Home proved inhospitable again Saturday for Georgia Tech, losing 35-14 to Miami at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Yellow Jackets finished their six-game home slate (with one game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium) at 2-4. It will be their fourth consecutive season in which they finish with two home wins.
The Jackets allowed a touchdown on the game’s opening drive and chased the Hurricanes the entire afternoon, finally falling out of the picture by giving up three touchdowns in less than 5:30 of game action in the fourth quarter.
Key play
Tech trailed 14-7 in the third quarter with about three minutes to play and had a first-and-10 on the Miami 35-yard line. After gaining one first down in its first two drives of the half (by penalty), the Jackets were on the move, picking up a pair of first downs to drive from their 9 into Miami territory. Offensive coordinator Chip Long called for a gadget play and a potential home run, a flea flicker off a reverse. But quarterback Zach Pyron’s throw to tight end Dylan Leonard was intercepted inside the Miami 10. Worse, it proved the last play of the game for Pyron, who started in place of the injured Jeff Sims, as Pyron sustained an apparent injury to his left shoulder and did not return. Without him, the Jackets could not move the ball until the game was out of reach.
Key stat
Tech lost turnover margin 4-0, as the Jackets had more turnovers Saturday than any game since the loss to Syracuse in 2020 and failed to produce any takeaways for the first time this season. Before Saturday, Tech ranked second in FBS in turnover margin at plus-15, not a small factor in its four wins this season.
Game ball
Miami safety Kamren Kinchens intercepted Tech quarterbacks Zach Pyron and Zach Gibson three times as the Hurricanes picked off four passes total against the Jackets. The first two were particularly costly for Tech. On the first, Kinchens raced in from the center of the field to thwart a possible 32-yard touchdown pass from Pyron to wide receiver Nate McCollum in the first quarter. The second was off Gibson when the score was still 14-7 in Miami’s favor in the fourth quarter, on a deep ball down the sideline to McCollum, coming in again from center field. The last was icing, a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown off Gibson late in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach. He became the first player to record three interceptions in a game against Tech since North Carolina’s Dre’ Bly in 1996.
What we learned
As was the case in the Jackets’ 41-16 loss to Florida State, Tech had difficulty matching the superior talent and athletic ability that the Hurricanes threw at them. Miami running back Jaylan Knighton and quarterback Jacurri Brown ran through tackles and outran pursuit as they combined for 205 rushing yards, including four runs of 15 yards or more. Knighton, Brown and Kinchens (three interceptions) are three of Miami’s 46 players who were rated four- or five-star prospects by 247Sports Composite, well ahead of Tech’s 18.
They said it
“(Turnover margin) was the No. 1 most critical factor in the game. It is always. And that’s one of the reasons we’ve been able to have some success week to week, was being able to take care of the football and then on the other side, be able to get the football. It flipped the other way (Saturday), so we’ve got to go back and look exactly why those things occurred.” – Tech interim coach Brent Key
What’s next
Tech: The Jackets (4-6, 3-4 ACC) will go to Chapel Hill, N.C., on Saturday to play No. 15 North Carolina. The Tar Heels played at Wake Forest on Saturday evening with their five-game win streak on the line.
Miami: The Hurricanes (4-6, 2-4) travel to play No. 10 Clemson on Saturday. The Tigers defeated Louisville 31-16 at home Saturday.
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