five straight wins, could have clinched at least a tie for first in the Coastal Division with a win. And there was the possibility of wrapping it up Saturday if some other ACC games went their way.

Now, the race is more confusing than ever.

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