With an ACC Championship Game berth on the line, #16 Georgia Tech lost their 10th coin toss of the season…ok no that wasn’t the problem. Tech’s defense once again made life hell for the Jackets, allowing four first quarter touchdowns en route to a 42-28 loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Jackets fall to 9-2 (6-2 ACC) on the season with Clean, Old Fashioned Hate left next week in the Benz. Tech is not eliminated from the ACC Championship game mathematically, but in all practical terms, they are.
After going down 28-0 in the first quarter, Tech only allowed one more offensive touchdown by Pitt while scrapping and clawing through offensive penalties and the most inconsistent play from Haynes King we’ve seen all season. But sure enough, Tech made it a one score game late in the fourth quarter needing one defensive stop to give themselves a chance to tie or take the lead.
Instead of getting that stop, Pitt freshman running back Ja’Kyrian Turner hit a 56 yard dagger touchdown killing any hope for Tech to come back down two touchdowns. Turner finished with 226 yards, his career high (previous was 127).
King finished with 94 yards on the ground and 257 yards passing with three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) and two interceptions, one that was returned 100 yards for a defensive Pitt score.
Tech’s 378 total yards were their second fewest all season. Had it not been for the two turnovers, at worst this is a tie football game.
Tech is guaranteed a bowl game, but in all likelihood they will cap out at nine wins, which will put them in a higher tiered bowl compared to last year’s Birmingham Bowl.
How It Happened
Tech started with three plays to Jamal Haynes for a combined 4 yards, going three and out. Two Pitt first downs later, Tech got consistent pressure to Mason Heintshel and finished the drive with a sack by Brayden Manley.
What was good progress on a seven yard gain by Malik Rutherford to start Tech’s second drive got negated on a snap infraction by Tana Al0-Tupuola at center with the drive ending on a sack of King on third down.
Pitt made Tech’s defense look like its very bad usual self on their second drive, going 64 yards over two plays ending with a 31 yard touchdown catch by Kenny Johnson, putting Pitt up 7-0.
After getting their first 1st down of the game, Tech had 3rd & 3 from Pitt’s 45 and were unable to convert on drops by Luke Harpring and Malachi Hosley, giving the Panthers good field position. Pitt converted a 3rd & 8 to Kenny Johnson to get into the red zone. After a 14 yard touchdown to Justin Holmes was called back for ineligible player downfield, they threw to him on the next play for a 19 yard touchdown and a 14-0 Pitt lead.
Then one of the rarest things you’ll ever see happened: a Haynes King interception while scrambling. It was befuddling that it could even happen, but Pitt got a guy right through the line and forced a bad King throw that landed right in Kavir Bains-Marquez’s hands. Pitt needed only 4 plays to score to go up 21-0 with 0:39 left in the first quarter.
Tech had two great chances to get chunk yardage on their next drive, but Chad Alexander tripped over before being able to haul in what would’ve been a 75 yard TD, then Isiah Canion let a ball slip right through his hands on third down meaning within a quarter, Tech had five drives, four punts, and an interception on offense. Truly the worst showing by the team all season.
Pitt’s fifth drive was another simple process of getting around Tech’s defense with multiple chunk runs by Ja’Kyrian Turner to set up a walk in Mason Heintschel touchdown, putting Pitt up 28-0 and essentially ending the game in the 2nd quarter.
Tech finally got their act together on offense, but not before getting bailed out by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Pitt on what was a failed third down conversion. After King got Tech to in the red zone, a 3rd & 3 play lost a yard, but Jamal Haynes converted a 4th & 4 to put Tech goal to go. King ran it in for a five yard touchdown to put Tech on the board down 28-7.
Pitt’s next drive was legitimately stopped by Tech’s defense with a strip sack by Rodney Shelley (recovered by Pitt) followed by an intentional grounding by Heintschel on 3rd & 15. The ensuing punt miraculously bounced 15 yards backwards back into Pitt territory, plus the Panthers were called for a facemask, resulting in a net seven yard punt and giving Tech the ball on Pitt’s 30.
Tech took good advantage of the spot on a 20 yard gain by Brett Seither before Isiah Canion hauled in a five yard touchdown to make it 28-14 with a minute to go in the half.
A minute was more than enough for Pitt to get into field goal range as they put together three straight catches to get there. JJ van den Berg had a critical sack 2nd down to make a first down unreasonable. Pitt’s eventual 40 yard field goal was wide left, but offsides was called on Tech. The repeat kick from 35 yards also went wide left, critical for Tech’s chances in the second half.
Tech got the stop they needed to start the third quarter with much better linebacker play, and a very helpful holding call to cancel out a big gain by Turner.
Tech’s offensive drive following looked like their normal selves with first downs by Canion, Eric Rivers, Hosley, and King to set up goal to go. On 3rd & goal from the 5, King got pressured and again threw a pick, this one returned 100 yards by Braylan Lovelace for a touchdown, turning what could’ve been a one score game into a three score game making it 35-14.
With the ball back, Tech turned it over on downs after two incomplete passes to Canion. Cayman Spaulding thankfully sacked Heintschel for a buncho yards, forcing Pitt to punt, but at which point felt far too little too late late in the third quarter.
After a set of punts by Tech and Pitt, Tech finally got a second half touchdown on a four yard Jamal Haynes run, making it 35-21. Pitt went three and out on their next drive, but quite stupidly went for a fake punt run that went nowhere, setting up Tech with great field position.
Isiah Canion on the first play put Tech in the red zone and a few plays later caught a five yard pass to make it 35-28 with 4:51 left, giving actual life to Tech’s chances for the first time since the opening kickoff.
Tech’s defense got Pitt to 3rd & 4 on the next drive, but the Panthers converted an 11 yard completion to Catarus Hicks. On the next play, Heintschel audibled into a run up the middle that Turner hit for 56 yards and the dagger touchdown to send the Jackets packing 42-28.
