Yellow Jackets Fall To Virginia Tech
Punchless Jackets Take A Tough Trip To Blacksburg And Come Back Empty-handed
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets fell to the host Hokies of Virginia Tech on Saturday, 21-6. It was the second consecutive loss for the Yellow Jackets who have learned the hard way that they are more dependent on starting QB Haynes King than anyone knew.
For the second week in a row, Brent Key's squad scored first, this time on a 34 yard field goal by Aidan Birr mid -1st quarter. And again, that score was met by an answering touchdown from their opponents. The Hokies' QB Kyron Drones hit his tight end Benji Gosnell on a 20 yard pass right down the middle and he cruised in for the score to give Virginia Tech a 7-3 lead.
QB Zach Pyron and mates answered with another scoring drive, though they again had to settle for three. This time Aidan Birr hit a 51 yarder to take the score to 7-6.
That score would end up being the final points tallied by the Yellow Jackets for the day as the sputtered on offense all afternoon. Despite a stellar effort from the defense, and also despite a good showing from third string QB Aaron Philo. He took over for Pyron in the 3rd quarter in an attempt to jump start the stagnant GT offense.
It was an uphill climb because late in the second quarter, the Hokies scored again, this time with Drones on the receiving end of a six yard pass. So Virginia Tech took a 14-6 lead into the halftime break, though it felt bigger than that number sounds.
Pyron had no more success in the 3rd quarter, so Brent Key sent Philo into the fray. He acquitted himself well, going 11-26 for 184 yards , but no scores. He was "credited" with one pick which came on a pass that played off of Avery Boyd's hands.
On the day, Key's defense played well– certainly well enough to win. They held a good- not- great Hokie offense to 233 total yards- including only 99 on the ground, 41 of which came on one play. The Jackets also limited Va Tech to 11 first downs, including only 2 of 15 conversions on 3rd down.
Georgia Tech gave up two interceptions, one for each quarterback, though Pyron's pick was the more egregious of the two.
And odd as it was, the Hokies had three substantial scoring drives– 75, 72 and 42 yards in sum, to account for 189 yards of their 233 total for the game. Which means that their remaining possessions in total accounted for only 44 additional yards. Bizarre.
Georgia Tech's defense played a strong game, maybe their best of the year according to Key. They generated enough pressure to get the attention of Drones, and although they gained no turnovers, they did force many incompletions and hold Virginia Tech to under 100 yards on the ground.
Jackets' placekicker Aidan Birr was 2 for 2 to account for all the scoring. Too, Zeek Biggers blocked yet another kick for Georgia Tech', another plus for the special teams.
In sum, this was a winnable game for Brent Key's troops, especially given the stellar effort from DC Tyler Santucci's defense.
But it must be said that Georgia Tech is more dependent on a healthy, fully- functioning Haynes King than they would care to admit. Zach Pyron again started well, hitting his short passes and looking poised and appropriately aggressive. For the second week in a row, though, his passing accuracy fell off as the game proceeded and his lack.of elusiveness limits his ability to pose a legitimate concern to opposing defenses , especially on third and long situations.
For his part, Philo looked comfortable in the pocket, and his production was restricted by a couple of drops, especially the one by Boyd that might have even generated a score but instead became an interception.
Key noted later that he had considered putting Philo in the game earlier, but that he wanted to pick a spot and a moment that would support the freshman entry into the contest.
Philo noted later that he "..had fun", and he asserted thst he would be ready whenever called upon to play.
That being said, Key may have a tough decision to make prior to Tech's next game against Miami on November 9 in Atlanta. Pyron has been a quality dependable back-up for almost two years. That said, Philo may offer a better chance to move the team reliably.
With a bye week coming up, Tech has an extra week to grt well. For Haynes King, that's valuable time to get well from his upper body injury that has limited his throwing motion.
On the other side of the ball, linebacker Kyle Efford may also be back on the field to rejoin the defense.
Whatever the case, the Yellow Jackets have three regular season games left– against Miami, NC State and Georgia. Tech players and fans badly want to go bowling again this year, and the Jackets need at least one more win to qualify.
In the wild world of college football, nothing is a certainly. If you doubt that, go back and watch the last 2 minutes of last year's game against Miami.
That said, Tech has serious issues to settle in order to finish strong. That especially hinges on offensive effectiveness, which has been absent the past two games.
With the bye week next, King and Efford have some extra time to heal. Their presence clearly makes Tech a better team. By a lot.
Patrick Conarro
RamblinSports.com