A quarter-by-quarter look at Georgia Tech’s 31-28 loss against Pittsburgh on Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
FIRST QUARTER
Big play: Freshman B-back Marcus Marshall, making his first career start, took an option pitch from quarterback Justin Thomas and raced 58 yards down the east sideline to tie the score at 7-7 at the 6:29 mark. It was the first run play of 20 yards or more by a running back since the Notre Dame game and set the tone for an afternoon of big plays.
Turning point: After the Jackets dug out from their 8-yard line with a 34-yard pass play to wide receiver Micheal Summers, Tech lost possession on a fumble by Thomas, giving Pitt the ball at the Jackets' 48-yard line. It was the seventh fumble of the season by Thomas, which equaled his total for the 2014 season.
Takeaway: With 195 yards of offense on 10 plays, the Jackets appeared solve the issues that confounded them in the previous four games, particularly with effective runs on the perimeter.
Score: Tech 7, Pittsburgh 7
SECOND QUARTER
Big play: Thomas opened the quarter with a 29-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Ricky Jeune, who took advantage of a size mismatch against 5-foot-9 cornerback Avonte Maddox to score his third touchdown of the season, all in the past four games. It was Thomas' 11th consecutive game with a touchdown pass.
Turning point: After two consecutive three-and-outs, Pittsburgh faced a second-and-7 at its 28 early in the quarter. Quarterback Nate Peterman converted with a 41-yard pass to wide receiver Dontez Ford, and then wide receiver Tyler Boyd completed a 29-yard pass to wide receiver Zach Challingsworth, setting up the Panthers for a touchdown to tie the score at 14-14 at 12:40.
Takeaway: The game was setting up as a back-and-forth shootout. The Jackets missed a chance on their final drive to take the lead when a facemask penalty on Pittsburgh erased an 18-yard loss. Kicker Harrison Butker's kick at the end of the half was blocked, ending a run of four consecutive successful field-goal tries.
Score: Tech 21, Pittsburgh 21
THIRD QUARTER
Big play: After a strong start to the first drive of the second half, Thomas was errant on a pitch to A-back Mikell Lands-Davis, producing a seven-yard loss on first-and-10 from the Pitt 47. Two more plays for loss led to a punt.
Turning point: On a third-and-4 from the Tech 43, safety A.J. Gray missed a tackle on a swing pass to running back Qadree Ollison, allowing Pitt to keep its drive going. The possession ended in the Tech end zone with 51 seconds left in the quarter after a Peterman 6-yard pass to tight end J.P. Holtz.
Takeaway: Not much of a shootout here. The Jackets punted twice in the quarter (notably, both snaps were successful) on its two full possessions of the quarter. Of 12 plays, five went for no gain or loss.
Score: Pittsburgh 28, Tech 21
FOURTH QUARTER
Big play: Pitt kicker Chris Blewitt made a field goal from 56 yards, giving Pitt a 31-28 lead with 1:11 to play. It was the junior's career-long by four yards and a school record. It capped a drive the Panthers extended twice with conversions on fourth down.
Turning point: On a third-and-7 from the Tech 26-yard line and the score tied at 28-28, Marshall gained four yards on a pass into the flat. The play was compounded by a pass-interference penalty that gave Tech a third-and-20 from its 13 that it didn't convert. The Panthers got the ball back with 8:13 and used the possession to score the game-winner.
Takeaway: The Jackets played better, but couldn't make plays when it counted in losing their fifth in a row.
Score: Pittsburgh 31, Tech 28
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