4 takeaways from Georgia Tech’s loss to Pitt
Four takeaways from No. 16 Georgia Tech’s 42-28 loss to Pitt Saturday night at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
What happened?
The question that will forever linger over this game is how the Jackets could come out so flat.
On offense, the Jackets dropped passes, made ill-advised throws and couldn’t keep quarterback Haynes King protected.
On defense, Pitt played with more speed and intensity, hit big plays in the run and pass and had the Jackets on their heels.
A little more than 18 minutes into the biggest game that the Jackets had played since 1990, Pitt led 28-0 and the game was all but over. Tech had been outgained 230-21.
So much was on the line for the Jackets, who could have secured a spot in the ACC championship game with a win and kept the wind in the sails of its bid to make the College Football Playoff. Their play at the game’s outset — particularly given the way they recovered and made a run at a historic comeback — was confusing and a mystery.
After deluge, defense picks up
The big question going into the game was whether the Tech defense, which had been strafed by N.C. State and Boston College in successive games, could stop Pitt enough to give the Jackets a chance.
Through five possessions, after which Tech trailed 28-0, the answer seemed abundantly clear. But defensive coordinator Blake Gideon’s unit kept the Panthers from scoring over the next six possessions.
After giving up 281 yards in the first half, Tech allowed less than 125 in the second.
Play of the game
The easy choice for the play of the game was Pitt linebacker Braylan Lovelace’s 99-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter.
With Tech lined up for a third-and-goal from the Pitt 5-yard line after driving from its 20, King dropped back to pass and threw to tight end Brett Seither but apparently didn’t see Lovelace, who had shown a blitz look at the snap but dropped back into coverage and snared King’s pass at the goal line.
Tech went from potentially closing the lead to 28-21 against a Pitt team that had gone cold offensively to falling behind 35-14, a margin that proved too great for the Jackets to overcome.
King finished 27-for-41 for 257 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. It was his first two-interception game since throwing four against Clemson in 2023.
Still not out of it
Despite the loss, Tech isn’t completely out of the chase for a spot in the ACC title game.
The Jackets finish ACC play at 6-2 and now will need help in the form of a Virginia loss to Virginia Tech, an SMU loss to Cal and a Pitt loss to Miami.
About the Author
Ken Sugiura is a sports columnist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Formerly the Georgia Tech beat reporter, Sugiura started at the AJC in 1998 and has covered a variety of beats, mostly within sports.
