Georgia Tech Football: Biggest Takeaways From Yellow Jackets 21-6 Loss to Virginia Tech

Yellow Jackets drop second consecutive game and are now 5-4 this season

Georgia Tech's Zach Pyron's pass is blocked by Virgina Tech's Keli Lawson (0) during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Blacksburg, Va. (AP Photo/Robert Simmons)

Georgia Tech dropped its second consecutive game after falling to Virginia Tech 21-6. It was a mixed performance that saw some encouraging signs for the team as a whole and only some concerning things the team will have to address if they want to make a bowl game. Here are some key takeaways.

1. Georgia Tech's offensive woes continue- Simply put the offense has struggled over the last few weeks. The Yellow Jackets have scored just 19 points in the last two games. The running game hasn’t been to the level we expected and have been accustomed to seeing. Only 90 yards on the ground came from the running backs on a unit that struggled to muster big plays against the Hokies. In the passing attack, there were a lot of missed throws and a lot of drops on the afternoon for Georgia Tech which doesn't happen often. Also, explosive plays have been few and far between. The Yellow Jackets had one explosive play all game, a catch from Eric Singleton Jr, but the offense was bottled up for most of the afternoon. Now they didn’t have their star quarterback Haynes King who makes a lot of plays with his feet and arm, but putting up only six points is not going to allow you to beat formidable ACC opponents. If the Yellow Jackets want to become bowl-eligible the offense has to be better going forward. 

2. Special Teams much better against Virginia Tech- The unit came up big time against the Hokies. Let’s start with placekicker Aidan Birr. Birr went 2/2 on the afternoon nailing a 34-yard field goal. He also made a 50-yard field goal at a crucial point in the game to keep the deficit at 7-6. You may have been scratching your head when you saw Georgia Tech call out Birr with all his struggles this season but head coach Brent Key had confidence and he delivered. The Yellow Jackets got a blocked field goal that halted a drive after a great punt return by Virginia Tech. DL Zeek Biggers got penetration and his hand up halting points for the Hokies after they got into Yellow Jacket territory. This unit was much maligned coming in, especially after their performance against Notre Dame. They were much better on Saturday and did it without special teams coordinator Ricky Brumfield who was suspended and didn’t make the trip with the team. 

3. Romello Height Signature Game & Defensive Line dominated- I am not sure what his stats were but Height made sure to make his presence known throughout the game. Height had a fast start on the first drive recording two tackles, a sack, tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. Later in the game, he also forced another fumble and set up the offense in a good spot going into the fourth quarter. He finished with two forced fumbles in the game. If this is the type of performance Georgia Tech can get consistently from Height they may have a great pass rusher on the horizon. As far as the defensive line, they harassed and made it tough for Drones to find a rhythm on the day. Yes, he had three touchdowns on the day, but he only passed for 128 yards and only rushed for 12 yards. At one point in the game, the defense had eight tackles for a loss. Mind you coming into this game, Drones was on fire having completed over 70% of his passes. It goes to show you that the defense for Georgia Tech has vastly improved under defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci and it will keep them in games even when their starting quarterback is not playing. 

4. A glimpse at the youth and the potential on the flats- With a lot of injuries affecting the Yellow Jackets and Georgia Tech looking for a spark, they turned to some of the young guys on Saturday and they made plays with their opportunities. 

QB Aaron Philo- Now he was a little bit inaccurate in the game but Philo was put in a tough spot as a true freshman on the road in Blacksburg. He threw a beauty to Eric Singleton Jr with two defenders in the area hitting him in stride. The interception wasn’t really his fault because it hit Avery Boyd in the hands but he couldn’t quite corral it and Virginia Tech made a play on the ball. You definitely see the potential that Philo can bring you and that he can be a quarterback of the future for Georgia Tech. 

This is what Aaron Philo gives you. Yes the true freshman wasn’t accurate on some throws today but he’s showed he’s more than capable of making big throws down the field. IMO should be QB2 moving forward pic.twitter.com/iEd4ulsZeW

— Najeh Wilkins (@najehwilk) October 26, 2024

RB Anthony Carrie- For a large part the running game struggled for the Yellow Jackets, but Carrie provided a nice burst when he was in the game.

WR Isaiah Canion- finished with two catches and 29 yards and made some plays when he got the ball in his hands. Canion and Philo were building quite a rapport with each other on Saturday as he constantly looked his way. Canion proved he can be a dependable target and that he has a bright future going forward for the Yellow Jackets.  

5. Head coach Brent Key deserves credit- Now, I did call out the offense in my first takeaway but that doesn’t all fall on Key. The offense seems like it plays it too safe and is not taking shot plays down the field. Some of that has to do with the quarterback not trusting his eyes and some of that has to do with the scheme. It is a combination. Key doesn’t control that unit of the team and yes it does need to be better. However, Coach Key deserves credit for how the special teams and defense played. They gave the Yellow Jackets a chance to win this game. The special teams were vastly improved despite not having coach Brumfield in attendance. The defense held an explosive Virginia Tech offense to just 240 yards of total offense on Saturday and held Bhayshul Tuten and Drones largely in check. The defense forced negative plays and created turnovers. Virginia went scoreless for two quarters in this game. You can’t ask the unit to play a better game.

In my opinion, Georgia Tech is not far off from being a great team. It's the little things they have to clean up and they can be in the running for an ACC title before you know it.