ATLANTA- Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins likes to talk about progress and how he is building his team and the concept of creating margin between yourself and the team you were playing. That margin has been razor-thin in every ACC game this year except a blowout win over North Carolina and a blowout loss to Pittsburgh. Once again, the Jackets failed to create enough margin falling 41-30 to Boston College in the ACC finale for the Jackets who fall to 3-7 on the season with the loss dropping him to 9-23 as the Jackets’ head coach and ensuring a third straight bowless season for the first time since 1994-96.
The Jackets defense surrendered 505 yards of offense on just 58 plays for the Eagles and 41 points.
Collins was asked about his defense and whether he would take over the reins as the defensive playcaller after the game and he demurred commenting publicly on the matter. He addressed me personally in his answer to my question on the defensive coordinator situation.
“I'm not going to get into that. Kelly, I appreciate it. I respect the question, you've got to ask the question. But I'm involved in every phase of the program and obviously, I try to provide guidance in every single phase. And we just got to continue to work to get better, obviously, we don't want to have performances where it ends up, third downs cost us and keep chains moving, then we get scored on,” he said.
Boston College quarterback Phil Jurkovec threw for 310 yards on just 20 pass attempts and had two touchdowns in the air and three rushing touchdowns on 71 yards rushing on eight attempts.
The Jackets bottled up the other rushers for the Eagles most of the night, but Jurkovec’s ability to get the ball downfield and extend plays was a major issue for the defense mirroring other games this season.
Tech had 11 penalties in the game as well with several extending key drives and leading to points for the Eagles.
“The thing I told them going into the game and then told them specifically at halftime is we've got to control we can control do not do anything to hurt the program,” Collins said of the penalties. “Don't have selfish acts that hurt the program. Stay in the moment, focus on what you can control, control your energy, your effort, your execution, all of those things. We let that get away from us a couple of times.”
The Jackets were only four of eight on third down and allowed four scores in the red zone while turning over the ball once and only converting on four of five attempts for the Jackets.
Tech offensively managed 343 yards leaning heavily on Jahmyr Gibbs who had 96 yards rushing and a touchdown plus a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and 29 yards receiving on five catches.
Jordan Yates made his fourth start of the season for an injured Jeff Sims and saw his first significant action since the North Carolina game in week four. Yates said that offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude told him early in the week he would get the nod over Sims who is out with an undisclosed injury.
“I knew for a good portion of the week that I was going to be getting a nod. But yeah, I mean, just knowing throughout the week, helped me to better prepare and know the situation I was going into. So it was a good help,” Yates said.
Yates threw for 126 yards and a touchdown but had a key interception at the three-yard line in the red zone. He also ran for 47 yards and a touchdown while getting sacked three times. The Jackets had several drives late in the game that didn’t end up with points on the board and Yates said.
“We had a couple penalties and a couple miscommunications on some snaps that may have held us back a little bit, but overall just didn't execute like we did in the first couple of drives,” Yates said.
Boston College converted a third and 11 on the opening drive with a 24-yard gain through the air. Two plays later the Eagles torched the Tech secondary for a 52-yard touchdown to Zay Flowers to take a 7-0 lead.
Jahmyr Gibbs took the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown to tie it at 7 with 12:46 left in the 1st quarter.
Boston College was heled to five yards on the next drive and a three and out. Tech took over at their 30 and Jahmyr Gibbs and Dontae Smith drove them down to the BC 29 on five rushes. Adonicas Sanders caught a 10-yard pass to put them in the red zone at the 19. Malachi Carter caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Yates to make it 14-7 Georgia Tech.
The Jackets had to squib kick after getting a penalty on the PAT and they managed to pin the Eagles inside their 30. The Eagles had a false start on second down but hit a 26-yard pass to tight end Joey Luchetti out to midfield. Ace Eley forced a fumble in the red zone and Jalen Huff recovered for the Jacket at the Tech 15.
The Jackets had a false start on Dylan Leonard to start the drive, Gibbs picked up 11 and two on the first two plays of the drive and Yates ran for a first down on third and short. Yates flipped it to Gibbs for a huge gain but the play was wiped out by an illegal man downfield on Ryan Johnson. On third and 16, Yates had all day and hit Kyric McGowan for a 22-yard gain across midfield. And the end of the 1st quarter Tech had the ball at the BC 30. Jordan Mason ran for 26 yards on second and 8 from the 28 and Jordan Yates had a QB sneak for a score to make it 21-7 Georgia Tech.
Boston College had a special teams miscue erased by a Tech offsides on the kickoff, a rarely called penalty and instead of having the ball at the BC8, they returned the second kickoff to the BC41. Tech had a penalty that moved it to the BC45. The Eagles converted on second down on a pass to the GT 40. Zay Flowers hauled in a 39-yard touchdown to make it 21-14 Tech with 12:05 left in the 2nd quarter. Flower got penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct on the celebration.
BC tried an onside kick from their own 20 that Miles Brooks recovered at the BC 44. Gibbs got stuffed for a short gain on first down and dropped for a seven-yard loss on second down to midfield. Yates could not connect on third and long with McGowan and GT punted pinning BC at their own 17.
The Eagles got a defensive holding call on Tariq Carpenter then hit tight end Trae Berry for a 38-yard gain on a zone blitz where Jordan Domineck was covering him deep. Zay Flowers picked up 14-yards on a reverse and Wesley Walker got called for a facemask on that play setting up the Eagles at the GT 11. Jurkovec scored a play later on a eight yard touchdown run to tie it at 21.
The Eagles tried another squib/onside type kick and Tech had the ball at the BC48 after Azende Rey came up with it. Tech got stalled on fourth and two and faked a punt with Demetrius Knight with a pop pass to Dontae Smith to pick up a first down on a four-yard run after the ‘catch.’ Leonard caught an eight-yard pass on first down, Tech got to the BC27 and picked up a first down on a QB sneak by Yates on third and one. Yates got sacked on the next play, and then throw a screen to Nate McCollum that ended up a four-yard loss. With 4th and 19 at the 34, Tech went for it and Yates scrambled out of pressure and threw into the end zone for Peje Harris not seeing an open Adonicas Sanders for a first down underneath.
The Eagles took over with 2:33 left in the half. On third and nine Jurkovec hit Jaden Williams for 40 yards and Jurkovec had back to back long runs with the second being a 14-yard touchdown run to make it 28-21.
Yates hit Gibbs and Carter on the series for a first down but failed to call timeout burning precious time and then Adonicas Sanders failed to get down or out of bounds and the Jackets had the clock run down to one second, Yates was forced to throw the ball under pressure before the half at Gibbs’ feet.
Jamious Griffin took the second half kickoff out to the GT30 on a sky kick. After three runs plays for a first down, Yates scrambled for 30 yards to set up first and 10 at the BC27. The Eagles got called for pass interference two plays later to set Tech up at the BC 12. Tech got down to the BC5 but had to take a timeout after a botched sub led to the play clock getting too low. Tech then had a start to make it third and 8. Yates threw the ball away under heavy pressure to bring out the kicking team. Cimaglia hit a 28-yard field goal to make it 28-24 Boston College with 10:22 left.
The Eagles took over after a touchback at the 25. The Eagles got to midfield on four plays, but stalled out inside the GT side of the 50 with third and 10 at the GT46. Mike Lockhart and Quez Jackson stuffed Jurkovec for one yard. The Eagles punted and Rey fair caught it at the GT11.
Yates hit Norris for a 9-yard gain on first down and Gibbs picked up the first down on the next play out to the GT33. Yates took a big hit from Cam Horsley that turned into a roughing the passer on the Eagles to move the ball to midfield. Yates scrambled for a big gain on the next play to BC25. Dontae Smith had a 7-yard run on second down to the BC 18. Smith picked up six yards on a third down pass on a check down by Yates to set up first and 10 at the BC 12. Yates rolling to his left threw into coverage instead of running and Jaiden Woodbey picked him off.
The Eagles took over at their own 3, they picked up a first down on two plays on the ground. They picked up another first down that ended the third quarter with 1st and 10 at their own 28. Ayinde Eley got ejected for targeting on a six-yard dump off pass by Jurkovec and the foul gave BC the ball at their own 49. Two plays later Juanyeh Thomas was called for a facemask to give the Eagles the ball at the GT27. Jurkovec hit Pat Garwo for 13-yards to move the Eagles to the GT14. The Eagles failed to connect on two passes on first and second down bringing up 3rd and 10 at the GT 14. On third down, a BC receiver couldn’t come up with the ball and the Eagles had to kick a short 31-yard field goal to make it 31-24 Boston College. It was a 14 play 81-yard drive that took up 5:13 off the clock.
Tech took over at their 32 Yates flipped it to Gibbs on first down and BC hit him late after the six-yard gain on the catch to move the ball to the BC47. Gibbs ran two times for another first down to the BC 30. Gibbs picked up another first down and then got hit late again by the Eagles to set up first and 10 at the BC11. Gibbs picked up seven yards on the next play down to the BC4. Gibbs ran in the touchdown and then Cimaglia missed the PAT off the upright making it 31-30 BC leads with under 9 minutes to go.
The Eagles got flagged for a hold on the ensuing kickoff return to pin that at their own 10. Charlie Thomas stuffed the Eagles on first down and Jared Ivey had a TFL on Jurkovec on second down to bring up 3rd and 14. Jurkovec hit Trae Berry for a 22-yard gain to get out to the BC28. The Eagles got out to midfield on a couple of plays. Garwo picked up 15 yards to move the ball to the GT 37. The Eagles ran it two more times to the GT31 as the clock moved under 3 minutes to go. Jurkovec ran 31-yards for a touchdown untouched to make it 38-30 with 2:48 to go.
Yates started the next drive at the GT33. He nearly threw a pick on first down. The Eagles were offsides on second down making it 2nd and five. Yates overthrew McGowan down the sideline. Yates hit Gibbs for a first down under pressure. Yates got sacked on the next play on first down. Yates got sacked on an all-out blitz on fourth down and 16 and fumbled. The Eagles recovered at the GT18.
The Eagles took over on downs, they ran three straight times to the GT 10, then sent in their kicker for a 27-yard field goal and Tech had a couple of shots down the field at the end with no time and no timeouts and couldn’t convert.
