Tech and Collins Get First Win
Geoff Collins’ Yellow Jackets Hang On To Beat USF In 2019 Home Opener, 14-10
A year ago on a hot day in Tampa, Georgia Tech fell to the University of South Florida in a shootout 49-38. It was a galling loss in that Georgia Tech gave up an 11 point 4th quarter lead, unable to stop the Bulls at crunch time. On Saturday in Atlanta, Tech again held an 11 point 4th quarter lead, but this time they were able to ride it to a narrow victory, thanks to a determined and resourceful Yellow Jacket defense–along with some extraordinary tactical largesse from the visitors.
However you frame it, this was a win, and a big one, as it was the first ever for Collins at Georgia Tech, coming in the 2019 home opener and bringing Tech’s record to 1-1. And all that is good.
The Ramblin’ Wreck leads the Yellow Jackets onto Grant FIeld for the first time under Coach Geoff Collins
But there were plenty of post-game concerns about the bigger picture. Notably, Tech’s offense which produced 14 points in the 2nd quarter, and little else. Again in this their 2nd game, the total production was skimpy ( 257 yards on 70 plays), and key mistakes were made at key moments, including 2 turnovers.
Entering the 3rd quarter with a 14-3 lead, and looking to put the game away, both of Tech’s 3rd quarter possessions together produced a total of only 37 yards on 12 plays, one drive ending with a punt and the next with an interception of a Lucas Johnson pass. USF quickly converted that turnover into their only touchdown, scoring on the first play of the 4th quarter to move the score to 14-10.
Tobias Oliver (#8) scores Tech’s 2nd TD in the 2nd quarter to push the lead to 14-3
From there, Tech had 3 more possessions, again producing no points. In the final quarter, 20 snaps yielded 110 yards but 35 of those yards came directly from penalties. More remarkably, 2 of those flags extended possessions for the Jackets, effectively acting as turnovers. And even that doesn’t completely spell out USF’s pattern of self-destruction in the 4th period. After their only TD, the visitors regained possession by recovering a Dylan Deveney fumble after a pass reception from Lucas Johnson. Their next play took the Bulls down to Tech’s 1 yard line on a 54 yard pass from Jordan McCloud to Mitchell Wilcox. It was a rare breakdown in Tech’s coverage that allowed McCloud to find Wilcox wide open down the right sideline, leaving the Bulls in position to assume the lead.
Then they were tagged with a 5 yard penalty for pre-snap motion. Two consecutive running plays then took them back down to the 1, where RB Jordan Cronkrite then fumbled at the goal line while attempting to leap the pile. Tech’s TK Chimedza recovered and with the game hanging in the balance, the referees huddled and the call was said to ”stand” after (lengthy) further review.
From there Tech ran its best brief stretch of offense of the day. Needing to run time off the clock, they gained 52 yards on the next 3 plays, most of that courtesy of Jordan Mason’s determined running. Then the drive stalled and the weapon that is Punter Presley Harvin returned to pin USF back at its 6 yard line.
The Bulls failed to mount a sustained drive and when Tech resumed possession, the Bulls again got charitable. Following a Tobias Oliver’s 11 yard run for a first down , Tech’s next series produced negative 4 yards on 3 running plays. But on that 3rd down play, USF linebacker Patrick Macon was called for targeting on his hit to the helmet of Oliver, giving Tech 15 yards, along with a fresh set of downs and removing Macon from the remainder of the game. For an added parting gift, a USF assistant coach drew an additional 15 yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct for his apparently ungentlemanly response to the initial call.
Thanks to these penalties, after losing 2 yards and facing 4th and 14 at their own 26 with 2 minutes left, Tech landed at the Bulls’ 44 with a first down, set up to run out the clock–which they did.
And so the First Win was officially in the books for 2019. It wasn’t pretty, but to paraphrase the Football Coach Who Used To Work At Tech , 14 is more than 10.
On the flipside, the Yellow Jacket defense played quite well, featuring strong technique and good consistent effort that paid obvious dividends at several key moments. Tech held the Bulls to just 261 total yards and recovered 2 of the visitors’ 4 fumbles. The biggest single moment was the forced fumble of Cronkrite’s carry at the goal line. That play was possible only because of a certified hustle play moments earlier when Tariq Carpenter made a touchdown-saving tackle on USF’s Wilcox.
Special teams for Tech were less consistent, with the notable exception of Presley Harvin who had an outstanding game for the Yelow Jackets. He delivered distance when needed, and several times pinned the Bulls deep on their side. Placekicking was handled by Brenton King. He hit both PAT’s but missed a 51 yard field goal attempt and achieved no touchbacks on his 3 kickoffs.
Tech’s offensive endeavors were led by the quarterbacking firm of Oliver, Johnson and Graham. As was the case at Clemson, Oliver was the best runner of the 3, gaining 59 yards on 9 carries. Lucas Johnson got the bulk of the playing time and hit 11 of 17 passes for a hard-to-believe total of 45 yards. He also threw one interception. James Graham looked comfortable in limited action. Linemen Kenny Cooper and Mikey Minihan each left with injuries in the first half, testing Tech’s tenuous depth along the front five. Even so, RB Jordan Mason played well throughout, gaining 99 yards on the day.
Tech’s puny offensive production was not from lack of creativity. Collins and OC Dave Patenaude showed flexible thinking by rolling out new formations .
They also deployed Tobias Oliver in the slot a few times and even had him return a kickoff. Collins explained later that the playing times among his quarterbacks reflect not just their individual strengths but also the defensive tendencies.
Georgia Tech is home again next week against the Bulldogs of the Citadel. The USF Bulls will host South Carolina State in Tampa.
Patrick Conarro