Louisville Handled By Georgia Tech, Fall 46-27
ATLANTA - Louisville's quest to find their first conference win of the season continues on.
Marching into Atlanta for their second game of a three game road trip, sloppy play on both sides of the ball would doom the Cardinals (1-3, 0-3 ACC) despite coming off of a bye week, falling 46-27 to Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
While Louisville was able to generate 471 yards of offense and 242 rushing yards, the Cardinals struggled with ball security as three fumbles would lead to 19 points off turnovers for the Yellow Jackets (2-2, 2-1 ACC). Clinging to a 1-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, Georgia Tech would score twenty unanswered points in the fourth quarter to come out on top.
Quarterback Malik Cunningham completed 19 of his 33 pass attempts, collecting 229 yards and two touchdowns in the process. Running back Javian Hawkins rushed for 155 yards on 26 carries, but a late fumble led to the first of three Georgia Tech fourth quarter scoring drives. Running back Hassan Hall rushed for 37 yards on eight carries and coughed the ball up twice.
The Yellow Jackets offense spent most of the evening carving up Louisville's defense thanks to poor tackling, even when not inheriting the ball in good field position thanks to turnovers. Quarterback Jeff Sims went 11 for 21 with 249 yards and two touchdowns through the air, and 64 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Assisted by running backs Jahmyr Gibbs & Dontae Smith, the Jackets were able to collect 192 rushing yards and 450 yards overall.
Like many times before this season, the Cardinals subjected themselves to yet another a slow start in the game. On Louisville's first drive, tight end Ean Pfeifer dropped a would-be touchdown pass and Hall fumbled on Tech's side of the field. The special teams unit fell for a fake punt on the ensuing Georgia Tech drive, eventually leading to a 12-yard score from Gibbs. A false start penalty on their next drive then forced Louisville to punt and not go for a field goal.
Louisville didn't waste much time responding though, as they would then score 21 unanswered points. Tight end Marshon Ford hauled in an easy 3-yard score, Cunningham scrambled on fourth down at the goal line from two yards out, then he found wide receiver Tutu Atwell streaking wide open over the middle on the next drive for a 26-yard touchdown.
But the Jackets didn't lie down. With 1:32 left on the clock, Georgia Tech took advantage of some poor Louisville tackling to march down the field and inside the red zone. From there, Sims flipped it to wide receiver Ahmarean Brown on a reverse, who then threw it to fellow wideout Jalen Camp for a 9-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit heading into the half.
Georgia Tech took that late first half momentum and carried that over into the early goings of the second half. Running back Jamious Griffin would punch it in from two yards out after cornerback Marlon Character was ejected for targeting, and Hassan Hall would fumble yet again on the ensuing kickoff to allowing Sims to find the end zone on a 22-yard scramble.
The Cardinals were able to briefly retake the lead thanks to a rushing score from Cunningham, but that would be the last of Louisville's scoring. A Hawkins fumble led to a 19-yard receiving touchdown for Gibbs, wide receiver Malachi Carter would beat his man on a curl route for a 34-yard receiving touchdown, and Smith would officially ice the game with a 2-yard rushing score of his own.
(Photo of Javian Hawkins: Atlantic Coast Conference)
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 & Twitter:
Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter - @LouisvilleOnSI and Matthew McGavic at @GeneralWasp
