All is not lost for Georgia Tech, but its margin for error is

RALEIGH, N.C. – Until Saturday, Georgia Tech’s season had been a thrilling joyride, a team scaling heights it hadn’t reached in nearly 60 years, pulling out last-second wins and winning converts to the cause with an unrelenting style and a seemingly unstoppable quarterback.

But after getting removed from the ranks of the unbeaten in a 48-36 loss to N.C. State, the No. 8 Yellow Jackets now begin a journey of a different sort. In their final three games of the regular season (and possibly in the ACC title game), they’re going to determine whether this season is history-making or merely better than expected.

“We have three games that remain, and everything that we have wanted to do is still in front of us,” coach Brent Key said after the game, his body language and voice subdued. “It’s our choice and our decision how we respond to this outcome.”

As they dared to attempt a perfect season, a game like Saturday was going to happen eventually. The Jackets were going to play a game in which they weren’t at their best and their inferior opponent was going to be at top form. The only question was whether Tech could escape the upset bid.

It could not.

N.C. State, which had lost its previous four games against Football Bowl Subdivision competition and was without the ACC’s leading rusher at running back (Hollywood Smothers) and its receptions leader (tight end Justin Joly), slayed the giant before a frenzied crowd at Carter-Finley Stadium.

“They lined up and physically kicked our ass,” Key said, accurately.

Tech made mistakes on offense, defense and special teams. N.C. State quarterback CJ Bailey played out of his mind, completing his first 10 passes and finishing 24-for-32 for 340 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Running back Jayden Scott, a Stockbridge High grad, ran for a career-high 196 yards and a touchdown.

“We’ve got to improve, and we will,” Key said.

The Tech defense, which until Saturday had only allowed one play from scrimmage longer than 42 yards, gave up three such plays to the Wolfpack. The Jackets were not a particularly resistant opponent. They helped the Wolfpack score on eight of their first nine possessions (including seven touchdowns) by recording one tackle for loss through the first three quarters, breaking up one pass and not forcing a turnover.

The inability to create havoc is a seasonlong shortcoming. Before Saturday’s games, Tech was 113th in FBS in turnovers created (six) and tied for 79th in tackles for loss per game (5.3), according to cfbstats.

N.C. State hit season highs against FBS opponents for points (48) and yards (583).

“We’ve got to look at ourselves in the mirror and know that we’ve got to do more,” safety Clayton Powell-Lee said.

With the defense getting run through, Tech’s offense was almost up to the task, but not quite enough. Two of six red-zone trips produced only field goals, one in which the Jackets had first-and-goal from the 2-yard line but couldn’t get into the end zone.

Going into Saturday’s games, Tech was 86th in FBS in red-zone touchdown percentage (60.6%), per cfbstats.

“You’ve got to score touchdowns in the red zone,” quarterback Haynes King said. “You can’t kick field goals. Whether it’s converting on third down, whether it’s making a throw, making a play, bowing your neck, trying to find a way, it doesn’t matter. It’s inexcusable and we’ve got to do a better job of helping the defense out as well.”

Here’s the upshot for Tech, though.

Now 8-1, the Jackets will fall out of the top 10, obviously, and when the College Football Playoff selection committee releases its first ranking of the season Tuesday, the Jackets might be somewhere around No. 14 or 15. But their dream season is far from over.

It’s just that to make the 12-team CFP field, they probably can’t lose again.

The Jackets can’t lose to Boston College or Pitt, which would likely take them out of the running for a spot in the ACC title game — which is their best chance to get in the CFP, as the ACC champion will earn an automatic berth.

They probably can’t lose to No. 5 Georgia, as that is by far their best chance to prove themselves to the CFP committee. And, even if they were to reach the ACC title game at 11-1 with a win over Georgia, a loss that dropped them to 11-2 could do them in.

But it doesn’t have to happen that way, especially if the Jackets can address their deficiencies.

Almost certainly, they’ll be favored against B.C. and Pitt. And Tech has no reason to fear the Bulldogs, who labored to beat an unspectacular Florida team Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida. And if the Jackets make the ACC title game, they have enough to win there, too.

It’s a credit to Key and his program that, at this point, a record of 9-3 or 10-3 and a spot in the top 25 and a reputable bowl game would be a disappointment at this point.

But it doesn’t change the fact that, after making it to 8-0 and No. 8 in the AP poll, it would still be a disappointment.

A defining moment has arrived.

“Are you going to come together or fall apart?” King said. “I feel like this team’s going to come together, just because of who we are.”