Atlanta, GA- On a special “Cape Night” at historic Bobby Dodd Stadium, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets fell to the UNC Tarheels 38-22.
Tonight was the inaugural “Cape Night” at Georgia Tech, as the Yellow Jackets donned all grey uniforms for the first time in honor of the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta special day. The Jackets may not have been victorious, but supporting a great cause like this is a great look for the school and the community, and should be a mainstay going forward.
It was another tough day for the offense, who totaled just 321 total yards in the game against a solid UNC defense (who came within a point of beating number one ranked Clemson just last week).
Leading the way for Georgia Tech was quarterback James Graham, who completed 11 of his 24 passes for 171-yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Graham is the best available option for coach Collins to try and implement a passing attack, and the redshirt freshman showed a few moments of promise, despite being inconsistent throughout the game.
The play of the game for the offense came in the third quarter, as Graham dropped back to take a shot at the endzone on a big third down play. He was able to get enough air under the ball, finding Malachi Carter for the 28-yard score.
The offense is a work in progress this year for Coach Collins and his coaching staff, as they begin moving away from the classic triple-option attack under Coach Paul Johnson following his retirement at the end of last season. Plays like the pass Graham threw to Carter can begin showcasing the future of the program, and fans should be excited about that.
Defensively, the Jackets hung in well early on, allowing just a field goal in the first quarter. As the game wore on, however, the Tarheels wore out the Georgia Tech defense who just couldn’t find a way to get off the field.
Totaling 587-yards for the game, UNC found a rhythm early in the second quarter with a balanced attack, and the win was were never in doubt despite the lead falling to nine points early in the third quarter.
Sam Howell led the way for head coach Mack Brown’s squad, completing 33 of his 51 passes for 376-yards, four touchdown passes, and one interception early in the game. The freshman showed a ton of promise throughout the game and really could have had an even bigger game with several passes dropped by receivers.
Dazz Newsome was Howell’s favorite target in the game, catching eight passes for 81-yards and a touchdown. Howell really spread the ball around, completing passes to eight different receivers in the game, but clicked with Newsome and could see that with 11 targets in the game.
Although they faded in the second half, it was a good fight from the Yellow Jackets, who showed late life offensively under head coach Geoff Collins as the staff continues to play with the chess pieces to figure out what they have for the future. The loss moves to 1-4 on the season for the start of the Geoff Collins era in the Flats, but fans should remain hopeful, as the program is currently going through a complete program overhaul over the next few seasons.
Next up for the Georgia Tech is Duke, as the Jackets travel to Durham, North Carolina with a matchup with the Blue Devils next Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
Written by Brian Pohl
