In the first-ever football meeting between Georgia Tech and neighboring Georgia State, the Yellow Jackets got what they wanted, though not before a little bit of squirming.
Meanwhile, the Panthers stood toe to toe for a half with the big-brother program that began football with more than a century’s head start. They were left, though, with the familiar lament of would-be upset perpetrators – what if?
What if they could have punched the ball in from first-and-goal on an attention-grabbing opening drive to take a 7-0 lead and not turned the ball over on downs? And what if they could have done likewise on their fourth drive – when Tech led 7-0 – rather than settling for a field goal after shoving the Jackets back nearly the length of the field? And what if they could have kept Tech quarterback Haynes King out of the end zone on a fourth-and-goal from the Georgia State 2-yard line at the end of the first half, a score that put the Jackets up 14-3?
All questions for conversations at Georgia State tailgates and reunions, presumably none of them satisfying.
For Tech prevailed in those critical moments and built on them in the second half to claim a 35-12 win on a warm Saturday night at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
“We knew what we were getting into when we got here,” Panthers coach Dell McGee said after his head-coaching debut. “There’s always a couple moments that you wish you could get back and make a better call.”
The Jackets provided their fans, hoping for confirmation of their team’s merits displayed in the previous Saturday’s upset of No. 10 Florida State in Ireland, with sufficient evidence and city bragging rights to boot.
McGee – born and raised in the state (in Columbus) – unveiled a Panthers team that for the first two quarters held its ground against a team that figures to break into the Top 25 on Tuesday and could well be an ACC title contender.
“We’ve definitely got to clean up detail, goal-line plays, limit big plays,” McGee said. “We’ve got to tackle better, leverage the ball better, just basically get better at simple things, and I know our kids will grow from this experience.”
On the other sideline, on the same field where last year his team repeatedly followed signature wins with faceplants, coach Brent Key supervised an authoritative performance that followed the emotional high in Dublin. For a team that aspires to take the next step from seven-win bowl team to conference champion, it was a necessary display.
Tech was far from perfect. Georgia State could easily have put up 16 more points (the empty opening possession and drops of a would-be touchdown pass and a two-point conversion) and made the affair much more tense.
But its control of the game in the second half was firm, outgaining Georgia State 315-198 after halftime and outscoring the Panthers 21-9. King again was an accurate and dynamic dual threat, completing 24 of 29 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns (with one interception) while running for a third with 27 yards on the ground.
Running back Jamal Haynes was combustible, gaining 84 yards on 17 carries with a touchdown. Receiver Malik Rutherford accumulated 131 receiving yards, 52 of them on a touchdown pass down the seam in the third quarter to create a 28-3 lead.
“You’ve got to give Georgia Tech credit,” McGee said. “They came out and did what they’re supposed to, especially in the second half. They kind of opened the game wide open and put us in a little bit of catch-up mode, but our kids never quit. They kept fighting.”
After the ACC’s results Saturday – notably No. 14 Clemson’s capitulation to No. 1 Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium – there’s even less reason than a week ago to think that the Jackets (picked ninth in the preseason media poll) can’t be in the conference title picture.
“They’re a physical bunch,” McGee said of the Jackets. “They’re going to run the football, the quarterback poses a lot of problems because he can run, he can create explosive plays, he can extend plays, he can make broken plays. They’ve got a good set of running backs, the O-line’s very physical, an older group that’s been playing together for awhile.”
As for the Panthers, picked to finish seventh (last) in the Sun Belt’s East Division, they may also be due an adjustment of preseason projections. The offensive line cleared the way for 150 rushing yards. Quarterback Christian Veilleux was 19-for-34 for 210 yards and a touchdown and was not aided by a couple drops. The defense had its moments, just not nearly enough.
“I know we could have played a lot better collectively,” McGee said. “I could have coached better. We could have made better decisions. You’re always going to look back at those things.”
They’ll play their home opener Saturday at Center Parc Stadium against FCS Chattanooga. The mountain to climb will not be nearly as tall as it was Saturday.
Tech will go to Syracuse for a second ACC game.
The night was festive. For Tech’s home opener, fans in Georgia State royal blue tailgated with Tech fans in white and gold and sat together in the stands. The attendance was announced at 40,113, larger than every home game last season but the Georgia game.
The skylines of Midtown and downtown provided their dramatic backdrop. Tech fans roared when Irish WWE wrestler Sheamus – who last week as a guest picker on ESPN’s “College GameDay” was the only panelist to take the Jackets over Florida State – was introduced on the field during a first-quarter timeout. Maybe an honorary degree is next.
The game ended with Key and McGee meeting at midfield, with Key sharing several words of encouragement to the new head coach. It was still no time for McGee to take stock of his career path, from assistant coach at Harris County High in 2002 to head coach at Georgia State 22 years later.
He said he was peeved, only he didn’t use that word.
On to the next.
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