Jackets look lost in 38-27 loss to Bowling Green

ATLANTA- Georgia Tech entered Saturday’s game with Bowling Green as a three-touchdown favorite and came away with loss number three on the season in a buy game and it also marked the second straight loss to a MAC team over the last three years for the Jackets as they fell 38-27 in game where the Jackets often beat themselves in key situations rather than anything the Falcons did on the field. Tech fell to 2-3 on the season casting doubts on the bowl hopes and some of the momentum the Jackets appeared to be building up.

First-year head coach Brent Key’s squad jumped out early 14-0 before the defense gave up four straight scoring drives and the offense sputtered to keep up with very little offense until the fourth quarter and several turnovers by quarterback Haynes King.

Key did not hold back in his presser.

"Anyone who saw it knows it was an embarrassing display of football on our part. It was an epic of a failure as we could have in all three phases, all aspects of the program," Key said. "Bad football. It is all three phases, not one phase, not one person, it was all phases and the entire football program and that starts with me. It is on me to make changes to get this thing fixed. The inconsistency from week to week is not acceptable."

From the offense to the defense, Key said they failed to put the product he expected on the field on Saturday. Tech was 10 for 18 on third and four down situations on defense and converted only 2 of 8 on third down and 1-3 on fourth down offensively. The Jackets turned the ball over three times including a pick-six and a fumble on a bad snap on a punt that led to a short field touchdown for Bowling Green. The Falcons held a more than 2:1 advantage in time of possession 42:45 to 17:15.

"The lack of everything from being able to run the football to stopping the run to being able get off the field on third downs and stay on the field on third downs and in the red area, scoring in the red area, turnovers, time of possession, field position, lack of big plays, lack of explosives and lack of being able to limit them, being able to sustain blocks and tackling, we've got major work to do," Key said.

Tech quarterback Haynes King threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns, but he threw a pick-six and a red zone interception in a tipped ball as well that swung momentum toward Bowling Green in key situations.

"I probably overthrew once or twice and you are never going to be perfect," King said of his play. "But you definitely have to limit the mistakes and you've got to limit the incompletion to put everybody in a better position for this offense to go."

King was also sacked three times and hurried another time as the Jackets played without starting right tackle Jordan Williams who was injured in the third play of the Wake Forest game last week.

Wide receiver Dominick Blaylock was a bright spot coming off an injury that kept him out of the Wake Forest game. He caught seven passes for 131 yards.

“I was mainly looking at the coverages and executing good play calls and Haynes executed it,” Blaylock said of his big day.

Freshman receiver Eric Singleton Jr. continued his streak of touchdowns with a 53-yard touchdown on the opening play of the game. He caught four passes for 85 yards. Singleton has caught a touchdown in each of the Jackets' first five games and he is two away from tying the freshman receiving touchdown record held by Calvin Johnson and Ahmarean Brown.

Wide receiver Abdul Janneh also hauled in a 16-yard touchdown.

Tech’s ground game was nonexistent with just 69 yards on 21 carries.

Running back Jamal Haynes was the only bright spot running as he had eight rushes for 45 yards.

Defensively, the Jackets struggled to stop the run and gave up 10 of the 17 third-down conversions and one of two fourth-down conversions in the game as well.

Linebacker Paul Moala who had six tackles, a TFL and a QB pressure said he did not think the team took the challenge this week seriously enough.

"I just don't think we took it as seriously as we should have. I think moving forward that we are going to work with a chip on our shoulder and make sure we never have a feeling like this ever again as a defense and never overlook an opponent regardless of what division or what conference they play in," Moala said.

The senior transfer linebacker from Idaho via Notre Dame said he feels like he has to step up his leadership on the defense as well and become more vocal.

"I think that is something I really don't do a good job of is being a vocal leader and I think after this game I need to step up in that role a bit more. Be that guy for this defense and that is what I plan on doing," he said.

Kevin Harris added a sack and Eddie Kelly and Zeek Biggers combined for the other sack of the game.

Bowling Green punted after their first possession and did not punt again until early in the fourth quarter.

Georgia Tech jumped out to a 14-0 lead and then managed to pick up only one first down on the next three series with 11 plays for just nine total yards thanks to penalties and negative plays on offense and during that stretch Bowling Green made it 14-10. A botched punt gave the Falcons a short field and resulted in a touchdown to make it 17-14 Falcons ahead of the half. Tech drove on the next possession for the first time since the opening drive, but a series of mistakes by King led to an intentional grounding calls after the Jackets drove all the way to the BG21. King’s mistakes resulted in negative 22 yards on that drive after reaching the BG21. The Falcons had a 22:24 to 7:36 advantage in time of possession in the first half.

The Jackets opted to the ball after winning the toss and Christian Leary took the kickoff 43 yards to the GT47. King hit Eric Singleton Jr. on the first play from scrimmage for a 53-yard touchdown to put Tech up 7-0 with just a few seconds off the clock.

After a touchback, Paul Moala was called for a horse collar tackle on a one-yard rush by Terion Stewart to give Bowling Green the ball at their 41. Tech gave up a 14-yard rush on third and long by Stewart to move the ball to the GT44. Eddie Kelly and Zeek Biggers sacked Bazelak on second down and Kenan Johnson tackled Ta’ron Keith well short of the sticks forcing a punt. Brock Horne bumped into Rodney Shelley on the punt return moving the ball from the GT14 to the GT29.

King hit Malik Rutherford for 19 yards on first down and then Jamal Haynes ran 19 yards on the next play to the BG32. Singleton caught a six-yard screen and then Dylan Leonard on second down picked up 15 yards on a rollout pass. Leary hauled in an 11-yard touchdown on the next play to make it 14-0 Georgia Tech with 9:40 left in the first quarter.

After a touchback, Bowling Green drove down to the GT26 thanks to a long run by Stewart of 32 yards on a first down near midfield. Tech’s defense bottled up Stewart on first down and Paul Moala forced a throwaway on second down. Odieu Hiliare picked up the first down with a catch right at the sticks to the GT16. Camden Orth scored two plays later on a rollout run where he carried Kenan Johnson into the end zone. The play was reversed in replay to say that Orth stepped out at the GT2. Eddie Kelly picked up a penalty on first down knocking the helmet off left guard Tunde Fatukasi and then Orth somehow scored on the next play despite being wrapped up short of the goalline by multiple Tech defenders. That made it 14-7 Georgia Tech with 4:16 left.

Leary returned the low-knuckling kickoff to the GT29 on a 23-yard return. Trey Cooley entered the game and picked up one yard on first down and lost five on second down. Singleton picked up a false start on third down to make it 3rd and 19 and King found Blaylock for 12 yards but it forced a Shanahan punt. Shanahan rugby punted but it only went 27 yards to the BG42.

Stewart on second down ran for 11 yards to the GT45. A hold on the next play moved Bowling Green back to their own 45 with 1st and 20. After a pair of Bazelak passes, Bowling Green moved back to the GT44 to end the first quarter. Kenan Johnson broke up the fourth-down pass to force a punt into the Tech end zone.

Haynes lost a yard on first down and King’s second down pass was batted down by a Falcon defender. King threw the third down pass away under pressure and Shanahan had to punt. His punt went 60 yards in the air and was returned 15 yards to the BG36.

Bowling Green had a false start on first down. Stewart erased that with an 11-yard run on first down. Stewart caught a third-down pass and ran to the GT28 for 27 yards. Kevin Harris sacked Bazalek on first down for minus eight yards, but the Falcons picked up 17 yards on second down on a pass and then converted on third and short to the GT18. Zeek Biggers dropped Orth for a loss of one on first down. The Falcons were called for holding on second down to move back to the GT29 to make it 2nd and 21. Jaison Patterson picked up seven yards on second down to bring up third and 14. Finn Hogan fell down on third down and Orth threw the ball away and the Falcons settled for a 40-yard field goal from Alan Anaya to make it 14-10 Georgia Tech with 8:27 left in the half.

Leary took the knuckling kickoff to the GT32 25 yards. Haynes picked up 15 yards on first down to near midfield. Haynes picked up one yard on first down and then King misfired on second and third down. On the punt, the snapper hit the up-guard creating a fumble recovered by Bowling Green at the GT40.

Omar Daniels had a TFL on first down to the GT42. Moala batted down the second down pass after Kyle Kennard flushed Bazelak out of the pocket. Daniels tackled Austin Osborne short of the sticks and then Osborne converted on fourth down to the GT27. An illegal block penalty wiped out a big run by Stewart and backed the Falcons up to the GT34. After two plays the Falcons were back in the red zone at the GT14 with first down. Patterson ran for no gain on first down and LaMiles Brooks broke up a second down pass for Hilaiare. Bazelak under pressure threw a touchdown to Hogan who had to make a leaping one-handed grab on what looked like a throwaway and the Falcons took a 17-14 lead with 2:37 left in the half.

After a touchback, Georgia Tech started with the ball at the 25. Rutherford hauled in a screen pass for 12 yards on first down to the GT37. King ran for seven yards on second down and converted on third down to the GT49. King ran for 15 yards and a late hit on Bowling Green moved the Jackets to the BG21. King lost four yards on first down. King was called for intentional grounding to make it 4th and 32 at the BG43. Shanahan punted the ball and Bowling Green took a knee to go to the half.

After a touchback, Bowling Green started the second half at the BG25. Hogan hauled in a 50-yard pass to open the second half. Stewart picked up 11 on the next play to the GT14. Stewart was dropped after a yard on first down and Bazelak threw away the second down pass. Hiliare caught a 10-yard pass on third and long to the GT2. Bazelak scored on second down on a one-yard run to make it 24-14 with 11:33 left in the third quarter on a 75-yard touchdown drive.

A short return by Leary to the GT24 gave the Jackets okay field position to open the drive. Rutherford picked up nine yards and then a pass interference gave Tech the ball at the GT38. King hit Blaylock on first down on a free play after an offsides penalty for 24 yards to the BG42. Blaylock caught another 15 yard pass on an offsides on the next play to the BG23. Haynes ran to the BG20 to put the Jackets in the red zone on first down. Haynes picked up six on the next play and King was stuffed on the QB keeper on third down. The Jackets lined up to go for it and Key called a timeout. King didn’t get it on fourth down coming up short forcing a turnover on downs.

Stewart picked up three yards on first down, but Bazelak couldn’t connect with Hogan on second down bringing up third and long. Bazelak connected for the first down, but a hold wiped out the pass and made it 3rd and 16 at the BG7. Bazelak scrambled for the first down on the next play. Stewart lost two yards on first down and Bazelak couldn’t connect on second down when Jaylon King broke up a pass. Omar Daniels was called for defensive holding on third down to give Bowling Green another set of downs at the BG32. Hogan caught a wheel route pass for 23 yards on the next play to the GT45. Another chunk play to Hiliare set up the Falcons with first and goal at the GT6. Stewart scored on a 6-yard run on second down to make it 31-14.

After a short return by Leary to the GT17, King hit Blaylock for a 19-yard pass. King threw a pick-six on the next play to Deshawn Jones to make it 38-14 Bowling Green with 2:28 left in the third quarter.

King hit Blaylock for 31 yards on first down to midfield. Two plays later King hit Singleton for 15 yards. Haynes ran for six yards on second down to the BG28 and Leary dropped a third-down pass for a first down. Haynes converted on a fourth down pass from King and Rutherford scored on a 15-yard screen pass. The two-point conversion failed after Blaylock couldn’t haul in the pass making it 38-20 Bowling Green.

Bowling Green picked up eight yards on the first two plays and then stuffed Bowling Green on fourth down with Kyle Kennard getting a TFL to force a punt. Tech took over at their own 22 after the punt.

King scrambled for the first down on the next play and there was a late hit with targeting on the Falcons safety Darius Lorfils who was ejected and Tech had the ball at midfield following the penalty. King hit Blaylock for 18 yards on second down. King hit Blaylock for 13 yards. King’s next pass bounced off Cooley’s hands and Jordan Oladokun intercepted the pass at the BG5.

After a stop on first down, a facemask penalty wiped out a strong defensive stand and then Stewart gained 17 yards on the next play to the BG37. After a few short gains, Bazelak hit Osbourne for another first down at the BG47. Stewart converted on first down on a 10-yard run to the GT43. Osbourne caught a 15-yard pass to the GT30. Moala had a TFL on first down for minus two on Stewart. A holding penalty on second down made it 2nd and 22 from the GT42. Jaylon King tackled Stewart after a short gain to bring up fourth and 15 and Key burned his final timeout. Kenan Johnson had coverage on the incomplete pass on fourth down to force a turnover on down at the GT35.

Singleton hauled in a first down pass for 11 yards. King hit Rutherford two times to covert across midfield to the BG43. King picked up 15 yards on second down to the BG28. King was sacked on the next play to the BG31. Dontae Smith hauled in a 15-yard pass for another first down at the BG16. On second down, King hit Abdul Janneh for a 16-yard touchdown pass. Birr hit the PAT to make it 38-27.

The onside kick failed and Bowling Green was able to take three kneel downs to end the game.