THE FLATS – Jahmyr Gibbs ran a kickoff back 98 yards for a touchdown and scored another on the ground, piling up 223 all-purpose yards, but Georgia Tech suffered a 41-30 Atlantic Coast Conference football defeat to Boston College Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
Gibbs’ kickoff return came in the opening period, answering Boston College’s opening touchdown drive, and sparked Georgia Tech to 21-straight points. Quarterback Jordan Yates led the Yellow Jackets on long drives on their next two possessions following the Gibbs return, hitting Malachi Carter for 12 yards to cap a 70-yard march, and plunging in from 2 yards out at the end of an 85-yard drive to give Tech a 21-7 lead early in the second quarter. However, BC responded with 21 unanswered points to take a 28-21 lead into the break.
Tech battled back in the third quarter, getting a 28-yard field goal from Brett Cimaglia to cut the deficit to 28-24, then drove 77 yards to the Eagles’ 12 on its next possession before an interception snuffed out the Jackets’ bid to take the lead. After a BC field goal made it 31-24, Yates took the Jackets 68 yards in eight plays, capped by a 4-yard touchdown run by Gibbs. However, Cimaglia’s extra point kick bounced off the right upright, and the Jackets still trailed 31-30 with 8:59 to go in the ballgame.
Unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets, that would be as close as they would get, as Boston College controlled the clock for much of the rest of the game. The Eagles drove 90 yards and milked 6:05 off the clock, scoring on Jurkovec’s 31-yard run with 2:48 left in the game to make it 38-30, then added a 27-yard Connor Lytton field goal with 1:01 left in the game for the final margin.
For the third-straight game, Gibbs racked up over 200 all-purpose yards, finishing with 223. His 223 all-purpose yards included 96 yards on 19 rushes and 29 yards on five receptions. Yates completed 17-of-28 for 126 yards and accounted for two touchdowns (one rushing, one passing).
The Yellow Jackets fell to 3-7 overall and 2-6 in the ACC, while the Eagles won their second-straight game, becoming bowl-eligible at 6-4 overall (2-4 ACC).
The Yellow Jackets go back on the road next Saturday for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff at No. 7 Notre Dame. The game will be televised nationally on NBC.