Georgia Tech vs Boston College: Three Takeaways from the Loss to the Eagles

What are the key takeaways from today's loss to Boston College?

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Publish date:
Oct 21, 2023 5:30 PM EDT

In this story:

Georgia Tech came in today as a small favorite to beat Boston College today and get to 4-3 and 3-1 in ACC play. However, it was Boston College that won the game and received a huge boost in their chances to make a bowl game. The Eagles could not be stopped when they were on offense, racking up nearly 600 yards and Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King threw three interceptions and did not look comfortable for much of this game. It was a rough loss for Brent Key and his team and they will have to regroup quickly to face No. 10 North Carolina and quarterback Drake Maye.

So what are the takeaways from today's loss to Boston College?

1. Georgia Tech's defense is still a poor unit, no matter who the defensive coordinator is

After the loss to Bowling Green, Brent Key decided to make a change at defensive coordinator, demoting Andrew Thacker to safeties coach and naming Kevin Sherrer the defensive coordinator. Georgia Tech was able to get some results against Miami, forcing Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to throw three interceptions and they did not allow the Miami ground game to gash them for big gains as they did previously this season. With a bye week on deck, it gave some hope that maybe they could be a better unit in the second half of the season.

That was not the case though, at least not today.

Pick any number you like on defense and it will paint an ugly picture for the Yellow Jackets. Boston College gained 563 yards today, including 308 on the ground. The Eagles gained 7.8 yards per play and 7.2 yards per rush. The 4th and short play that went for a touchdown in the fourth quarter was a poor play as well. On top of that, Georgia Tech did not sack Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos once and let him run all over them.

At this point in the year, I don't know if there is a lot of hope for the defense to get things turned around, and if the offense plays as it did today, then it will be tough for Georgia Tech the rest of the way.

Haynes King threw three interceptions today against Boston College
Nathaniel Caudell

Through the first few games of the season, this was not the case, but after today, King has seven interceptions in the last three games and does not look comfortable throwing the football. He has grown a tendency to try and force the ball into coverage and none of his three interceptions had any chance to be completed. The pick-six in the first half was costly and the second one he threw in the last three games. King has had a really good season for Georgia Tech and has been an upgrade at the position this season, but today was the culmination of what has been a poor stretch of games for the Yellow Jackets quarterback.

3. The hopes for a bowl game are on life support

This feels like a weekly column for me at this point. After Bowling Green, it felt like the hopes for a bowl game were dead only to be renewed a week later on the road at Miami. Going into today, this was a game that Georgia Tech was favored to win and while Brent Key has a way of getting his teams ready to play when they are big underdogs, he has struggled to get them ready to play when they are seen as the better team. With the loss today, Georgia Tech now has to win three games against their last five opponents. Those last five opponents are North Carolina, Virginia, Clemson, Syracuse, and Georgia. This team has shown the ability to pull massive upsets before, which is why I won't say their hopes for a bowl game are dead yet, but it is a very steep hill to climb and I don't know if this team will be able to do it.

Georgia Tech returns to action next week at home against No. 10 North Carolina. The game time will be announced tonight or tomorrow by the ACC.

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Georgia Tech vs Boston College: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly