The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly From Georgia Tech's Win Over Georgia State

Georgia Tech defeated Georgia State 35-12 last night to move to 2-0

Aug 31, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Jamal Haynes (11) celebrates with teammates after a touchdown run against Georgia State Panthers in the first quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia Tech did not play a perfect game, but they still ended up beating Georgia State by 23 points in the first ever matchup between the two programs. The offense was explosive and had another strong day on the ground, while the redzone defense made some big stops and kept the Panthers out of the end zone. There was no letdown after the big win over Florida State and for the first time since 2016, Georgia Tech has started a season 2-0. They will hope to move to 3-0 after a matchup with Syracuse this weekend.

So what were the good things from last nights game? What about bad or ugly?

The Good

• The redzone defense was huge. Georgia State had chances to put points on the board early in the game, but the Yellow Jackets defense held strong. They stopped Georgia State on a 4th and goal on the first drive of the game and then held them to a field goal in the second quarter. While the defense was not perfect, they did keep the Panthers out of the end zone for the most part, which is what matters at the end of the day.

• The third down defense. Georgia Tech held Georgia State to 3-12 on third downs.

• Georgia Tech moved to 2-0 on the season, while Georgia State fell to 0-1.
• Georgia Tech is 2-0 for the first time since 2016.
• The game was the first between Georgia Tech and Georgia State, whose campuses are separated by less than two miles. The teams will play again at Georgia State in 2026.
• Georgia Tech moved to 40-4-2 all-time against in-state opponents besides archrival Georgia. The Yellow Jackets haven’t lost to an in-state opponent besides UGA since a 7-6 loss to Oglethorpe on Sept. 25, 1926. Tech’s other three losses to in-state opponents besides UGA came in the 19th century.
• Georgia Tech moved to 97-29-4 (.762) all-time in home openers.
• The win was Tech’s first in a home opener since 2019, but was its third-straight victory in its first game of the season at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. The Yellow Jackets’ 2022 and 2023 home openers were played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
• Georgia Tech had only 89 total yards, including just 8 rushing yards, with 3:49 to go in the first half. The Yellow Jackets amassed 410 yards, including 217 on the ground, over the final 33:49 of the game.

• With a 12-yard completion to So. WR Eric Singleton Jr. on Georgia Tech’s opening possession, r-Jr. Haynes King became the 13th player in school history with 3,000 passing yards as a Yellow Jacket. King reached the 3,000-yard plateau in his 15th game at Georgia Tech.
• King completed 24-of-29 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns, and added 27 rushing yards with a touchdown. King’s .828 completion percentage marks a personal best and ranks second in school history behind Joe Hamilton’s .880 completion percentage vs. Florida State (Sept. 11, 1999).
• r-Jr. WR Malik Rutherford finished with 7 receptions for 131 yards, both career highs (prev.: 6 receptions vs. North Carolina – Oct. 28, 2023 and 85 receiving yards vs. Louisville – Sept. 1, 2023). The 100-yard receiving game was the first by a Yellow Jacket since Singleton had 117 against UNC on Oct. 28, 2023.
• Rutherford’s 131 receiving yards were the most by a Yellow Jacket since Dominick Blaylock also had 131 vs. Bowling Green on Sept. 30, 2023.
• Singleton’s 35-yard touchdown rush in the third quarter was his first touchdown of the season and the first rushing touchdown of his career. He had six touchdown receptions as a true freshman in 2023.
• Sr. TE Avery Boyd’s 4 receptions were a career high. Prior to Saturday’s game, Boyd had never had more than one reception in a game (which he had done four times previously).
• r-So. LB Kyle Efford had 13 tackles to finish with double-digit tackles for the fourth time in the last seven games, dating back to last season. His 13 tackles surpassed his previous career high (11 vs. Syracuse – Nov. 18, 2023).
• Sr. DL Zeek Biggers’ fumble recovery in the first quarter was the second of his career (prev.: at Wake Forest – Sept. 23, 2023).

The Bad

• The defense got no sacks. They got close a few times, but they were not able to reliably pressure the GSU quarterback Christian Veilleux.

• GSU rushed for 150 yards and averaged 5.2 yards per rush. After shutting down the Florida State run game, Georgia Tech did not play as well against the Panthers.

• The defense also gave up 11.0 yard per completion.

• Eight penalties. I will join with anyone saying the officiating was bad last night, but eight penalties are eight penalties. There were some horrible missed calls and some bad calls on Georgia Tech though.

• Getting in the endzone on 4th and goal twice is good, but not being able to get it in there earlier could be improved. 4th and goal won't always go your way.

This was a good performance by Georgia Tech, but one that Brent Key can point to and say there are plenty of corrections to be made. Let's see how they look on Saturday vs Syracuse.