Bleav Georgia Tech: Instant Reaction to Georgia Tech's Loss to Notre Dame

Georgia Tech had special teams miscues and a lack of a run game today vs No. 12 Notre Dame and it led to a 31-13 loss

Oct 19, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jadarian Price (24) is tackled by Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive back Taye Seymore (7) in the third quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

It was a tough day for Georgia Tech, especially on special teams and offense, and the short-handed Yellow Jackets could not beat the short-handed No. 12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Georgia Tech came into the day missing starting quarterback Haynes King and starting linebacker Kyle Efford and while they did miss them, that was not the main reason they lost.

The running game could not get going at any point today for the Yellow Jackets and the special teams play just keeps getting worse. In today's game alone, Georgia Tech had a blocked field goal, a mishandled snap on another field goal, and they allowed Notre Dame to execute a fake field goal and fake punt. The miscues on special teams are getting embarrassing for Brent Key's team and they have to find a way to get them fixed or they are going to have a hard time finding that sixth win to get bowl eligibility.

On the latest episode of Bleav Georgia Tech, RJ and Jackson break down everything in the loss.

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Zach Pyron got the start today and it was an up-and-down game for him. He did not have any help from the No. 1 rushing offense in the ACC, but he also made some mistakes in this game and he does not have the same effectiveness as Haynes King does in the ground game.

Speaking of the Georgia Tech run game, it was dismal today. In every loss prior to this (Syracuse and Louisville), Georgia Tech has not been able to get things going on the ground. Jamal Haynes was playing his best football coming into the game, but give Notre Dame a lot of credit for not letting him get going. He finished with eight carries for 15 yards. Chad Alexander had five carries for 19 carries and Pyron finished with 13 carries for 45 yards. He threw for 269 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, one of which ended up being a pick-six.

The offense scored on their second drive and on their last drive. Everything in between was pretty ugly and that was not out of the realm of possibility considering the caliber of defense they were playing. Notre Dame limited Georgia Tech to 333 yards and five yards per play. They got two sacks against Georgia Tech today and four tackles for loss. They did a good job of bottling up the offense today, especially after Georgia Tech took an early lead.

The Georgia Tech defense played well at times, giving up only 24 points in the game. Notre Dame gained 385 yards on 69 plays, averaging 5.6 yards per play. Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard finished 20-29 for 203 yards and also rushing for 51 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Georgia Tech was facing one of the nation's best running games and they did not play poorly. The Fighting Irish ran for 168 yards on 39 carries and averaged just 4.3 yards per carry. If you came into the day, that would probably have been an acceptable number for the Yellow Jackets defense considering the opponent. However, there were several missed tackles, particulalry at the second level. The defense did get six tackles for loss in the game.

Overall, a lack of running game did not help Pyron today vs a very good Notre Dame defense, and special teams miscues doomed Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets now fall to 5-3 and they will go on the road to face a 4-3 Virginia Tech team that is still hoping to make the ACC Championship Game.