Three Takeaways from Georgia Tech vs Ole Miss

What to take away from Georgia Tech's loss against #17 Ole Miss

Madison Meyers | Sep 17, 2023

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Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Last night, Georgia Tech took a tough loss to #17 Ole Miss where they were outscored 23-48 on the road. This brutal scoreline was tough to swallow after seeing how well the Yellow Jackets were keeping up with Ole Miss through the first three and a half quarters. Of note was that Tech played a penalty-free game, just their 8th in school history, and this discipline will prove crucial moving through the season. While there are some positives to take away from the game, unfortunately, blown coverages, poor rushing defense, and a blocked kick prevented our developing offense from keeping the final score close. Let’s dive into my three main takeaways after the loss that dropped us to 1-2.

1. Defensive Struggles

For the first three quarters of the game, the Rebels ran all over our defense, with Ole Miss amassing 226 rushing yards. Our defense simply could not get the reads and first-time tackles to take down their rushers. Over the game, Tech allowed 299 rushing yards for an average of 8.1 yards per carry, and 136 of the yards were in a second half full of big-time passing plays by the Rebels. Tech's defensive coordinator, Andrew Thacker, did not seem to make the necessary adjustments to maintain the rush in the second half, which is concerning as we move onto the fourth game of the season.

LB Paul Moala Tackles Jaxson Dart — Linebacker Paul Moala Tackles Ole Miss Quarterback Jaxson Dart :: AP Photo/Thomas Graning

The first three quarters did not show Ole Miss passing the ball much (most likely because we were allowing them to run us over and their top receiver was out), but the fourth quarter exposed our secondary greatly. Out of Ole Miss’s 251 passing yards, 154 of them came in the fourth quarter. Three plays caused 151 of those with Dart completing passes for 40, 68, and 43 yards on separate drives, each drive resulting in a score.

For a couple of highs on defense despite all of this, LaMiles Brooks and D’Quon Douse had career-high tackles with 9 and 8 with Douse also recording a tackle for loss. Despite this, though, if this defense cannot figure out how to stop the run or the big passes, we are going to have serious struggles no matter what our offense can put up.

2. Offensive Promise

This offense is beginning to look like a team that could compete with the top ACC teams. Haynes King is clearly building chemistry with his receivers, particularly true freshman Eric Singleton Jr. who had the most targets with 11, though only 5 receptions, for 97 yards and a touchdown. Two of the most exciting plays came from the duo with a 51-yard pass to set up a score in the third quarter and a 15-yard TD pass in the fourth that made the game 17-24. Singleton Jr. should be a name we hear quite a bit for the next few years and is beginning to look like a top option going forward for King.

Our quarterback had a stellar game throwing for 307 yards and 2 touchdowns on 28 completions in 41 attempts along with 42 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. His stat lines do not even encompass everything he was able to show through this offense as several dropped passes took away a couple more touchdowns. He once again showed why he deserves this starting job as he showed confidence in the pocket and in scrambling. His elusiveness in play-action plays allowed him to pick up a few extra yards as it tricked the defense on a couple of plays. As we continue to go through the season, we can be sure to see him grow within Buster Faulkner’s offensive plans and in his connection with teammates, and even looking at his throwing technique, King has made adjustments that are allowing him to take that next step to excellence.

King to Singleton 🎯🎯#StingEm pic.twitter.com/0EQacFtodt
— Georgia Tech Football (@GeorgiaTechFB) September 17, 2023

We cannot leave out the running backs who played a key role in this game gaining crucial yards and who are showing improvement each week. With Dontae Smith out, Trey Cooley and Jamal Haynes combined for 123 yards, and while they certainly have some work to do, both backs had significant plays in the game that are promising for the future. Whenever Smith returns, this is a committee that we can have confidence will get the job done, and Faulkner and Key will better establish each of their strengths in their new offense as the weeks go on.

3. Special Teams Issues

In what seems to be a recurring nightmare we Tech fans continue to relive, a blocked kick and special teams issues continued to hurt us. After Gavin Stewart struggled last week to put the ball between the posts, Key opted for redshirt freshman Aiden Birr to take the 43-yard kick, but Ole Miss was able to get a hand on it to knock the ball down. After the ball rolled with no player snagging it and David Shanahan (punter and placeholder) sliding feet first into the ball to push it further toward our endzone, it appeared that he was a little beat up and Ole Miss had covered the loose ball to take possession at Georgia Tech’s 34-yard line, leading to a touchdown. The whole play was a mess and did not set the right tone for Tech, highlighting once again our ongoing issues with special teams.

This missed kick along with the ones from previous games were most likely a factor in Brent Key electing to go for the touchdown on fourth down on our next offensive drive, though we did not convert. This proved crucial later in the game in decision-making, though, as the potential 6 points we lost because of kicking issues and dare I say mistrust at that point, led us to a very slow offensive start to the game.

If we are to hold our own and compete with the top teams on our schedule, kicking is an issue that has to be worked out. We cannot go into fourth-down situations in field goal range and not have the confidence that the three points will come but that is where we are at the moment. Those points will prove crucial as the rest of the team continues to improve and games are closer in score.

The frustration with kicking cannot overshadow the failed trick play on a punt in the third quarter that led to a short Ole Miss touchdown drive. While I applaud the effort and aggressiveness, and there definitely was a missed holding call that would have given a first down, this is a very risky move on our own 28 that I do not believe was worth it. This is another one of the learning moments for Key and his staff, though, as they continue to discover their identity and gain experience.

Haynes King running against Ole Miss — Haynes King passed for 307 yards and 2 touchdowns / Georgia Tech Athletics

Overall, this game showed a lot of flaws that were hidden within the past two games because of the scorelines. This loss was expected, but what we saw from the offense was extremely promising, especially against the #17 team in the country. Next week against Wake Forest should be the perfect matchup to show fans that both the coaches and players can make the necessary corrections. In a path to bowl games, next week is vital after starting the season 1-3, and a win against the Demon Deacons would give the momentum and confidence to the team that is crucial to having a winning season.

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