Three Takeaways From Georgia Tech's Loss to Georgia

Georgia Tech's poor second half leads to another blowout loss to Georgia

Jackson Caudell | Nov 26, 2022

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Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Georgia Tech could not have asked for a much better start to their game against Georgia, but it was a tale of two halves in Athens today.

The Yellow Jackets trailed only 10-7 heading into the second half, but a dominant second half from Georgia resulted in another lopsided loss for the Yellow Jackets to their in-state rival, 37-14.

Georgia Tech is now 5-7 after this result and will not be eligible for a bowl game for the fourth straight season.

So what are the takeaways from the Yellow Jackets' loss to the Bulldogs?

3. The Offense Was Non-Existant After The First Drive

Georgia Tech quarterback Zach Gibson — Georgia Tech's offense struggled to get going after its first drive / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia Tech marched right down the field and scored on its first possession against the Bulldog's top-ranked defense, but after that, there was not much to like from the Yellow Jackets on that side of the ball.

Georgia Tech had 40 yards rushing for the game and averaged fewer than two yards per carry.

Starting quarterback Zach Gibson had nice moments in the first half, but he was not consistent. He did not make mistakes or turn the ball over, but it was not good enough against a defense as good as Georgia's.

Nate McCollum and E.J. Jenkins had nice catches in one-on-one situations, but no other receivers were able to step up.

Against a defense like this, the offense has to play nearly perfect to win and this offense just stalled out completely after that first drive.

Tech finished with 255 yards, but a chunk of those came in garbage time. Producing offense with your third-string quarterback against the best defense in the country is tough, but the Yellow Jackets did not get it done after their first drive.

2. More Self-Inflicted Mistakes Cost The Team Any Chance of Staying in the Game

Georgia Tech quarterback Taisun Phommachanh — Taisun Phommachanh scores a touchdown against Georgia in the first quarter / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

After taking a 7-0 lead, Georgia Tech was driving to try and make the game 14-0 on its second possession. Facing a second down, Gibson threw the ball over the middle to tight end Dylan Leonard and it looked like it would be a big gain for Georgia Tech. Leonard dropped the pass and it would result in a punt for the Yellow Jackets.

In the second half, Georgia Tech imploded with mistakes to let Georgia take control of the game for good. After a Bulldogs field goal, Peje' Harris dropped a wide open pass that would have been a big game and then a special teams miscue resulted in Georgia getting the ball deep in Tech territory. The next possession, freshman running back Jamie Felix fumbled the ball and Georgia took a 23-7 lead.

You can't make that many mistakes going up against a team as good as Georgia is. I am not saying that Georgia Tech would have won if they had not made the mistakes, but the score might not have been as bad.

1. All Eyes Turn to the Coaching Search

Georgia Tech interim head coach Brent Key and Georgia head coach Kirby Smart — Could Brent Key be Georgia Tech's full-time head coach? / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

With the loss, Georgia Tech can no longer make a bowl game and will now turn its attention to finding its next head coach.

Key has done a good job of rallying this team after Geoff Collins was fired and getting the team to play hard every week. He has beaten two ranked teams on the road and put up a fight against the No. 1 team in the country today.

Key declined to comment on the coaching situation after the game and wanted to keep it about the players and the game.

I asked #GaTech interim head Brent Key if he felt he’s done enough to earn the head coaching job, he wanted to keep it about the players and declined to answer anything about that right now.
— jackson caudell (@jacksoncaudell) November 26, 2022

Whether it is Key or someone else, the next week or so should be interesting for Georgia Tech and its coaching search.

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3. The Offense Was Non-Existant After The First Drive

2. More Self-Inflicted Mistakes Cost The Team Any Chance of Staying in the Game

1. All Eyes Turn to the Coaching Search

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