Georgia Tech Rolls Over Georgia State, 35-12

Atlanta – The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets hosted their crosstown rivals, the Georgia State Panthers in their first official home game of the season. The Jackets were trying to keep the momentum going after pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the season in week zero.

Georgia Tech’s offensive and defensive lines played exceptionally well in that first game when they were underdogs. They were hoping to show a bit of dominance against a team they were favored to defeat.

 

Overview

The Yellow Jackets game plan was simple: run the ball and then run the ball some more. They finished the game with 225 yards on the ground, averaging 6.6 yards per carry. All of the running action opened up the offense and Tech used it to their advantage, catching the Panthers off guard with numerous pass plays.

Defensively, they held the Panthers to a single touchdown and two field goals, with most of that scoring coming in the third quarter. By then, the game had already seemed out of reach.

 

Positives

Quarterback Haynes King was able to stifle the Panthers’ defense with a heavy amount of RPO plays. His ability to get out and run was a nightmare for the Panthers. He finished with 275 passing yards, 27 rushing yards and three total touchdowns.

Malik Rutherford was able to get open at will against the Panthers’ defense. He finished with 131 receiving yards and a TD, which he took 31 yards to the house.

Georgia State wasn’t able to get a fast start and Tech was made sure to stop them even when they were able to move the ball. They were able to stuff the Panthers on two fourth and goal situations.

They failed to reach Panthers’ quarterback Christian Veilleux for any sacks, but they were in the backfield all day and finished the game with eight tackles for a loss.

 

Negatives

Even though the team came out fired up and finished with a good total, they couldn’t find any running lanes in the first quarter. They had 11 yards on the ground heading into the second quarter.

Haynes King looked extremely sharp for the most part, but he did throw a costly interception that led to a Georgia State touchdown on the ensuing drive.

The aforementioned goal line stops were great for the team, but they came after the Panthers were able to put together long methodical drives.

Georgia State wide receiver Tailique Williams finished with five catches for 47 yards, but don’t let those modest numbers fool you. He found holes in the Yellow Jackets’ secondary all day. He officially had one drop (in the end zone), but you could see a few more passes he had a chance at. Veilleux also missed him on a few more passes, one of which would’ve put points on the board.

They’ll have to shore up the backside of the defense if they want to compete against better quarterback play.

 

Tech Notes

The Yellow Jackets first official road game will come this Saturday (9/7) at  the JMA Wireless Dome against the Syracuse Orange.