Failures on offense and defense doom Tech at Clemson 42-21

CLEMSON, SC- Georgia Tech took an early 7-0 lead over Clemson thanks to a bad decision by Dabo Swinney to fake a punt early in the game giving Tech the short field. The Jackets then gave up 42 straight points to fall in a blowout loss to the Tigers 42-21 to fall back to .500 at 5-5 on the season. Clemson gained bowl eligibility with the win.

Tech has now lost eight in a row at Clemson in the final game of the longstanding rivalry that will go away in the new ACC scheduling format beginning in 2024.

Brent Key moved back to .500 as Tech's head coach once again with the loss as the Jackets are stuck on that hump this season.

"Losses eat you up. It is one of those things. You win and you start to get accustomed to winning and how to win. It is the same thing with losing, you can get used to losing. There are things we can take away from this. We got to see where we are against tough competition but there is no silver lining. A loss is a loss whether it is by one or 30," Key said after the game. "I'm disappointed. I hate losing."

Georgia Tech's offense lives and dies by the play of quarterback Haynes King and his weapons on offense and King threw four interceptions and was just 13 of 31 passing for 129 yards with two touchdowns both coming late in the game in the air. King also ran for the first score of the game to put Tech up 7-0 after a failed fake punt by Dabo Swinney gifted the Jackets the short field at the CU25.

Clemson had 11 tackles for a loss as well in the game to go with four sacks of King and three QB hurries.

"(Clemson) played hard, physical and fast and we just couldn't convert. We couldn't make that play that seemed to have been happening last few weeks for us," King said. "It happens and sometimes you just have to find a way."

Multiple drops by King's receivers made the day even harder. Freshman Eric Singleton Jr. dropped two probable touchdown passes in the first half and the Jackets failed to score on either drive. Singleton was targeted 11 times but had just five catches for 28 yards and three drops on the day.

"We've got to work on them," Key said of the drops. "That is something we have to work on. Those were missed opportunities on some explosives, especially in the first half. Those coupled with some explosive runs we had could've created some momentum for us."

King appeared to press in the second half throwing three additional interceptions including the pick-six that iced the game for the Tigers. He said he didn't press, but they didn't make plays overall offensively and were not consistent as an offense.

"It sucks," King said of the drops and negative plays." But like I said you have to find a way. In games like this you have to find a way and you have to be gritty. You know things are going to go bad and things are going to go good and you have to find a way to be consistent."

Singleton did provide a highlight moment with his first career pass attempt and completion on a fake punt throwing eight yards to Avery Boyd to convert a fourth down.

Clemson turned King's turnovers into 14 points including a pick-six. They also missed a field goal after King threw an interception right before the half deep in Tech territory.

King said the speed of the Clemson defense was a major difference compared to other teams the Jackets have had success against this season.

"They are big and physical, but the speed is the biggest difference," he said. "When you are big, physical and fast you close those windows fast and it just makes a world of difference."

The only reliable targets on the day for the Jackets were the tight ends who went 3-for-3 on targets with Dylan Leonard hauling in 2 for 22 yards and a touchdown to lead that group. Leonard's touchdown was his first career touchdown catch.

The ground game was more effective statistically but two chunk plays accounted for 60 of Jamal Haynes 104 yards rushing on 15 carries. Dontae Smith was held to just 24 yards on seven carries.

"You are going to have some good runs and you are going to have some negative runs and like I said last week, we have to be efficient in the running game, efficient on first and second down plays. That is what is going to move the ball and move the sticks and honestly, we have to play more efficiently and we can't get behind the sticks," Haynes said.

Clemson held Georgia Tech to one yard passing in the first half and just 89 yards of offense to take a 21-7 lead behind four fourth-down conversions by the Tigers.

The Tigers two-headed running back monster reappeared with Phil Mafah racking up 17 carries for 96 yards and Will Shipley adding 77 yards rushing on 11 touches and three catches for 30 yards as a key converted on third and fourth downs for the Tigers.

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik threw for 205 yards with four touchdowns and one interception hitting on 23 of 34 attempts in the game. Klubnik also helped on the ground with 17 yards rushing mostly coming on two key first down conversions.

Tech's defense stopped Clemson on the opening two drives of the game and then gave up three straight touchdowns and a missed field goal on the next four drives in the first half.

Clemson was 7-for-16 on third downs, but four-for-five on fourth downs and 4-4 in the red zone.

Super senior safety Jaylon King was one of the few defensive standouts on Saturday as he had his fourth interception of the season on a great play jumping a route on the outside. His fourth pick was the most in a single season for a Yellow Jacket since 2014 when Jamal Golden and D.J. White each had four picks.

"I was just trying to get in there and change the momentum for the team and get the defense going," Jaylon King said. "I wanted to give the offense some better field position to have a chance to put the ball in the end zone."

Defensive end Eddie Kelly had nine total tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss and linebackers Kyle Efford and Andre White each had a sack in the game in his second start at Tech.

"It's pretty frustrating knowing that we've worked so hard to get him to third down and we're not able to stop him but honestly, you just got to get better get better. The game is over now and we are on to Syracuse," Kelly said.

The Jackets host the Orange in Bobby Dodd Stadium at 8 pm next Saturday.

Tech opened the game after losing the toss and Clemson deferring to the second half. The opening kickoff was a touchback. Corey Robinson had a false start on first down, but Jamal Haynes bailed him out with a 13-yard run. Haynes dropped a screen on second down and Haynes King overthrew Singleton on third down on a deep shot. David Shanahan’s punt was downed at the Clemson 27.

Phil Mafah ran two times and Myles Sims broke up a Cade Klubnik pass to force a three and out and punt that Dominick Blaylock fair caught at the GT23.

Tech opened the next series with a two-back look and Dontae Smith picked up nine yards on first down and Jamal Haynes converted on the next play. Connor Scaglione had a false start on the next play and King was sacked on the ensuing play to move Tech to 2nd and 19. King ran for two yards on second down on a QB draw. Eric Singleton Jr. caught a screen pass for five yards on third down and Tech was forced to punt. Shanahan’s short punt was fielded and Hamp Greene lost two yards on the return and a penalty for an illegal block in the back moved the Tigers back to their own 20.

Troy Stellato dropped a first down pass. Eddie Kelly had a TFL on Troy Brown for negative seven yards and Mafah picked up six yards on third down to force another three and out. Clemson tried to fake the punt and the Jackets sniffed it out and took over at the Clemson 25.

Jamal Haynes ran for 20 yards on first down. King lost three yards on second down. Haynes picked up three yards on the next play to the CU5. King scored on the next play diving into the end zone to give Tech a 7-0 lead with 6:36 remaining in the first quarter.

After a touchback, Clemson opened with a 20-yard pass to Beaux Collins on a play where Rodney Shelley slipped. Tyler Brown caught a six-yard pass on first down and D’Quan Douse stopped Will Shipley on second down for no gain, but Shipley caught a third down pass for a first down, but a post play unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Jake Briningstool force the Tigers back to their own 48. Shipley picked up eight yards on second down after Paul Moala nearly sacked Klubnik on first down. Shipley converted again on third down to the GT41. Braelen Oliver had TFL on first down. Andre White had a TFL on Klubnik on the next play. Jaylon King stopped Briningstool for a short gain. Shelley slipped in coverage and Collins caught a 20-yard pass to covert the fourth down. After the quarter change, Shipley ran for two yards to set up third and medium, Klubnik picked up five yards to set up fourth and short and Mafah converted barely. Mafah ran to the GT4 on the next play. Kelly and Clayton Powell-Lee had a TFL on the next play and then Collins caught a five-yard touchdown on the next play to tie the game at 7. The scoring drive was 18 plays long for the Tigers.

After the touchback, Malik Rutherford tripped over Chase Lane’s legs on a first down screen. Haynes King was sacked on second down by Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Singleton couldn’t haul in the third down screen to force a three and out. Shanahan’s punt was returned to the GT43.

Klubnik’s first down pass was batted down by Trenilyas Tatum. Mafah ran for six yards on second down to the GT36. Makius Scott knocked down Klubnik on third down to force an errant throw. Clemson went for it on fourth down. Briningstool caught the fourth down pass and just got himself over the line to gain. A flea-flicker on first down turned into a 19-yard pass to Mafah to the GT11. Mafah gained four yards on first down and Josh Sapp gained two yards on the next play. Tyler Brown hauled in a 3-yard touchdown one-handed in the end zone to make it 14-7 Clemson with 7:17 left in the half.

After a touchback, Jamal Haynes took the first play 40 yards to the CU35. Haynes lost four yards on first down. King just missed Singleton for a touchdown as Nate Wiggins was able to break up the pass just shy of the goal line. After a timeout, King ran for two yards and Tech punted downed at the Clemson 8.

Shipley picked up 10 yards on first down to the CU18. Shipley converted a second down run to the CU36. Brown caught a 14-yard pass to midfield. A flag for an illegal man downfield wiped out another first down and then Kyle Efford sacked Klubnik on second down. Klubnik ran for 17 yards on the next play. Shipley converted the fourth and one to the GT32. Shipley scored on a 32-yard touchdown run on the next play to put Clemson up 21-7 with 1:09 left in the half.

After the touchback, Haynes ran for four yards on first down. Haynes picked up two yards on second down. Smith converted the third down then King threw an interception to Khalil Barnes at the GT42.

Collins caught a quick pass for five yards and then Klubnik scrambled to the GT30 with 15 seconds left. Klubnik inexplicably scrambled and burned off most of the clock forcing Clemson to try a 48-yard field goal.

After a touchback to start the second half, Mafah picked up two yards on first down. Klubnik hit Collins for 15 yards and then Shipley for nine to cross midfield. Mafah ran for a first down to the GT40. Biggers and Moala stuffed Mafah for a loss on second down and Kyle Kennard batted down Klubnik’s pass on third down to force a punt. The punt was not downed in play and Tech started at their own 20.

King lost a yard on first down and then Avieon Terrell batted down his second down pass and Blaylock could not haul in his third down pass to force a punt. Shanahan’s punt was nearly blocked going just 33 yards to the Clemson 48.

Briningstool caught a first down pass at the GT42. Noah Collins flushed Klubnik for a two-yard run. Mafah ran for 17 yards to the GT23. Brown caught a screen to the GT8 to set up first and goal. Tech held on first and second down, but Klubnik hit Briningstool on third down to make it 28-7 Clemson with 7:05 left in the third quarter.

After the touchback King hit Singleton on first down for three yards. King was sacked on second down for minus eight yards. King hit Leary on third down for decent yards but short of the line to gain and Tech punted. Shanahan hit a 40-yard punt to the CU29.

Jaylon King picked off Klubnik on first down to give the Jackets the ball at the CU39.

Smith lost three yards on first down. Smith picked up five yards on the next play and Singleton converted on a screen on third down. Smith lost five yards on first down to the CU32. King threw an interception to Terrell at the CU8.

After a short gain on first down, Mafah ran for 36 yards to the CU48. Clemson got bottled up two plays later leading to a punt from the GT44. The punt was fair caught by Blaylock at the GT12.

Haynes lost a yard on first down to end the third quarter. On the opening play of the fourth quarter, King threw his fourth interception of the game at the CU31.

Shipley dropped a first down pass. A facemask on Eddie Kelly moved Clemson to the GT13. Mafah tried a throwback to Klubnik on first down that was nearly picked off. Klubnik couldn’t connect on an end zone shot to set up third and long at the GT13. Sapp hauled in a 13-yard pass to put Clemson up 35-7.

After a touchback, King ran for three yards on first down. King threw away the second down pass and Blaylock dropped the third down pass. Singleton threw a fake punt to Avery Boyd for a first down. King couldn’t connect with multiple receivers and threw a pick-six on fourth down to put Clemson up 42-7 with 12:46 left in the half.

King hit Christian Leary for 30 yards on second down to the CU45. Haynes ran it three times for a first down. Smith caught a 32-yard touchdown to make it 42-14 with 10:11 left in the game.

An onside kick failed and Clemson started the next drive at the 50. Hunter Helms misfired on first down and then Domonique Thomas picked up seven yards on second down and a hold wiped out a first down. Helms scrambled for a first down to the GT37. Kennard had a TFL on second down to force third and eight. An offensive pass interference wiped out another first down. Thomas ran for decent yardage to the GT33 to set up fourth and six. Helms threw the ball away under pressure for a turnover on downs.

King scrambled for seven yards on first down. Singleton bobbled another pass on second down and Smith lost two yards on a swing pass to set up fourth and five. King hit Singleton Jr. for the first down at the GT47. Dylan Leonard hauled in an 18-yard pass to the CU35. Smith ran for three yards on first down. King couldn’t connect with Singleton on second down and then Haynes ran for 11 yards on third down to the CU21. King’s first down pass to Singleton in the end zone was broken up. King ran for five yards on second down to the CU16. A fade to Abdul Janneh was broken up in the end zone to bring up fourth down. A pass interference on Clemson gave Tech a first down at the CU2. Haynes was stopped on first down after a one yard gain. A pass inference call on Avery Boyd wiped out a Haynes touchdown catch. Brett Seither hurdled a Clemson defender to pick up 11 yards and then Dylan Leonard caught a 5-yard touchdown to make it 42-21 Clemson with 1:49 left.

The onside kick failed and Clemson started the next drive at their own 47. A few running plays burned the clock off to give Clemson the win.