Georgia Tech running back, punter honored by Hornung and Guy awards
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech running back Jahmyr Gibbs (Dalton, Ga./Dalton) and punter Pressley Harvin III (Alcolu, S.C./Sumter) have been honored by the Hornung Award and the Ray Guy Award, respectively, for their performances against No. 14/13 UCF on Saturday. Gibbs is a member of the Hornung Award’s weekly honor roll, which honors college football’s three most versatile players of the week, and Harvin is on the Ray Guy Award’s “Ray’s 4” list, which recognizes the nation’s top four punters of the week.
Making his collegiate debut, Gibbs racked up 219 all-purpose yards, including 126 from scrimmage, and scored twice for the Yellow Jackets against UCF. On his very first collegiate play, the true freshman returned the opening kickoff 75 yards to the UCF 21 yard line, which set up a Georgia Tech touchdown just 55 seconds into the game. He would go on to score the Jackets’ other two touchdowns on a 6-yard reception and an electrifying 33-yard run. He finished with 93 yards on two kickoff returns, 66 rushing yards on 15 carries and a team-high 60 receiving yards on four receptions.
For his efforts, Gibbs was also named the Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Week on Monday.
Harvin averaged 51.2 yards over four punts against UCF, three of which pinned the Knights inside their 20 yard line. Harvin’s day was highlighted by a 70-yard punt in the third quarter that flipped the field from Georgia Tech’s own 18 yard line to the UCF 12. The 70-yard punt was the longest of Harvin’s career (prev.: 62 – twice, last vs. USF on Sept. 19, 2019), the longest by a Yellow Jacket since Durant Brooks’ 77-yarder versus North Carolina on Nov. 17, 2007 and is tied for the ninth-longest in Georgia Tech history. It was only the 12th punt in Tech history to ever travel 70 yards or more.
Harvin leads the nation with a 47.1-yard punting average this season and Georgia Tech ranks fourth nationally in net punting (44.9 avg.).
Gibbs, Harvin, and the Yellow Jackets return to action on Saturday with an ACC contest at Syracuse. Kickoff is set for noon. The game will be televised on the ACC’s Regional Sports Network (Fox Sports South in Atlanta).
