Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson was not the only one for whom the Quick Lane Bowl was the finale. At least collegiately, it was the end of the line for 19 seniors and four more players who are giving up their final season of eligibility. The sting and disappointment of losing so decisively to Minnesota on Wednesday night was palpable after the 34-10 defeat.
“I think about all the guys that I’ve played with over the years,” linebacker Brant Mitchell said. “I’ve been crying my eyes out for the past 30 minutes. It’s surreal. It’s something that a lot of guys, a lot of times, take for granted while you’re in it. When you finally get through, it really takes you back and makes you think about all the special times you’ve had and the relationships you’ve created over the years. And it’s just been a whirlwind of just thoughts and emotions.”
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Once inside the locker room after the game, defensive end Desmond Branch said, the reality further sank in that for many it was the last time they would be playing at any level. For Branch, being part of a defense that gave up 260 rushing yards to the Gophers, more than 100 yards more than Tech’s season average, and didn’t require them to punt once made it even worse.
“It’s just so frustrating that this is the last game, this is what you’re going to hang your jersey up on, and that’s not a good feeling to sit on,” Branch said.
For A-back Qua Searcy, the reality hit that, after five seasons as a Yellow Jacket, he’ll no longer be a part of the team.
"Definitely anytime you lose, it's a heartbreaker, but, like I said, the most heartbreaking thing is I won't be with those guys next year," he said.
As the Jackets flailed on offense in the first half, Searcy gave a pep talk to the offensive line, encouraging the linemen to settle down and just play. But nothing seemed to work consistently, either for the line or the skill players. The A-backs, for instance, had difficulty blocking on the perimeter as Minnesota defensive backs evaded cut-block attempts, clearly well-prepared for that element of Tech’s option offense.
After Tech went three-and-out to start the game, “We thought we could overcome it, so we didn’t stress it much, but it just kept happening,” Searcy said. “It was something we were just trying to work on, but we couldn’t get it right.”
Quarterback TaQuon Marshall's disappointment was visible as he addressed media after the game. After Tech players expressed their disappointment over being passed over by ACC bowls for teams that the Jackets had beaten, he had hoped to take motivation from the perceived slight and demonstrate his team's worthiness against Minnesota. Marshall and the offense were far from their best, gaining 283 yards of offense, 70 of them picked up on the final meaningless drive.
“It’s tough to go out this way,” he said. “Very emotional. But we didn’t come out ready to play, and it showed. We only scored 10 points. That’s bottom line. We didn’t come ready to play, they did, they showed it.”
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