Georgia Tech is officially back in the loss column, dropping a 34-24 battle to Virginia Tech and pushing their record to a brutal 2-4 (1-2 ACC). Coming off a much-needed win last weekend, this one stung, especially with how the Jackets absolutely imploded in the first half before showing any signs of life.
That First Half Was Just Plain Rough
Let’s not sugarcoat it: the first half was a disaster. Like, “one of the worst, if not the worst half of football played by Georgia Tech under head coach Brent Key” kind of disaster. Virginia Tech receiver Que’sean Brown torched the Jackets’ secondary for 180 receiving yards on just five catches. Seriously, five catches! Meanwhile, Tech’s offense managed a paltry 149 total yards and threw an interception, digging themselves into a monstrous 24-3 hole. It felt like the game was over before the halftime whistle even blew, and honestly, who could blame you for thinking that?
The Second Half Surge That Left Us Wanting More
But then, something shifted. It was like a completely different team ran out of the locker room. After only racking up two sacks against FBS opponents all season, Tech’s defense came alive, logging three sacks on Virginia Tech’s first two drives of the second half! That defensive spark, combined with some real offensive juice, led to touchdowns from Tre Maddox and Dalen Penson. Suddenly, it was 24-17 in the third quarter. Could they actually do this? Quarterback Alberto Mendoza was slinging it, throwing for a career-high 335 yards on 29-38 passing, and Jordan Allen was a monster, snagging ten balls for 120 yards on 13 targets. They even had three fumbles (two by Mendoza, one by Rahkeem Smith) but somehow didn’t turn any of them over. The Jackets operated at a ridiculous 0.67 EPA/play pace in that second half! If we got a full game of that, this outcome is completely different.
The Kyle Efford Effect and What’s Next
That comeback was as close as they’d get, though, with the Hokies easily controlling the rest of the game. It’s hard not to connect the dots: this was Tech’s first game without linebacker Kyle Efford, who medically retired earlier in the week. He was on the sideline with a headset on, but it absolutely feels reasonable to believe the defense was lost without their captain out there leading the charge in the first half. The complete incompetency we saw early on cost them any real shot at pulling this off. Next week, the Jackets are back home for Homecoming, facing Boston College. They need to figure out how to play a full four quarters of football, not just 30 minutes, if they want to get this season back on track.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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