Georgia Tech Football: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UCF Game

What are the good, bad, and ugly things from Georgia Tech vs UCF on Saturday?

Georgia Tech kept things close for most of the game as three-touchdown underdogs, but the end result was the Yellow Jackets going to 1-3 and losing their first road game of the year. 

It was an inspired effort from Tech, especially after the way last week's game went, but some of the same old mistakes haunted Georgia Tech and a lot of them can be traced back to coaching. 

So let's break down the good, the bad, and the ugly from yesterday's game vs UCF.

The Good

Jeff Sims had his best game of the year vs UCF on Saturday / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

1. Jeff Sims and the passing game had their best game of the season. Sims finished 21-32 for 314 yards and one touchdown. The offense nearly had 500 yards. 

2. The wide receivers made explosive plays. Malachi Carter caught the only touchdown of the game for Georgia Tech and it was from 59 yards out. Nate McCollum was reliable and Malik Rutherford made plays down the field as well

3. The defense played well, especially against the run. They did not allow any explosive plays and made UCF earn everything that they got. For example, the first drive of the game for UCF went on for 19 plays, but Tech forced a field goal. UCF finished the game only averaging 4.5 yards per play while Tech finished with. While they did give up 298 on the ground, some of that had to do with the offense leaving them on the field for so long, but the main thing was that they did not allow many explosive plays. 

4. LaMiles Brooks got an interception and it was a big play for the defense. 

5. Hassan Hall had his best game of the season and looked explosive. 

6. UCF is not a great passing team, but to hold them to 49 yards passing is still pretty impressive. 

7. McCollum chasing down the UCF defender and knocking the ball loose and forcing a touchback showed how much heart he played with tonight. 

The Bad

The running game continues to struggle this season for Georgia Tech / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

1. The penalties were untimely and there were too many of them. Some of the offsides penalties resulted in first downs and they kept the UCF drives alive. 

2. The running game was just ok. Hall had some explosive plays and Sims had 61 yards on the ground, but Dontae Smith is still only getting a few carries each game, and Dylan McDuffie is still giving the offense next to nothing. 

3. The tight ends are not making an impact in the game at all and this was supposed to be one of the main positions in Chip Long's offense. 

4. Sims looked like he had a couple of runs where he could have fought for extra yards but ran out of bounds instead. 

5. The play calls on the fourth downs in the red zone were terrible. 

The Ugly

Special Teams and red zone offense were the two main problems for Georgia Tech on Saturday / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

1. The red zone offense was 0-5. That is beyond unacceptable and the main reason Georgia Tech lost the game. 

2. ANOTHER punt was blocked in this game. I truly can't recall if I have ever seen a team so undisciplined on special teams. That falls completely on Collins. 

3. Jude Kelley was 1-3 on field goals. Field goal kicking has always been an issue under Collins and tonight was just another example. 

4. Charlie Thomas will have to sit out of the first half against Pitt. Tech is much worse on defense without Thomas and that will be a big issue next week. 

5. The team is 1-3. 

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