What an end to their best start since 2017 for the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets, who are just one win away from a bowl berth. The key points are:
1. Jamal Haynes, how are you doing? It was an incredible win for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets when North Carolina was riding high. Haynes made a key play with a 37-yard run at the end of the first half, setting the stage for the North Carolina Territorial Yellow Jackets. Aidan Bill completed the drive with a 29-yard field goal. The best of them all came when he took a 68-yard burst through the middle of the defense with time running out in the fourth quarter and the Yellow Jackets likely going to overtime. This was perfectly blocked by the attacking team and created a large crease in the middle of the field, which Haynes was able to take advantage of and win the game. Haynes rushed for over 170 yards, scored two touchdowns, and came up with big plays that put Georgia Tech in great position. Haynes has battled injuries throughout the year, but he has proven to be dependable in competitive situations.
2. How serious was Haynes King’s injury?
Georgia Tech struggled without its star quarterback after he went down with an injury in the fourth quarter. It wasn’t your usual Haynes King performance. Despite this, he was a major factor in the run game, recording 107 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 11 carries. The Yellow Jackets held a 10-point lead, but that lead disappeared before their eyes when King went down. There’s no question that King makes the Yellow Jackets a formidable opponent and a dangerous team. When he left, it felt like the air went out of the team. It’s unclear how long he’ll be out, but the Yellow Jackets will need him to finish the season on a high and pull off an upset against Notre Dame next week at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. .
After the game, Brent Key said of King’s injury:
“No, we’ll see something soon. He’s enjoying the win there.”
3. Running Game and Offensive Line Work – It was such a great performance by the offensive line that I had to mention this in a separate post. The offensive line helped the rushing attack finish with 371 rushing yards and five touchdowns (a season high), with the Yellow Jackets rushing for nearly eight yards per carry. The Yellow Jackets gained 214 rushing yards with two touchdowns in the first half. Chad Alexander ran for his first career touchdown on scholarship this week. He had 61 rushing yards and a touchdown, including a long of 28 yards. King also had a season-high 107 rushing yards. King also finished with two touchdowns. Georgia Tech had 505 yards of total offense and 41 points on the afternoon. It was a dominant effort across the board for the Yellow Jackets’ run game and offensive line that imposed its will.
4. Georgia Tech’s defensive line continues to impress. It was the Yellow Jackets’ best performance of the year on the defensive line. The Yellow Jackets had 3.5 sacks in the game. One was Saeed Gibbs’ big play on a blitz that forced Jordan van den Bergh to recover a fumble early in the first quarter. Gibbs, a defensive back, gave the Yellow Jackets some early momentum, and the Jackets took an early 7-0 lead. Sylvain Yonjuan was fired from Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech was forced to pressure the entire game, forced errant throws, and forced errant throws throughout the game. Macius Scott, Kyle Efford and Trenillius Tatum each had a half-sack. If the Yellow Jackets are under this kind of pressure every game, things will be dangerous going forward.
5. Defense played solidly – Now, looking at the stats, it wasn’t exactly a flashy performance, but it shows that this unit has grown under defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci. North Carolina went for it on 4th-and-6 in the third quarter, with a huge PBU from Warren Burrell to tie the game and stop the Tar Heels from taking the lead on their first possession of the second half. Ta. . The unit made a big contribution in stopping the Tar Heels after the Yellow Jackets suffered a third-down stop and a Kyle Efford personal foul penalty kept the drive alive. Georgia Tech committed a massive fumble at the 11:08 mark. Georgia Tech forced two turnovers on the afternoon, recorded 3.5 sacks and didn’t allow a receiver 100 yards. Yes, North Carolina had 414 total yards on the afternoon, but the Yellow Jackets won the turnover battle on 4-of-14 on third down.
6. Determination from the Georgia Tech team – Many times it seemed like the Yellow Jackets were just making plays. We talked about Haynes’ walk-off 68-yard touchdown that clinched the win in Georgia Tech’s moment of greatest need, but there were several instances throughout the game where Georgia Tech was successful. The Yellow Jackets faced a surge after North Carolina cut the deficit to 17-14 with just 34 seconds left in the first half. Jamal Haynes completed a 37-yard run, bringing the ball to North Carolina’s 38-yard line. The Yellow Jackets took a 20-14 lead at the break with Haynes King’s 14-yard run and a 29-yard field goal. It may not go unnoticed, but this was a huge drive that helped the Yellow Jackets stop the Tar Heels’ momentum. After Aliyah Hagee scored a touchdown on a punt return to cut the deficit to 27-24, Carolina picked up the momentum with a big drive, and the Yellows went on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Jamal Haynes’ 4-4. Finished with a yard rushing touchdown. . Georgia Tech converted two key third downs on the drive it needed most. True freshman Luke Harpring also had a 27-yard reception on the RPO, setting up the Yellow Jackets in the red zone. Georgia could have gone three and out, but they made plays Saturday and always answered the gong.
7. Special teams was disappointing Saturday – Aidan Bill missed a 49-yard field goal that would have given Georgia Tech a 37-24 lead in the third quarter. Went to the bar on 2/3pm. Aliyah Hagy talked about her 69-yard punt return for a touchdown early in the game. It was a huge momentum shift for North Carolina as the Yellow Jackets were leading 27-17 going into the game. This touchdown narrowed the lead to 27-24 late in the third quarter. Also, in the fourth quarter when the Yellow Jackets held a three-point lead, punter David Shanahan dropped a punt that almost got blocked, but it almost ended in disaster. This game could certainly be an anomaly, as the special teams unit is usually sharp and made plays that weren’t the case Saturday.
There was a lot to take away from the Yellow Jackets’ win over the Tar Heels, but this is a good step in the right direction for the program. The most important thing is that Georgia Tech finished the game and that’s all you can ask for. They answered the call despite facing adversity throughout the day.
