Ex-Jesuit trio set for homecoming

Posted Dec 4, 2009 by Adam Adkins

Updated Dec 4, 2009 at 10:46 AM

Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game will serve as a homecoming for three former Jesuit football players.

Running back Anthony Allen, offensive lineman Phil Smith and defensive back Michael Peterson all are former Tigers football standouts on the roster for Georgia Tech, which faces Clemson in Tampa with a conference title and BCS bowl berth on the line. The site of Saturday’s ACC title game, Raymond James Stadium, is just a few miles from where the trio graced the field as prep standouts.

Allen, a redshirt junior, might be the most well-known of the three former Tigers at Georgia Tech, considering he is a starting A-back in the Yellow Jackets offense and has rushed for 579 yards and five touchdowns this season.

However, Smith, a redshirt freshman, and Peterson, a redshirt sophomore, each have seen action in all 12 games this season; Smith has started Georgia Tech’s past three games at left tackle, while Peterson made his first start of the season last week against Georgia and has totaled six tackles this season.

Georgia Tech and Clemson met earlier this season, with the Yellow Jackets winning, 30-27. Allen rushed for a game-high 127 yards on just five carries in that win and scored on an 82-yard run.