Zach Pyron, who started in place of the injured King, completed 20 of 36 passes for 269 yards and added 45 yards on the ground. But running back Jamal Haynes had just 15 yards on eight carries.
Tech will next return to ACC action when it takes on Virginia Tech (4-3 ACC, 2-1 ACC) at noon Saturday.
See more AJC coverage of Yellow Jackets
Tech’s defense made the first notable play Saturday in what looked like it was going to be a good day for the local team. After Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard moved his feet on fourth down and picked up a first down, the Notre Dame quarterback fired a deep ball from the Tech 45 into the end zone. Tech cornerback Warren Burrell tracked it down, caught it with one hand in the end zone and returned it to the Tech 29.
The Jackets gained momentum, then Haynes scored on a 1-yard touchdown plunge, making it 13 plays on the final play of the first quarter. Pylon threw a 3-yard pass to Eric Singleton Jr. on fourth down, gaining a crucial fourth down on the possession.
Notre Dame fought back, taking over half of the second quarter. Leonard completed a 1-yard touchdown dive in the 7th minute, tying the game at 7-7. The Irish went 3-of-3 on third down during the series, which took 14 plays.
Tech didn’t gain any advantage by going three-and-out on its next possession, but that possession included an odd reverse call on third-and-two. Notre Dame fought back and scored on a five-play drive, with Leonard splitting down the right side of the line for a 12-yard touchdown run to make the score 14-7.
The Jackets got the ball with 1:48 left and drove to the Notre Dame 22. But after measuring the ball on first down, he ran a fade route on second down and made a short pass to Singleton, which was dropped on third down. . Aidan Barr then attempted a 39-yard field goal, but the snap missed.
By halftime, the score was 14-7. The Irish racked up 190 yards of offense in the first half, gaining 6.8 yards per play. Haynes, on the other hand, only had six carries for 14 yards.
“Just like a football game, it’s a line of scrimmage game,” Key said. “We have to be able to establish the line of scrimmage and make positive plays, otherwise it puts a lot of pressure on our pitching game and our timing pitching game, and we didn’t do that today.
Jeremiah Love scored from a yard out four minutes into the third quarter for Notre Dame, making the score 21-7. That ended a 60-yard drive in just six plays, and the second half began with a three-and-out from the Tech offense.
Tech showed momentum late in the third quarter when Pyron completed a 60-yard pass to Abdul-Jaaneh. But the next three plays went like this. There was a 3-yard gain, a 1-yard loss, a 4-yard sack, and a 35-yard field goal attempt by Barr was blocked by defensive lineman Bryce Young.
The Jackets added momentum with a 39th fourth-down stop of their own less than a minute into the fourth quarter. But one play later, Pyron threw a long pass to his right, straight into the arm of Notre Dame cornerback Xavier Watts.
The Irish added a 42-yard field goal by Zach Yoakam with 10:01 left in the game to make the score 24-7. Tech never showed interest in any kind of comeback from there, but when Pyron threw a 36-yard pick-six to Notre Dame safety Adon Shuler with 2:37 left. The exit began to fill with Tech fans.
Pylon’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Chase Lane with 23 seconds left was little consolation.
“I think we had a very focused week of practice. I think we were very focused before the game. They explained things in detail during the week and executed well during the week. I thought I did. Once I get out in the arena and the lights come on, I can’t execute,” Key said. “When you play on a good football team, you have to be able to run and make plays.”
Leonard threw for 203 yards and rushed for 51 yards for the Irish, who have outscored Tech 117-26 in their last three meetings.
Tech’s 64 rushing yards were the fewest since Nov. 26, 2022, when Georgia held them to 40 yards. The 13 points scored were the fewest since a 16-9 loss to Virginia on October 20, 2022.
“They were definitely a good defense, but it doesn’t matter who you play, you always have to go out there and give them the best,” Tech right tackle Jordan Williams said. “We have to be better.”
Precautions
Freshman Taj Butler started at linebacker in place of the injured Efford. Williams started 48 consecutive games at Tech, tied for fourth in program history by a Jacket and tied for most by an offensive lineman in program history. Roddy Jones holds the Tech overall record with 52 consecutive starts. Tech receiver Malik Rutherford has recorded at least one reception in 24 consecutive games. Rutherford currently has 118 career catches, seventh most in Tech history. Haynes ranks 27th on Tech’s all-time list. Rushing list with 1,160 career rushing yards. With the win, the Jackets are now 4-11 under Key. Key is 16-13 overall as Tech’s coach. Tech is 6-31-1 overall against Notre Dame. Tech lost. This is the third consecutive match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and they have one win and three losses at the stadium since 2021. The number of visitors on Saturday was announced as 59,021.
Source link
