ATLANTA- Squandered opportunities, bad defense on third and fourth down and penalties were the story of the game as Georgia Tech dropped another game falling 26-17 to Virginia Tech on homecoming for the Jackets. Even the weather was bad in the game and the crowd light for a homecoming game thus adding more negativity to the proceedings.
Virginia Tech jumped out to a 20-7 lead and held it through the second half as the Jackets had two touchdowns wiped out by penalties and another one come up short when Jahmyr Gibbs rolled his ankle on a 60-plus yard run just short of the goal line resulting in no points.
Sporting a 30-percent winning percentage in his 30th game as Tech’s head coach, Collins took responsibility for the loss. Allowing Virginia Tech to convert 10 of 18 third or fourth down attempts was the biggest backbreaking stat of the game. The Jackets were just 3-of-12 on third down and 1-for-3 on third down.
“I spent a lot of time down there with the guys,” Collins said after the game. “We left some things out there, some plays wish could have gotten back. We started slow on defense early and had some busts early on the game allowing some explosive plays. We can't let that happen. I think the biggest story of the game was third downs, getting off the field on third downs and even fourth downs and converting on third downs, which we have to do and we did not do. When you start off poorly. It's hard to reel it back in and get the win, so I’m disappointed and I take all the blame. I told the guys in there to stay together. We'll get it fixed. We've got four games left and need to play at a high level a week from now against another good ACC opponent (Miami).”
The Hokies averaged 4.5 yards per rush in the game and 16.9 yards per pass completion. Collins said that the game showed growth from two years ago when Virginia Tech shut out the Jackets 45-0, but not enough progress.
“We've kind of come a long way since the last time we played them, but we've still got to get better, everywhere across the board, across everywhere on the team. I think the guys battled, they fought and I thought we did some things in the second half defensively to get some stops to stop the run.”
Georgia Tech’s defense only gave up 162 yards in the second half, but the time of possession got them as the Hokies ate the ball in the second half ending the game plus 11 minutes. Collins said a few of the backbreaking plays in the first half came from busted coverages however including the first score for Virginia Tech on a 69-yard touchdown pass to Tre Turner who was uncovered. Turner had a second big catch as well that nearly resulted in a score on a second-busted assignment. He ended up with 7 catches for 187 yards and a touchdown.
“We had an injury sub, somebody had to come off and Come on and we ended up busting the coverage on that one gave a big explosive play. Wish we could have that one back. Just had some guys out of position and bad eye control. So that was obviously frustrating. Then the second one, it was actually well-schemed up, the quarterback made a nice read and reaction. We had somebody for that guy, but the quarterback is moving around in the pocket and we just got to maintain our control our discipline on plays like that.”
On the flip side, Jahmyr Gibbs had another big game with 113 yards rushing and 48 yards passing on 15 offensive touches. Adonicas Sanders and Kyric McGowan each had a touchdown catch and Sims threw for 183 yards and a pair of touchdowns while Sims ran for 60 yards on 11 carries as well.
Gibbs said he felt like the offense executed well-enough especially with a makeshift line again with Paula Vaipulu playing for an injured Kenny Cooper at left guard, Jordan Williams out at right tackle and Ryan Johnson sliding from right guard to right tackle with William Lay taking his place at guard.
“I think the offensive line is doing a great job of executing everything with the new guys coming in like Paula and Will Lay stepping up and I can’t take credit for my play it is the line and Jeff too,” he said.
Despite the poor performance in the first half on defense and offense, the Jackets had a chance to win the game in the second half with the ball in the red zone with 11:22 left facing fourth and 2 down six. Collins elected to go for it rather than kicking and making it a three-point game and the Hokies stuffed Jordan Mason a yard shy of the sticks. It was the second time this season where Collins went for it and the Jackets did not make it and it cost Georgia Tech points. Earlier in the game, the Jackets did convert on a fourth and one hitting McGowan for a touchdown, however.
“So we talked about it at halftime, we came here to win the game. The book said and the decision we made at halftime was anything for fourth down and less than four we were going for it and so we were down there, and we had converted one earlier for a touchdown and forth and one and a half,” Collins said. “Hindsight is always 20/20 But I told the guys and everybody was on board. When we got in those situations, we came here to win the game. We were down there and credit to them they made a nice play to get the stop.”
The Jackets had two touchdowns called back for offensive penalties that loomed large in the game as well and Sims said that ended up being a huge factor in the game.
“Penalties is really the biggest thing. We had a lot of big plays that got called back and really cost us the game and we had two touchdowns called back and that would change the game so we’ve got to eliminate the penalties and just keep going out there and execute as an offense,” Sims said.
Defensively Jacket linebackers Quez Jackson and Ayinde Eley combined for 32 total tackles in the game. Ja’Quon Griffin and Zamari Walton both had as well to lead the way on that side of the ball. Both linebackers said it was a very physical game.
“It was a real chippy game,” Jackson said. “It was physical on both sides and you can’t get caught in the extra circular activities after the whistle and for the most part we didn’t.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hokies were held to a three and out on the first possession. Jeff Sims picked up a first down on the second play of the next drive with a 16-yard run, but the Jackets stalled out at their own 46 and had to punt.
Virginia Tech took an early 7-0 lead on a busted play that lead to a 69-yard touchdown pass to Tre Turner on a third and long.
The Jackets picked up a couple of first downs and a defensive facemask set them up at the Hokie 32. On fourth and four from the VT 26, Sims hit Kyric McGowan for a 26-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7.
Virginia Tech answered with a 10-play 75-yard scoring drive aided by a questionable illegal hand to the face call.
Georgia Tech got to midfield on a nice run by Jahmyr Gibbs but stalled out and had to punt. Virginia Tech drove across midfield, but a hold on third down put them away behind the sticks and forced a punt.
The Jackets drove out of their own end zone to the 33 before having to punt. Virginia Tech picked up 61-yards on a third and short to Tre Turner again to set up first and goal at the six. Tech held as the Hokies tried to throw it on three straight plays and forced a short field goal to make it 17-7 with 4:51 left in the half.
Tech hit a big play to Adonicas Sanders down to the VT6 on the next play but the play was wiped out by a flag for offensive pass interference on Kyric McGowan and GT had to punt. The Jackets pinned Virginia Tech inside the 10, but gave up a big run on second down to their Virginia Tech 37. Burmeister guided the team down to the 26 with 11 seconds left in the half and one timeout. John Parker Romo hit a 43-yard field goal to make it 20-7.
Out of the half Sims got the team to midfield with his legs and then hit Gibbs of a long pass that was a touchdown but a hold at the 10 set them up at the VT19. A holding call on Ryan Johnson on second down backed them up to the VT30. Brent Cimaglia hit a 37-yard field goal to make it 20-10 Virginia Tech with 10:22 left in the third quarter.
The Jackets held the Hokies to a three and out on the next drive thanks to a corner blitz by Zamari Walton that led to a sack. Sims then fumbled on a sack on the next play to set up the Hokies at the GT17. The Hokies had a pair of false starts and then a sack by Jared Ivey to bring up 3rd and 18. John Parker Romo had to kick a 34-yard field goal to make it 23-10 with 6:14 to go.
Tech went three and out on the next drive and gave up a 24-yard punt return to the VT46. Virginia Tech crossed midfield, but Ja’Quon Griffin had a big sack on second down to cause a big loss. However Tech had a facemask called on third down and the Hokies got a fresh set of downs at the GT 33. Tre Swilling broke up a deep shot on first down, Quez Jackson and Jared Ivey forced a throw away on the next down and the Hokies had a false start on third down to make it 3rd and 15. Parker Romo missed from 53-yards and Tech took over at their 36. Sims hits Sanders for a big gain on first down. Sims hits Sanders for a 20-yard gain on first down and then McGowan for 21 yards. Sims rolled out and hit Sanders for a 23-yard touchdown to make it 23-17 with 5 seconds left in the third quarter.
Tech’s defense held the Hokies to a three and out on the next drive. On first down Gibbs broke off a 61-yard run nearly scoring. Tech could not pick up a first down on four tries and the Jackets turned it over on downs at the VT 11.
Virginia Tech got out to near midfield thanks to a Burmeister scramble on a broken play. A 27-yard pass to Nick Gallo set up the Hokies in the red zone. Ace Eley came up with a key stop on third and goal from the three with a TFL. The Hokies hit a short field goal to make it 26-17 with 4:21 left in the game.
The Jackets looked dead in the water, but a roughing the passer on third and 15 moved the ball to the GT 30. Sims couldn’t connect on any of the downs and Sims threw an interception on fourth down on an overthrow for Nate McCollum and that was basically the end of the game for the Jackets.
