ACC Championship Game - Results - 2009

2009

The 2009 ACC Championship Game was played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on December 5, 2009. Georgia Tech played as the Coastal Division champion, winning the division with a 7–1 conference record. Clemson played as the Atlantic Division champion, winning the division with a 6–2 record after a 1–2 start. Georgia Tech and Clemson had played on September 10 in Atlanta. In that game, Georgia Tech led 24–0 before Clemson took the lead late, 27–24. Georgia Tech fought back, winning 30–27 with two field goals in the final 5:40.

In the days leading up to the game, each team had to fend off criticism about its performance during the regular season. Each team lost its final regular-season game of the year to their respective in-state (SEC) rivals, and commentators seized upon the teams' losing finishes as evidence of their sub-par quality. Clemson seized upon this criticism, using it as motivation in pregame practice. Star Clemson running back C.J. Spiller, who had returned to school for another year in an effort to win the ACC Championship, was predicted to be a prominent performer in the game. On the other side of the field, Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson, who had been named ACC Coach of the Year, was portrayed as a strategist trying to stop Clemson.

The game began with a quick start by Clemson: The Tigers needed just seven plays to cover 71 yards and score the game's first touchdown. Georgia Tech responded with a field goal, and the Tigers led 7–3 after the first quarter. Tech had a 16–13 lead at halftime, courtesy of a touchdown and two more field goals. Clemson managed only two field goals. Tech extended its lead in the third quarter, which ended with the Yellow Jackets leading 33–20. In the final quarter, Clemson scored 14 unanswered points, gaining a one-point lead. Georgia Tech received the ball on its 14-yard line with 6:11 remaining, then drove 86 yards in 14 plays to score a go-ahead touchdown. Given the ball with only 1:20 left on the clock and no timeouts, Clemson turned the ball over on downs, allowing Georgia Tech to run out the clock and preserve its victory.

The final score was 39–34, giving Georgia Tech its first ACC Championship since a shared title in 1998 and its first undisputed conference championship since 1990. In a losing effort, Clemson's Spiller was named the game's most valuable player. He carried the ball 20 times for 233 yards and four touchdowns, setting an ACC title-game record for rushing yards. In its final appearance in Tampa, the game sold 57,227 tickets and saw a turnstile attendance of 44,897, pleasing conference officials, who feared a repetition of the low attendance the previous year.

On July 18, 2011, Georgia Tech was forced to vacate the win due to the result of an NCAA investigation. The NCAA announced the game would be considered to have no winner.

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