In its final home game of the season, Georgia Tech lost to Pittsburgh for the fifth time in six seasons in a 34-20 loss Thursday night at Bobby Dodd Stadium. From a game that will be remembered for, among other things, officiating calls that incited Yellow Jackets fans and a curious postgame handshake between coaches Geoff Collins and Pat Narduzzi, here are four other takeaways from the game.
1. What went poorly
Pitt ran for 317 yards, which was more than double its previous season high. It also was a season high for the Jackets defense and a marked change from their past two run-defense efforts, when they held Duke and N.C. State under 90 yards.
On some occasions, Tech players were in the wrong gaps. Other times, they were effectively blocked. Many others, they missed tackles. Pitt running back Vincent Davis ran 25 times for 247 yards, the second highest rushing total ever accumulated against Tech.
“I don’t think he was necessarily doing anything that made it hard to stop him,” Tech linebacker Quez Jackson said. “We’ve just got to make plays when it’s time to make plays.”
Likewise, after dragging Duke and N.C. State for a combined 638 rushing yards, the Jackets ran for only 98, as Pitt’s dominant front got the better of Tech’s offensive line. Running back Jamious Griffin led with 43 yards. Pass protection wasn’t great, either.
“There’s some times I think we forget to look and give other people credit,” coach Geoff Collins said. “That’s one of the top four defenses in college football.”
2. What went well
In six red-zone trips, Pitt scored one touchdown and four field goals and was stopped on downs once, on the 1-yard line, no less.
After leading six consecutive scoreless possessions, quarterback Jeff Sims put together back-to-back touchdown drives to cut Pitt’s lead to 26-20 with 6:01 to play in the game, leaving the door open for a comeback from down 23-7, which would have tied for the second biggest in school history.
Tech’s first touchdown drive of the game was 98 yards, which tied for sixth longest in school history. Sims made two big plays, taking a hit in the pocket while lofting a 46-yard pass to wide receiver Jalen Camp and then scoring on fourth-and-goal from the Pitt 1 by eluding two defenders and running through two more at the goal line.
While the Jackets were hit with eight penalties for 86 yards, only one was for a false start, an improvement.
Slot receiver Pejé Harris set career highs with four catches for 48 yards. Punter Pressley Harvin’s five punts netted 49.4 yards, improving Tech’s season average to second in FBS at 44.6 yards, behind only Georgia at 45.7.
3. Where the game was lost
After taking a 7-3 lead in the first quarter, Tech had three possessions to add to the lead and increase its control or retake the lead. On the first possession, the Jackets went three-and-out as the offensive line was overwhelmed. The second possession wasn’t really a possession, but Jackson killed a Pitt drive with an interception, then gave the Panthers the ball on the Tech 25-yard line when he tried to lateral but fumbled.
With the score 7-6, Tech went three-and-out again when running back Dontae Smith slipped on a first-down carry, Sims missed wide receiver Adonicas Sanders on a deep shot and then Sims was sacked.
When the Panthers took a 13-7 lead, Tech had a chance to take back the lead. Sims moved the pocket to convert a second-and-7 to Harris and then a third-and-4 on a quick hitter to tight end Dylan Deveney. But Pitt blew up the line on the ensuing first-and-10 and won the next two downs with pressure and speed. Tech punted, Pitt drove for a field goal and 16-7 lead, and the Jackets had to chase the rest of the way.
4. Tech at disadvantage
That Tech was at a decided rest and preparation disadvantage bears consideration. Playing on a Thursday after a Saturday is such a different circumstance that the ACC seeks to ensure that teams play on Thursdays will have equal rest. Either both play after playing the previous Saturday or both come off an open date.
In a season that could be scheduled with no guarantees, the Jackets were stuck with the worst combination – their own short rest and a team preparing and resting for Tech with an open date. For that matter, Tech’s final-exam period ran through Tuesday.
While Tech may well have lost anyway, for example, it’s not difficult to think that the defense might have turned in something other than its worst run-defense effort of the season – in a game in which players were driven off the line and often failed to wrap up and against an opponent with a middling run game – with more rest and preparation.
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