Georgia Tech vs. Wake Forest: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

What were the good, bad, and ugly things for Georgia Tech against Wake Forest?

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Publish date:
Sep 24, 2023 7:00 AM EDT

In this story:

Georgia Tech is now 2-2 after a road win against previously unbeaten Wake Forest.

This time, the Yellow Jackets won the game a little bit differently. They have one of the ACC's top offenses, but their defense had some subpar performances through the first three games. That changed tonight; the defense was the primary catalyst in the win. That is not to say the offense played badly, but there were some miscues.

So what are the good, bad, and ugly things from this game? Let's break it down.

The Good

A win! Anytime you get a win, that is a good thing. It did not come easy, but Georgia Tech spent most of this game in the lead and came out on top
The defense was phenomenal. This unit was taking a lot of heat coming into this game, but they answered the call tonight when the offense was not their best. They forced five turnovers and tallied eight sacks, along with 10 tackles for loss.
Kyle Kennard had four of Georgia Tech’s eight sacks. His four sacks are tied for the third-most in Georgia Tech single-game history and the most since Jeremiah Attaochu had four against Georgia on Nov. 30, 2013.
Safety Jaylon King had his best game of the season, bringing in two interceptions and notching five tackles.
Myles Sims had a career-high 10 tackles
Andre White Jr. had 1.5 sacks tonight
Eric Singleton Jr had yet another touchdown, making it four in his first four career games.
Being 7-15 on third down is pretty good
Only one turnover. None would be best, but this is a team that has not turned the ball over a lot so far this season
Aidan Birr was fantastic tonight, going 3-3, including a 48-yard field goal.
Birr’s 48-yard field goal in the second quarter was the longest by a Yellow Jacket since Wesley Wells’ 48-yarder vs. Virginia on Nov. 17, 2018.
Zeek Biggers had a career-high eight tackles

The Bad

Haynes King made a couple of rare bad decisions tonight. He tried to hit Singleton Jr. on a couple of deep shots and one resulted in an interception. King has been careful with the ball this season, but he made a couple of poor decisions.
The passing game was solid, but not spectacular. Only 222 yards from King against one of the ACC's worst passing defenses
The offense left some points on the field. Wake had a muffed punt and Georgia Tech had great field position, but only came away with three points on a couple of drives. They have to be able to finish in the red zone in future weeks.
The running game had a hard time getting going. Jamal Haynes had a solid game, but the Yellow Jackets rushing attack totaled only 158 yards on 32 carries, averaging 4.9 yards per rush. It was helped by a big run by Haynes in the fourth quarter

The Ugly

Georgia Tech came into the game with the fewest penalties in the country with only five committed in three games, but they destroyed that number tonight. Georgia Tech was penalized 14 times and while they still won, that is an unacceptable amount of penalties for any team.
The offense got the job done, but they slowed in the second half, reminiscent of the opening game vs Louisville. Georgia Tech led by 17 at the half but allowed Wake Forest to pull within a touchdown.

Facebook: All Yellow Jackets

Twitter: @AllYellowJacket

Facebook: AllYellow Jackets

Twitter: @AllYellowJacket

Follow Jackson on Twitter: @jacksoncaudell

Follow Madison on Twitter: @Madison_Meyers7

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @kistner__

See all of the latest Tech News at AllYellowJackets.com

Check out the Georgia Tech Homepage

Check out all Georgia Tech Photos

Listen to the All Yellow Jackets Podcast for the best Georgia Tech coverage!

Watch: Press Conference with Zeek Biggers, Kenan Johnson, and Myles Sims after win over Wake Forest