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Kerr makes his name known at GT

Kerr got his hand perfectly between the ball and Phillps two hands
Kerr got his hand perfectly between the ball and Phillps two hands (Dale Zanine/USAToday)

Prior to Georgia Tech’s win over Virginia Tech on Saturday, Ajani Kerr was likely not a name that Tech fans were too familiar with. The true freshman cornerback was a 2-star player out of McEachern High School, and chose Georgia tech over schools such as Army, Kennesaw State, and Central Michigan among a couple others, respectively. Needless to say, Ajani Kerr was definitely not the player that headlined the Yellow Jackets’ 2016 recruiting class. On Saturday, Kerr was forced to line up against one of the best wide receivers in the country in Cam Phillips, and made his name known.

The Georgia Tech defense did a good job of containing Josh Jackson and the Virginia Tech receivers, holding them to just 14 receptions for 153 yards, including just eight yards for Phillips. But it was Ajani Kerr who made the best stop of the game, ultimately resulting in a win for the Yellow Jackets.

The Jackets had a six-point lead and were trying to stop the driving Hokie offense from scoring the game winning touchdown in the closing seconds. When fourth and one came along, Justin Fuente elected to challenge the young, inexperienced corner by taking a shot to his best receiver, Cam Phillips, in the end zone; and in your classic match of David vs Goliath, it was the underdog who once again was triumphant. Kerr made an excellent play and was able to get his hand on the ball and break up the pass, turning the ball over on downs and allowing the Jackets to run out the clock.

When asked if he was prepared for such a challenge, Kerr told JOL that he’s playing with a “next man up” mentality. “It was fourth and short, but it was their number one guy. They’re going to go with me when you see fresh blood out there, so I just had to be ready.”

The win came at a great time for Georgia Tech, who could’ve found themselves in a “death spiral” scenario after two tough losses to Clemson and Virginia on the road. Kerr described the importance of the win after the game. “It was a big team effort, just getting the W, first of all, was what we really wanted to do. Every week we focus on getting that win whether its guarding that player or this player but just as a team, getting that big win was good.”

Georgia Tech will try to become bowl eligible and finish ACC play on a high note as they travel to Wallace Wade stadium to face Duke, who found themselves dropping a decision against Army West Point this past Saturday. Their biggest test, however, will come the Saturday after thanksgiving, as their in-state rivals from the East head to Bobby Dodd to try to put an end to the Jackets’ eight-game home win streak. It will be interesting to see how Ajani and the Jackets respond to a huge win over a top 25 team.

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