Georgia Tech vs Georgia: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Georgia Tech lost 31-23 to No. 1 Georgia last night

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Publish date:
Nov 26, 2023 2:42 PM EST

In this story:

Georgia Tech played No. 1 Georgia well last night, but they came up short against the Bulldogs and now, they will wait and see where they are placed for their first bowl game since 2018.

The offense played well in the loss last night and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner called his best game of the season. The defense struggled last night, but they did force two crucial turnovers that led to points, it just was not enough.

So let's take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from last night's loss to the Bulldogs.

The Good

Dontae Smith running the ball vs Georgia
Nathaniel Caudell

The running game was awesome. This week, I talked about how Auburn and Missouri had success running the ball vs Georgia and that is what Georgia Tech needed to do. They are one of the top running teams in the ACC and the country and they showed why last night. Georgia Tech’s 205 rushing yards were the 2nd-most against Georgia this season, behind only Auburn’s 219 (Sept. 30).
Georgia Tech held a 2-0 advantage in turnover margin, which marked the first time this season that Georgia Tech lost when winning the turnover battle (3-1).
Haynes King scored his eighth touchdown of the season on a 9-yard rush in the first quarter and his ninth rushing touchdown of the season on a 5-yard rush in the fourth quarter. The nine touchdowns are the most scored by a Yellow Jacket in a season since QB Tobias Oliver scored 12 in 2018.
King became only the 15^th player in school history with 2,750 career passing yards. He finished the night with 158 passing yards for the season and 2,753 in his Georgia Tech career.
King became only the 15^th player in school history with 2,750 career passing yards. He finished the night with 158 passing yards for the season and 2,753 in his Georgia Tech career.
D’Quan Douse’s forced fumble was his first of the season and third of his career. Both previous forced fumbles came in 2022 (Nov. 5, 2022 at Virginia Tech and Nov. 19, 2022 at North Carolina).
Kenan Johnson’s recovery of Douse’s forced fumble was the first of his career.
This was the first time since 2016 that Georgia did not win the game by double-digits. That is progress
Aidan Birr was 3-4 and he became a reliable kicker this season
Averaging 5.6 yards per play is pretty good considering the opponent

The Bad

Early in the game, the score was 7-7 and Georgia Tech faced a 4th down and one at the UGA eight-yard line and Brent Key opted to kick the field goal instead of go for it. With how aggressive he got with some decisions later, I thought the better decision was to try and go for it. When you are a 24.5-point underdog against the No. 1 team in the country, touchdowns are what wins games
The passing game was decent, but not effective enough. King finished 11-20 for 158 yards.

The Ugly

Most things went Georgia Tech's way in this game, but the things that did not were pretty ugly. Georgia Tech has one of the worst run defenses in the country and it showed last night. Georgia ran for 262 yards and after the onside kick, Georgia was able to run the ball and get the first down. The inability to stop the run and stop it when it mattered cost them the game.
Georgia Tech did not record a sack against Carson Beck