Georgia Tech survives, but ‘can’t keep playing like this’ to make ACC title game

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said the pressure was off his team after its first loss of the season. He predicted his players would hear his message more clearly after North Carolina State beat them. The Yellow Jackets had time to reset and learn their lesson during a bye week.

Then they went out and played poorly against the ACC’s worst team. Tech’s defense looked overmatched for the second game in a row. The Yellow Jackets dropped passes, committed penalties at the worst times and trailed hapless Boston College with four minutes left in the game.

Those things don’t matter so much after the Jackets escaped Alumni Stadium with a 36-34 victory on Saturday. But they still matter as Tech prepares to play Pitt next weekend with a berth in the ACC Championship game at stake.

“I’m always happy to get a win, regardless of how the win occurs or who it’s against,” Key said. “We made that commitment at the beginning of the season (that) we’re going to enjoy it when we win. But I’m also not going to blow smoke up people’s butts, either.

“I was disappointed in some things in the game. Obviously excited we won, but there are also some things to be disappointed about that we’ve got to continue to improve.”

It’s better for the Jackets (9-1, 6-1 ACC) to be disappointed after a lackluster win than to be devastated by what would have been an inexcusable loss.

Boston College was 0-6 in the ACC with four of those losses by margins of 14 points or more. The Eagles lost 45-13 to SMU here last week. They offered more resistance to Tech on senior day.

The Eagles led 28-17 late in the third quarter. Tech came back to lead 33-28 with six minutes to play, but BC went back ahead two minutes later. The Jackets went ahead for good on Aiden Birr’s 23-yard field goal with 11 seconds left.

Now, the Jackets make the ACC title game with a victory over Pitt (7-3, 5-1). That won’t happen with another effort like this one.

“We did a good enough job to win the game, but we can’t keep playing like this,” Tech quarterback Haynes King said. “We can’t keep making it harder and harder on (ourselves) each and every week. We’ve got to be able to grow up, learn from this and learn throughout the whole season.

“We’ve got to put on our big boy pants and take that next step as an offense and as a team.”

Offense wasn’t the issue for the Jackets against BC. They gained 628 yards (8.3 per play) and scored on each of their final five possessions. King passed for 371 yards on 34 attempts with a touchdown, and Malachi Hosley and Jordan Allen both scored on long runs.

But Tech’s defense suddenly has become a liability. The group had been solid until N.C. State scored at will. It should have been easier for Tech to stop the Eagles. They averaged 16.3 points per game against the previous six ACC teams they faced, but tallied 21 points over their first six possessions against Tech.

Boston College still made the kind of mistakes expected from a struggling team. The Jackets just couldn’t take advantage of them while falling behind 28-17 after halftime.

After Tech lost a fumble, the Eagles dropped a wide-open pass for a potential big gain before punting the ball back. BC tied the game with a touchdown 22 seconds before halftime. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on BC during the extra point kick and a short kickoff set the Jackets near midfield, but they ended up missing a 49-yard field goal try.

The Eagles got the ball first after halftime. They went for it on fourth-and-one from their 39-yard line. Turbo Richard slipped through a crack at the line of scrimmage and ran free for a 37-yard gain. Two plays later, Jordan McDonald ran for a 14-yard touchdown that put BC ahead 21-14.

The Jackets answered with a field goal after a dropped pass that would have been a touchdown. The Eagles started their next drive with a 32-yard catch. They never faced a third down on the way to a touchdown for a 28-17 lead.

The Jackets were in trouble.

“Our locker room is so close together that in the most crucial moments, we were able to come together,” said Jackets senior defensive tackle Jordan ban den Berg. “We didn’t even doubt (for) one second. Even when we were down by (11), we didn’t doubt. We knew we were going to be able to come together and win the game.”

Tech usually can count on King at winning time. He nearly saved the Jackets at N.C. State. King brought Tech all the way back against BC.

King’s 35-yard pass to Hosley moved the Jackets to BC’s side of the field. King’s nine-yard run set up a first down at the 11-yard line. The Jackets kicked a field goal to trim their deficit to 28-20.

After Tech forced a punt, King’s 35-yard pass to Eric Rivers put the Jackets at BC’s 3. Jamal Haynes finished the drive with a touchdown run. Tech still trailed 28-26 after a failed two-point run by King out of a trick formation.