SEATTLE — If former Dallas Cowboys coach and Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Chan Gailey gets the Georgia Tech job, the Yellow Jackets players will be disappointed. They want to keep interim coach Mac McWhorter.
They chanted "We want Mac! We want Mac!" on Thursday as they accepted the inaugural Seattle Bowl trophy following their 24-14 victory over No. 11 Stanford.
"My intentions are to remain at Georgia Tech," McWhorter said.
But Georgia Tech could make Gailey its new coach when the team returns to Atlanta. The Yellow Jackets negotiated with Gailey this week.
McWhorter coached Georgia Tech in the Seattle Bowl after George O'Leary left the Yellow Jackets Dec. 9 to become the head coach at Notre Dame. O'Leary resigned five days later because of inaccuracies on his résumé.
After losing their final two regular-season games to Georgia and Florida State and then having their coach resign, the Yellow Jackets were determined to finish the season on a positive note.
"There had been so much negative attention given to this team," quarterback George Godsey said. "We pulled together. We wanted to salvage this season."
Godsey passed for 266 yards and a touchdown, Kelly Campbell scored twice and the defense made a goal-line stand in the first quarter as Georgia Tech finished its season 8-5.
Campbell's second touchdown was a 2-yard run with 1:29 left, sealing the victory in front of a crowd of 30,144 at Safeco Field. That capped a 13-play, 63-yard drive.
Stanford (9-3) closed to 17-14 with 11:39 remaining when backup quarterback Chris Lewis threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Teyo Johnson, then added a 2-point conversion pass.
Georgia Tech's defense set the tone on the game's first drive, stopping Stanford three times at the 1. Brian Allen was stopped on two runs from the 1, and linebacker Daryl Smith dropped Kerry Carter for a 2-yard loss on fourth down.
The first football game at Safeco was played with one end zone in left field and the other near home plate — the infield dirt was part of the field. The teams lined up alongside one another, sharing a sideline.
The Seattle Bowl moved from Hawaii, where it was called the Oahu Bowl. Game co-owners Fritz Rohlfing and Terry Daw, of Hawaii, want to play the 2002 Seattle Bowl in the Seattle Seahawks' new outdoor stadium that will open next season.