ORLANDO- Georgia Tech fell for the third time this season in another frustrating game 27-10 to Central Florida on the road including five scoreless trips to the red zone. The Jackets dropped to 1-4 under head coach Geoff Collins against G5 programs and 10-28 in his three-plus seasons now under the current coach.

UCF managed enough offensively to dominate the game by simply making fewer mistakes and slowing down the Jackets in the red zone.

“The keys and critical moments in the game, we had penalties, where we can’t have them, we had a punt blocked early in the game right before halftime which can’t happen and then we went to the red zone five times and got zero points out of them,” Collins said. “It’s hard to win a game against a really good football team, obviously credit to UCF, but not the result we want. Getting points on the board is critical and we are not doing it and obviously, that falls on me as the head coach. It is very frustrating to move the ball up and down the field at a high level, but when we get down (to the red zone) we have to get points and we did not get points.”

Tech quarterback Jeff Sims threw the ball better than he has since the season opener passing for 314 yards a touchdown and no interceptions in the game, but he had a costly red zone fumble and was sacked four times on Saturday as well.

The Jackets ran the ball well with 164 yards rushing on 28 carries factoring out the four sacks against Sims for a 6.1 yards per carry average. Hassan Hall had 54 yards on seven touches, Sims ran 11 times including sacks for a net of 38 yards and Dontae Smith had seven carries for 37 yards plus two catches for 18 yards. Hall had 40 yards receiving on three catches and 70 yards on kickoffs for 164 all-purpose yards on the day.

Tech’s lone touchdown came on a pass to Malachi Carter on a 59 yard pass from Sims. Carter had three catches for 89 yards. Nate McCollum had six catches for 51 yards and Dylan Leonard had a 19-yard catch that should’ve led to a score before Sims’ fumble.

McCollum saved the day for the Jackets on Sims’ fumble that Tre’Mon Morris-Brash nearly returned for a touchdown 90 yards. The Jackets’ slot receiver ran the full field and striped the ball as Morris-Brash was about to cross the end zone forcing a fumble and a touchback.

“You just never give up on a play and I was just trying to make a play and get the ball out,” McCollum said.

Defensively, Charlie Thomas, had another strong game racking up 10 tackles, a TFL and a forced fumble before a 4th quarter ejection for a questionable targeting call in the final quarter ended his day and UCF quarterback immediately run the next play to his vacated spot for a 28-yard touchdown.

Defensive ends Keion White and Sylvain Yondjouen each had a sack for the Jackets and safety LaMiles Brooks had his first career interception.

“Originally there were three receivers running deep and I tried to play closer to the third receiver and I out of the corner of my eye my defensive line was getting pressure on the quarterback and he threw up a bad ball so I just sped to it and it was great coverage by KJ Wallace and I just finished it off,” Brooks said of his interception.

Plumlee ran for 100 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, but threw for just 49 yards on 16 attempts with an interception.

The Knights racked up 284 yards on 56 rushing attempts.

“I feel like we played pretty well at all three levels,” Brooks said. “The DL, the linebackers and the secondary, we obviously have some things to still improve upon, but I feel like it was a great showing for the defense.”

Georgia Tech outplayed the Knights for much of the game and beat them statistically in every category except rushing yards and points scored because of kicking woes and miscues in the red zone.

McCollum said going zero for five is not up to the standard at Georgia Tech.

“We have to execute and five times that is unacceptable,” McCollum said of the scoreless red zone trips.

Kicking and punting remained a sore spot for the Jackets with Jude Kelley missing a pair of shorter field goals including hitting the upright before halftime on a 37-yarder, but he hit a 42-yard field goal improving to 2-2 from 40+ yards, he is just 0-3 from 39 in this year.

Punter David Shanahan had his fourth punt blocked of the season more than doubling any total since 1983 for the Jackets. Pre-1982 stats have not been researched yet.

With some of the special teams' issues, Collins said they’ve had to adjust some things like not having their normal snapper Cade Long through the first four games with an injury and having Henry Freer in. Freer had a high snap on one of the missed field goals and Shanahan mishandled one of his punts, but not the one that was blocked. Kickoff specialist Gavin Stewart did not play for the second straight week leaving kicker Jude Kelley as the kicker, kickoff specialist, and backup punter. A less than ideal situation.

Collins explained the block this week.

“The biggest flaw tonight, our stems don’t need to re-ID the protection and in the heat of the moment we did and re-ID’d the protection and that shouldn’t have happened,” Collins said.

Collins also said his expectation is to be the coach at Georgia Tech for the Pitt game and other games moving ahead.

“My expectations, I just stood in front of a team, a bunch of young men that I absolutely love, I gave my all for them and my expectation is to continue to do that. I’m blessed to coach here. Obviously, there are things that we fell short on and we have to continue to get better in every phase to do that.”

McCollum gave Collins a vote of confidence after the game.

“This was a tough loss, but I believe in coach Collins. I like his energy every day and I feel like honestly this game was on us,” he said. “I had a fumble in the red zone and that can’t happen. I believe in coach Collins and we going to come in tomorrow and get ready for Pitt.”

Jude Kelley’s opening kickoff was a touchback. After an opening run by Isaiah Bowser for eight yards, the Knights got flagged for an illegal man downfield and then Johnny Richardson ran twice for a first down. Keion White had a TFL on the next first down. UCF crossed midfield on a defensively holding call. Tech held the Knights at the GT39 but on fourth and three, Kyle Kennard jumped offsides. Charlie Thomas jumped offsides on third and seven at the GT31. Plumlee got stuffed on third down and then Bowser picked up the conversion with a 7-yard run. Plumlee go to the GT10 to set up another fourth down, Bowser converted again.

Hassan Hall returned the kickoff 29 yards to the GT34. Dontae Smith ran on second down for 11 yards and Sims hit EJ Jenkins on the next play for 12 yards to the UCF42. The Knights were called for pass interference on the next play moving to the UCF27. Nate McCollum ran for a first down on the next play and then the got bottled up. Jude Kelley missed a 32-yard field goal that featured a high snap.

The Knights got the ball back after the missed field goal and drove to midfield in five plays, Plumlee got sacked by Keion White on the final play of the first half with the Knights up 3-0. Plumlee ran for a first down on third and 14 on a broken play. LaMiles Brooks intercepted an overthrow under pressure by Plumlee at the GT2.

After two bad rushing plays, Sims hit Nate McCollum for a first down to the GT13. McDuffie ran for six on second down after a loss by Hall. Sims scrambled for a first down on a 17-yard run on third and five to the UCF35. Sims was sacked on third down and David Shanahan punted the ball to the UCF34, a 34-yard punt that Xavier Townsend returned two yards.

After taking over the UCF38, the Knights pressured Plumlee two straight times with Sylvain Yondjouen sacking him to force a punt. Nate McCollum returned a 52-yard punt 17 yards to the GT27.

Sims hit Hassan Hall for a 14-yard and then Malachi Carter in stride on a 59-yard touchdown to give the Jackets a 7-3 lead in the second quarter.

The Knights nearly had a safety on the opening kickoff as Richardson stepped out of the end zone and then nearly took a knee. He escaped to the UCF 25. Charlie Thomas stripped Plumlee at midfield and Jaylon King couldn’t pick up the ball and UCF recovered for a first down. Plumlee hit Bowser on the wheel route for 22 yards to put the Knights in the red zone. Plumlee couldn’t connect on third and five and the Knights kicked a 35-yard field goal to make it 7-6 GT with 1:39 left in the half.

Sims hit Dontae Smith for 13 yards on first down. Sims hit E.J. Jenkins for a big gain, but the play was wiped out by an illegal man downfield call on Will Lay. Sims rans for six yards on the next play. Sims couldn’t connect with Luke Benson on second and nine. Sims couldn’t connect with Carter and GT was forced to punt. Shanahan had his punt blocked for the fourth time this season and UCF returned the block for a touchdown. UCF took a 13-7 lead over Georgia Tech with 35 seconds left in the half.

Malik Rutherford ran for 29 yards on a screen pass and Hassan Hall caught two pass to drive the Jackets to the UCF20. Kelley missed the 37-yard field goal.

Hassan Hall took the second-half opening kickoff 43-yards to the GT47. They went three and out. UCF muffed the punt but Townsend managed to return to 31 yards, but a flag on UCF for holding backed the Knights up to the UCF25.

Plumlee ran for 15 yards on first down. Charlie Thomas had two nice open field tackles to make it third and six, but Kyle Kennard jumped offsides to move the ball to midfield, RJ Harvey ran for 15 yards for a first down to the GT36. Zamari Walton picked up a pass interference to move the ball into the red zone. The Jackets defense held forcing the Knights backward after the first down to force a 37-yard field goal to make it 16-7 UCF with 9:44 left in the third quarter.

Malachi Carter had a 26-yard catch on first down to move the ball to midfield. Hassan Hall ran for 17-yard gain on third and long to the UCF28. Sims hits EJ Jenkins for 12-yards to to set up first and 10 at the 12. Tech moved backward on a Sims sack to the UCF19. Hall took a screen 11-yards. McDuffie was stuffed in the backfield on a triple-option play on fourth down for a turnover on downs.

Charlie Thomas stopped Bowser for a loss on first down and Ace Eley stopped Plumlee for a short gain on the next play and then tipped a pass away on third down. The Knights punt bounced backward to give Tech the ball at the UCF39.

Sims ran for 13 yards on first down. After a 19-yard pass to Dylan Leonard, Sims was sacked and stripped and UCF returned it 90 yards for a touchdown, but Nate McCollum punched it out before he scored. Tech took over a the 20.

Kalani Norris caught a 30-yard pass on first down to midfield. After an incomplete pass to Malik Rutherford, Dontae Smith ripped off a 21-yard run to the UCF29. Tech tried a trick double pass with Nate McCollum but he could not field the ball. Sims ran for 11 yards on second down to the UCF24. Sims could not connect with anyone under blitz pressure and Jude Kelley hits a 42-yard field goal to make it 16-10 UCF with 41 seconds left in the third.

After a touchback, RJ Harvey ran the ball three times on the next drive to the UCF46 to end the third quarter facing 3rd and one from the UCF46. Ace Eley stuffed Harvey for a loss on third down to force a punt. UCF’s punt was downed at the GT9.

UCF drove to midfield and got bailed out by a Myles Sims pass interference call on a ball he should’ve picked off and then Charlie Thomas was called for targeting for the second time this season to move the ball to the GT28. Plumlee scored on a 28-yard run on the next play. The Knights converted the two-point conversion on a rollout pass to tight end Kenmore Gamble to go up 24-10 with 10:37 remaining in the game.

After a touchback, Sims hits Nate McCollum twice to the UCF35 for gains of 10 and 26. Hassan Hall ran for another first down 23 yards to the UCF16. Tech could not move the ball and Nate McCollum fumbled on a fourth down screen that Tre’mon Morris-Brash recovered and returned to the UCF26.

Richardson and Plumlee knocked off 15 and 17-yard runs to cross midfield. Javon Baker caught his first pass with under five minutes to go for another first down.

The final possessions were essentially a stalemate and UCF made the decision not to score on their final drive in the red zone.