Sluggish Second Half Thwarts Georgia Tech Comeback Against Virginia

It was a tale of two halves up in Charlottesville.

After scoring 21 points in the first half of the game, including two touchdowns on their first two drives, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (2-7, 1-5) could muster little to no momentum in the second half.

As a result, Bryce Perkins and his Virginia Cavaliers (7-3, 5-2) were able to capitalize on Tech's sluggish second half performance, en route to a 33-28 loss that puts the Yellow Jackets officially out of bowl contention. Of their 4 drives in the third and fourth quarters, 3 of them ended in punts with 2 of them being quick three-and-outs.

James Graham responded well to start the game following his disappointing start last week vs. Pitt. In the first quarter alone, he threw for 111 yards and a touchdown, as well as rushing score to boot. He would finish the first half with 10-12, with 192 yards through the air, 22 yards on the ground and 3 total touchdowns. However, UVA adjusted at halftime and responded accordingly. They held Graham to just 37 second half passing yards, with 31 of them coming on Tech's final drive of the game.

Georgia Tech came out of the gates firing on all cylinders. After finding themselves around midfield following a quick 3rd down conversion, freshman WR Ahmarean Brown was able to beat the high safety, with Graham finding him right in stride for a 59 yard touchdown. It was good for his 5th receiving touchdown of the season, the most by a GT freshman since Calvin Johnson had 7 in 2004.

SPEEEED ⏩@Ahmarean2 flies to the endzone for @GeorgiaTechFB. pic.twitter.com/nPPp5OXC4Y
— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) November 9, 2019

Bryce Perkins responded early, unfortunately with a little assistance from the GT defense. A holding penalty on a 3rd down incomplete pass kept the drive alive for UVA, allowing them to even the game up. But the Hoos would return the favor right back, committing two costly penalties themselves to allow Graham to take the lead for the Jackets again.

The opening quarter also saw the lone turnover in the game, with Graham throwing an interception after having been a perfect 5-5 prior. Perkins took advantage of the resulting good field position, only having to drive UVA 28 yards for the equalizer.

The Hoos then forced Tech's lone first half three-and-out, setting up a field goal on the other end to go up 17-14. Had it not been for S Juanyeh Thomas and LB David Curry's red zone defense however, the Yellow Jackets could have very easily given up a touchdown.

Following an impressive 4th down stop by LB Quez Jackson, Graham and co. then executed the two minute drill to perfection. He found tight end Tyler Davis for a 38 yard catch and run, then capped the drive off with 25 yard touchdown to WR Malachi Carter with only 44 seconds left in the half.

Malachi Carter with the HANDS. 😳@GeorgiaTechFB // #404theCULTURE pic.twitter.com/3QyJiOSKhh
— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) November 9, 2019

This was when the momentum starts to turn in Virginia's favor.

The Cavaliers returned the kickoff 44 yards, then Bryce Perkins burned the GT defense with a 43 yard run. Instead of facing a 21-17 lead at the half, Perkins punched it in from 3 yards out to put his Hoos up 3 heading into the locker room.

While both teams combined for 45 points in the first half, all offense came to a relative halt in the third quarter. JaQuon Griffin & David Curry had a pair of timely sacks to force UVA out of field goal range on their first drive of the quarter, with Tre Swilling & Zamari Walton playing excellent coverage on the next defensive possession.

But it was the same song and dance for the Yellow Jackets, as they couldn't get past their own 20 yard line on their first possession, following that up with a drive that stalled around midfield.

The scoreboard saw action again early in the fourth, but the defense limited the damage done, only allowing a field goal to keep it a one score game. It would not be that way for long, as UVA would turn around with their 6th red zone drive of the game and punch it in.

Tech had some hope, as the UVA 2 point conversion would fail, leaving the Yellow Jackets down only 33-21 with 11 minutes to go. Graham was able to lead the offense to their first successful drive of the second half, throwing 4 completions on the drive after having only thrown 1 prior to that in the entire half.

RB Jordan Mason, who came just 6 yards shy of 100 yards, finished the drive strong by rushing for his 7th touchdown of the year. But the Cavaliers were able to kill the remaining 5;30 left on the clock, sealing the loss for Georgia Tech.

The Yellow Jackets will be back in action next Saturday at 3:30 in Bobby Dodd Stadium. They will face the Virginia Tech Hokies, kicking off a three game home stand to end the regular season.

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top righthand corner of the page. Also be sure to like us on Facebook & follow us on Twitter at @GeorgiaTechSI and Matthew McGavic at @GeneralWasp

Add us as a preferred source on Google