Georgia Tech dropped their sixth game this season with a 20-10 loss against the University of Pittsburgh on Saturday, Nov. 2.
After a huge overtime road win against Miami on Oct. 19, the Yellow Jackets’ defense carried some of that momentum back home with them for homecoming. It still wasn’t enough to overcome their poor offensive showing.
Yellow Jackets’ defense and special teams were the story of the game. Their defense forced three turnovers, and special teams blocked a punt. The offense was only to convert one of those turnovers to points.
The Yellow Jackets’ offense produced only 194 yards of offense, while Pitt’s offense racked up 362 yards of offense and showed balance. The Yellow Jackets’ offense failed to convert on third down going only two of thirteen. Neither of Tech quarterbacks played well. James Graham was three of thirteen with 57 yards passing and 35 yards rushing, while Lucas Johnson was five of eight with 51 yards passing and seven yards rushing.
The one bright spot on offense for the Yellow Jackets was freshman wide receiver, Ahmarean Brown. He caught a 51-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter. That score gave Brown his fourth of the season, which is the most by a freshman in school history since Demaryius Thomas had four in 2007, and Calvin Johnson had seven in 2004.
Georgia Tech’s head coach Geoff Collins gave praise to the defense and special teams after the game.
“We made a point of emphasis, and we’ve been making it for awhile that we need to create turnovers, and we need to get the ball, and I thought our guys did that at a high level, and I think it’s the third game in a row we’ve had a blocked kick. The thing that, looking back, we need to capitalize on those turnovers.”
The Yellow Jackets will need to win out to be bowl eligible. That is a tall task, even with three of their last four games being at home. Winning is important, but in these last four games coach, Collins will probably be focused on building for the future.
The team still has quarterback issues to resolve and needs to consistently execute on both sides of the ball. The Yellow Jackets’ offense has shown positive flashes all season in the new system but still has yet to put it together for a full game. A young team and a new system give fans hope for a bright future that might come sooner than expected.
Georgia Tech Football schedule says they will hit the road for their last away game next week, Nov. 9, against Virginia.
