Five Takeaways From Georgia Tech's 31-28 Loss to Syracuse

Georgia Tech nearly pulls off come back but fell just short on Saturday.

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Georgia Tech suffered its first loss of the season falling to Syracuse 31-28. There were some things that went well for the Yellow Jackets and some things that went bad on Saturday. I think it is important to take a glass-half-full approach as everything is still in front of the Yellow Jackets in what they want to accomplish. Here are my key takeaways from the game: 

1. Special Teams was elite for the Yellow Jackets - It’s hard to get one blocked field goal or a blocked punt in a game let alone two. Georgia Tech was able to get both on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets got a field goal block from Zeek Biggers that prevented points early in the game for Syracuse who were looking for a 10-7 lead. Right before halftime, the Yellow Jackets' defense got a stop and forced a fourth down. Georgia Tech created penetration and caused a blocked punt, setting up a great field position for Georgia Tech right before the half. It didn’t result in points but the special teams play gave the Yellow Jackets much-needed momentum. The Yellow Jackets also picked up an onside kick with 5:06 left in the 4th quarter after a touchdown pass from Haynes King to Chase Lane which goes back to complementary football for the Yellow Jackets. While the offense and defense struggled for a good part of the game time and time again the special teams unit made a play to keep them in it. Aidan Birr did miss a field goal right before the half but the special teams unit was significant for Georgia Tech and nearly helped them pull out a victory on Saturday. 

2. Defense struggled against a potent passing attack - The Yellow Jackets gave up 515 yards of total offense including 381 yards through the air and 134 yards on the ground. Syracuse QB Kyle McCord was 32/46 for 381 yards and four touchdowns. Syracuse was 10-16 on third-down conversions and 5/5 in the red zone. Another note is the Syracuse offense dominated time of possession having nearly half more than the Yellow Jackets 36:54 to 23:06. Two players that I pointed out on Syracuse prior to the game had big games for the Orange, Trebor Pena and Oronde Gadsden II. Pena had it going early and scored the first two touchdowns. He finished with six catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns. Gadsden II had the final nail in the coffin for Syracuse scoring their final touchdown extending the lead to 17. He had five catches for 80 yards and two touchdowns. 

3. Getting pressure on the quarterback is still a concern- The Yellow Jackets only forced one sack in the game and now only have two sacks through three games. Defensive Coordinator Tyler Santucci did a great job adjusting and bringing more pressure in the second half to try and speed Syracuse QB Kyle McCord up. Unfortunately, they didn’t result in more sacks or negative plays but more misthrows and the Yellow Jacket defensive backs made some plays on the ball. This may not happen but I think it is worth noting to see if the Yellow Jackets play some of their younger defensive linemen Amontrae Bradford and Jordan Boyd as the front four has struggled through three weeks. It may be worth changing it up and seeing if the younger guys can have an impact in this area. This continues to be an area of concern as the defensive line has struggled through the first few weeks creating pressure. 

4. Georgia Tech's offense was not their usual selves until the 4th quarter- This doesn’t pertain to Haynes King who had an impressive game. King continues to prove he is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. King was 29-39 for 266 yards and three total touchdowns. He was also the Yellow Jackets' best rusher on Saturday rushing for 67 yards and two touchdowns. As a whole, it was a struggle for the majority of the game. A big part of the identity of the offense for the Yellow Jackets is the running game. After Syracuse gave up 255 rushing yards against Ohio, they were up for the challenge and held Georgia Tech to just 112 rushing yards. It was the first time in a while that the Yellow Jackets struggled in this area. Star running back Jamal Haynes struggled in the game and only had 35 yards rushing. He did have a late touchdown at the end of the game but it was tough sledding on Saturday. The Georgia Tech running backs struggled with yards per carry. Haynes only had 3.2 yards a carry and true freshman Anthony Carrie had 1.0 yards per carry. I expect this unit to be much better next week and showcase what we saw in the first few games of the season. 

5. Georgia Tech wasn't aggressive enough and didn’t convert their chances- Going back to the first half, the defense did their job and forced a stop and the subsequent block punt to set up good field position for the Yellow Jackets as time dwindled down. The score at that point was 21-14. Georgia Tech ran the ball three consecutive times, killing the clock in the first half and setting up a critical 4th and 4 with 13 seconds remaining in the half. Haynes King connected with Eric Singleton to set up the Yellow Jackets in field goal range but a Birr miss kept the score at 21-14. Coming out into the second half, the Yellow Jackets put the offense back on the field but the usual potent offense went three and out and put the defense back on the field. This was such a critical part of the game because Georgia Tech had an opportunity to seize some momentum before the half and come out into the third quarter but failed to do so. Georgia Tech ended up losing by a mere field goal and if they could have handled the end of the half and started the third quarter better they could have come out on top. 

It is important not to overreact to one game for the Yellow Jackets. Yes, some parts of the game were ugly but they did show good resolve and fight especially towards the end of the game. They could have easily quit in the fourth quarter after the 17-yard touchdown reception from Gadsden II that pushed the lead to 31-14 with 8:39 in the 4th. Georgia Tech didn’t and made it a game late and gave themselves an opportunity to win. They came away short but there are some positives they can build on going into next week one being that as long as King is your quarterback you have a chance in any game. The other is that this team will never quit and plays good complementary football when other units are struggling. If you have that, you have a chance to win in any game and the Yellow Jackets showed that on Saturday.

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