Quarterback Haynes King’s two interceptions in the fourth quarter sealed Georgia Tech’s loss to Boston College on Saturday.
The first led to a touchdown. The second interception, fumbled then recovered by Boston College, allowed the Eagles to hold on the ball for more than five minutes and kneel it out for a 38-23 victory.
Overall, King threw three interceptions Saturday, and he said there was no excuse for any of them.
“At the end of the day, It doesn’t matter if it’s forced or not forced,” King said. “You can’t have three turnovers. It kills drives, kills momentum, kills everything.”
After interceptions and inconsistencies against the Eagles, the Yellow Jackets have their sights set on North Carolina on Saturday (8 p.m., ACC Network). The Tar Heels’ defense ranks among the middle of the pack in the ACC, at eighth with an average of 22.4 points allowed per game.
But, before then, the Jackets are evaluating the how’s and why’s of Saturday’s loss.
“That’s how you start taking steps in the right direction: looking at yourself in the mirror, knowing what’s going on and then you can take a step forward,” King said.
It started in team meetings Sunday. Players spoke up about what they needed to correct during the full-team meeting, coach Brent Key said. It wasn’t anything new or different from other weeks, Key said, but he felt it was valuable for the team to hear their peers share their opinions.
Among the points of emphasis: consistency. Tech played its most complete four-quarter performance of the season against Miami two weeks before losing to Boston College over mishaps in the fourth quarter.
“If you didn’t totally know how to do it, it’s one thing,” Key said. “When you’ve proven to do it numerous times, then you’ve got to take that and make it consistent. That’s what we’re working toward.”
There were highlight-reel worthy moments for King on Saturday, such as his 71-yard touchdown run that brought the Tech student section to its feet and his ability to easily evade the defense on quarterback keepers. However, King and the offense had an especially difficult fourth quarter between the two interceptions and being forced to punt early in the period.
Inconsistencies have been a theme for Tech this season, and it’s no different for the offense. What do the Jackets feel is the fix to these woes?
Running back Jamal Haynes said it’s seeing the value in shorter runs. Not every play will be a 40- or 60-yard gain, Haynes said. Shorter runs are efficient, he said, and he feels the offense will stay on track if they all come to embrace that.
Key said running the ball more consistently would help take some pressure off the coordinators and keep the game flowing.
“That consistency around the football is something that’s got to improve,” Key said. “There will be several things we do this week to change a couple things up and try to open things up for those guys running the football.”
Regardless of changes made, Key feels confident in King at the helm. He’s a competitor, Key said, and understands how to improve even on good plays.
“I fully expect Haynes to continue to make improvements, to continue to get better and work his tail off to eliminate the things that are hurting,” Key said.
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