Ga Tech bounces back from early deficit, beats Mercer 35-10

ATLANTA -- Georgia Tech was struggling to put Mercer away. Coach Paul Johnson wanted to keep his offense on the field. So he called a fake punt that worked to perfection. Chase Alford rumbled 21 yards after taking a direct snap, leading to a touchdown that clinched the Yellow Jackets' 35-10 victory over Mercer on Saturday. Quarterback Justin Thomas ran for a touchdown before sitting out the second half with what was described as a minor injury. Backup Matthew Jordan had a couple of 1-yard TD runs, the second one coming after the fake to finally finish off the scrappy Bears , a 4-year-old Southern Conference program playing its first game against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent. "I was like, `Let's go. We've got another shot," Jordan said. The Yellow Jackets (2-0) overcame an early 7-0 deficit.