Georgia Tech takeaways: Jackets suffer ‘embarrassing’ loss to Boston College

Brent Key was blunt following one of the most damaging losses of his Georgia Tech tenure.

“That’s unacceptable,” he said.

The Yellow Jackets lost 49-27 to Boston College at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Eagles quarterback Mason McKenzie rushed for more yards (170) than Tech’s entire offense.

Boston College finished with a staggering 399 yards rushing, averaging nearly nine yards per carry on mostly quarterback read-options.

Tech led at halftime, but was outscored 37-14 in the second half.

The loss drops the Jackets to 2-5, pushing the program farther from the national prominence it reached with an 8-0 start last season.

Tech didn’t finish 2025 strong. And it started this season off worse. How did the program go from vying for a College Football Playoff spot to likely having a losing season in less than a year?

“It’s bewildering,” Key said. “It is. It’s everything ... I thought we had a good week of practice and you (go) out there and you don’t execute. And when I say ‘execute,’ I’m talking about everyone. It’s all of our jobs to go out there to coach, to adjust, to correct and put players to play. All those things.”

The questions that follow such a loss are obvious. Will changes be made to the staff? Will changes be made to the personnel on the field?

“I know what I saw on the field,” Key said. “But when you’re looking at something like this, guys, that is that embarrassing of a loss, I’m going to be very careful with the words I choose and how I address this.”

Fatal flaw: Tech’s depleted defensive front was missing at least three defensive tackles, including Tawfiq Thomas and Vincent Carroll-Jackson, and at least three defensive ends because of injuries.

The Eagles repeatedly gashed Tech for long gains and touchdowns. The injuries help explain it, but Tech’s run-stopping problems date back to the season opener.

McKenzie, Boston College’s quarterback, finished with three total touchdowns.

“It was something that we were prepared for,” said Tech linebacker E.J. Lightsey. “We watched film. We saw that he made big plays with his legs. That’s exactly what he did. That’s that.”

Running back Bo MacCormack III had 89 yards rushing on the season before Saturday. Against Tech, he ran for 155 yards and scored three touchdowns.

Tech’s defensive front, smaller at defensive end and thin at defensive tackle because of attrition, had no answers.

“I think it all comes down to execution,” Lightsey said. “They out-executed, made adjustments. We made adjustments as well, but, like I said, we just got out-executed.”

Fast start, poor finish: Earlier this week, Key said he worked to eliminate inconsistent play that has caused wild swings in performance, from game to game and series to series.

Saturday marked the fifth time this season Tech has led at halftime. The Jackets are 2-3 in those games, with one victory coming against FCS-level Mercer.

Against Boston College, the Jackets scored a touchdown on the opening drive and kicked a field goal on their second drive to take a 10-0 lead. The Eagles scored 49 points in the final three quarters for a blowout win.

Last week, the opposite happened. The Jackets fell behind 24-3 by halftime at Virginia Tech and stormed back in the second half.

Key said he made changes to practices during the week and emphasized focusing on the process rather than results.

It didn’t pay off on Saturday. What’s the solution?

“I wish I knew,” said Tech quarterback Alberto Mendoza. “If I knew, we’d fix it.”

Couldn’t keep up: With the defense reeling, Tech’s offense, which has improved incrementally this season, simply couldn’t keep pace. That’s because after the first touchdown, their next two trips inside the 5-yard line in the first half resulted in only six total points. Mendoza threw two second-half interceptions. And for the game, the offense was just 2 of 11 on third down.

The defense allowed 500 yards. The offense wasn’t consistent enough to compensate.