It was a tough day for Georgia Tech, especially on special teams and offense, as the short-handed Yellow Jackets were unable to defeat the short-handed No. 12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Georgia Tech entered the day without starting quarterback Haynes King and starting linebacker Kyle Efford, but even though they were missing, that wasn’t the main reason for the loss.
The running game hasn’t gotten going at any point for the Yellow Jackets today, and their special teams play has continued to deteriorate. In today’s game alone, Georgia Tech had a field goal blocked, another field goal snap handling failure, and allowed Notre Dame a fake field goal and a fake punt. Special teams mistakes have become an embarrassment for Brent Key’s team, and if they don’t find a way to fix it, they’ll have a hard time finding a sixth win to clinch a bowl berth.
In the latest episode of Bleav Georgia Tech, RJ and Jackson break down all the losses.
If you like the show, like and subscribe on YouTube and follow us wherever you get your podcasts.
Zach Pyron started today, and it was an up-and-down game for him. Without the help of the No. 1 rushing offense in the ACC, he also made mistakes in this game and isn’t as effective as Haynes King in the ground game.
Speaking of Georgia Tech’s run game, it was miserable today. In previous losses (Syracuse and Louisville), Georgia Tech struggled to get going. Jamal Haynes was playing his best football heading into the game, but give Notre Dame a lot of credit for not letting him get going. He gained 15 yards on eight carries. Chad Alexander had 5 of 19 carries and Pyron gained 45 yards on 13 carries. He threw for 269 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, one of which ended up being a pick-six.
The offense scored on the second and final drive. Everything in between was pretty ugly, but given the caliber of defense they were playing, it wasn’t outside of the realm of possibility. Notre Dame limited Georgia Tech to 333 yards, 5 yards per play. Today against Georgia Tech, he had two sacks and four tackles for loss. They did a good job of containing the offense today, especially after Georgia Tech took an early lead.
Georgia Tech’s defense played well at times, giving up just 24 points in the game. Notre Dame gained 385 yards on 69 plays, averaging 5.6 yards per play. Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard went 20-29 for 203 yards and also rushed for 51 yards and two touchdowns.
Georgia Tech had one of the best running games in the nation, but they didn’t play badly. The Fighting Irish ran for 168 yards on 39 carries, averaging just 4.3 yards per carry. Had he played that day, it would have been an acceptable number for the Yellow Jackets’ defense considering the opponent. But there were some missed tackles, especially at the second level. The defenseman had six tackles for a loss in the game.
Overall, the Pylon today’s lack of a running game didn’t help a very good Notre Dame defense, and special teams mistakes doomed Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets currently fall to 5-3 and will face a 4-3 Virginia Tech team that still hopes to make it to the ACC Championship Game.
