Georgia Tech played till the end of its 31-13 loss Saturday to No. 4 Notre Dame at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Rather than take a knee, the Irish tried to punch it in from the Tech 1-yard line on the final play of the game, but linebackers Quez Jackson and David Curry and cornerback Tre Swilling brought down running back C’Bo Flemister shy of the goal line.
It was an admirable finish and better overall performance for the Yellow Jackets, who nonetheless fell to 2-5 for the season. There was much else to be gleaned from the defeat.
1. Painful defeat
The post-game comments from wide receiver Jalen Camp and safety Juanyeh Thomas made clear that the loss exacted an emotional toll, however expected defeat might have been externally. For them and presumably their teammates, there wasn’t much solace to be taken from playing better than the team had in losses to No. 1 Clemson and Boston College.
“It’s hurting me now,” Thomas said, “but I still have high spirits for this team.”
Camp said it was important to stay positive, “because this season is not something that we’d hoped it’d be, sitting with our record right now.”
While many Tech fans likely had dim hopes for the season — the Jackets were picked to finish 15th in the ACC — that was not the case for the team. In the preseason, for instance, wide receiver Malachi Carter said that expectations were “huge” and that “we want to start winning some games.” For Carter and his teammates, Saturday left the disappointing reality of a season slipping away. After an open date this week, the Jackets have four more games remaining — Pittsburgh, at Miami, Duke and at N.C. State.
“I do believe that if we stay positive, we can make a run,” Camp said.
2. Roster depleted
Tech was down multiple key players. Starting defensive end Antonneous Clayton did not play and watched the game from the sideline. Running back Jamious Griffin also was not available with an ankle injury.
Nickel back Charlie Thomas and wide receiver Ahmarean Brown both left the game with injuries and did not return. Thomas was tied for the team lead in tackles for loss going into the game (with four) and Brown’s speed makes him arguably Tech’s most dangerous receiver.
“Ahmarean’s definitely a big impact in our offense,” freshman quarterback Jeff Sims said. “But things happen. We’ve just got to adjust and we had Nate in, and Nate did a good job coming out there and just staying ready.”
The game participation report, not always completely accurate, listed 13 freshmen who played in the game along with four redshirt freshmen.
“And (what) you saw on special teams was a bunch of young guys and they went in there and just fought and tried to represent who this program is and fight for the older guys, as well,” coach Geoff Collins said.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
3. Game lost in the middle
Tech did better Saturday in not losing control of the game early, as has often been the case this season. The Jackets trailed Boston College 24-0 after the first 18 minutes and Clemson 24-7 in the same span. Against Notre Dame, thanks to Thomas’ strip and cornerback Zamari Walton’s 93-yard fumble return for a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter, Tech and Notre Dame were tied at 7 despite the Irish having gained 131 yards of offense to the Jackets’ six.
Saturday, the Jackets lost their grip at the end of the first half and start of the second. In a span of less than nine minutes, Notre Dame scored 10 points while the Jackets scored none on three possessions that all reached Irish territory.
With 4:04 left in the first half, Tech went for it on fourth-and-2 from the Notre Dame 45, but Notre Dame’s star safety and Marist School grad Kyle Hamilton charged by left tackle Zach Quinney to blow up a pitch to running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Notre Dame took over and drove for a 32-yard field goal and a 17-7 lead, leaving the Jackets with 1:49 to answer.
However, a poorly blocked kickoff return only reached the Notre Dame 12, leading the Jackets to be cautious as they tried to get out of their end, bleeding down the clock in the process. After doing so, Sims showed his youth on the final play, from the Tech 46 with 13 seconds left and no timeouts remaining. Sims scrambled for seven yards and slid to a stop, which allowed the final seconds to run off, preventing the Jackets from running another play.
To open the second half, Tech moved from its 25 to Notre Dame’s 22 with an Irish penalty and Camp’s sensational, over-the-shoulder, diving catch for a 39-yard completion for Tech’s biggest gain of the game.
But following a false start on right guard Ryan Johnson to set up a first-and-15, Irish defensive end Daelin Hayes sped around freshman right tackle Jordan Williams and stripped Sims, with Notre Dame recovering. The Irish then needed only six plays to cover 65 yards for a touchdown and a 24-7 lead at the 10:43 mark.
Sims praised the Notre Dame defense, “but I feel like if we would have executed our offense better, it would have been a different outcome," he said.
4. Positives to build on
Often tangled in their own mistakes in previous games, Tech appeared to make fewer mistakes Saturday. The Jackets turned the ball over once — Sims’ fumble in the third quarter, which he could do little about — after 18 turnovers in the first six games.
They were penalized six times for 50 yards, two of them drawn on Notre Dame’s final drive of the game, down from the season average of 8.7 penalties per game and 65 yards. There was one false start on the offensive line, which had been a trouble spot. Collins said that the improvement of the pre-snap procedure for center Mikey Minihan and Sims — including the identification of the middle linebacker and the snap count — was “one of the biggest positives throughout this game.”
On defense, missed tackles were down and decisive plays were made more by Notre Dame’s doing than Tech’s mistakes. More than previous losses, Tech required Notre Dame to earn its victory rather than gift wrap it.
“I thought that was much better (Saturday),” Collins said.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
5. Leaving gaps in the pocket
One area that continues to need attention is the pass rush, which created two sacks — by defensive tackle Djimon Brooks and nickel back Kaleb Oliver — but was not always disciplined in compressing the pocket. Linemen sometimes strayed out of their lanes, creating gaps for quarterback Ian Book to escape through for downfield runs.
It was one reason why Notre Dame had so much success on third down, converting 10 of its 15 third downs, including the first six of the game. As the Jackets go into their open week, rush-lane integrity will most likely be on defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker’s to-do list.
Collins praised Thacker’s calling of the game, “but we continue to have to find ways to shore up our pass-rush lanes,” he said.
Tech opponents are now converting 49.1% of their third downs, the highest rate in the ACC. The opponent rate last season was 45.2%.
