Jackets Drop 31-13 Decision to 11th-Ranked IrishJackets Drop 31-13 Decision to 11th-Ranked Irish
Football

Jackets Drop 31-13 Decision to 11th-Ranked Irish

Pyron accounts for a career-best 314 yards of offense in first start since 2022

Box Score

ATLANTA – Making his first start in nearly two years, Georgia Tech quarterback Zach Pyron threw for  269 yards and accounted for 314 yards of total offense – both career highs –  but it was not enough to overcome No. 12/11 Notre Dame in a 31-13 loss to the Fighting Irish on Saturday afternoon at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Playing in place of injured starter Haynes King, Pyron completed 20-of-36 passes for 269 yards and a score and ran 13 times for a team-high 45 yards in a valiant performance.

However, after Pyron led Georgia Tech on a 13-play, 71-yard scoring drive that took up nearly half the first quarter and gave the Yellow Jackets a 7-0 lead after one period of play, Notre Dame (6-1) scored the game’s next 31 points.

Pyron threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Chase Lane late in the game to close out the scoring.

Special teams miscues punctuated the day for Tech, as they couldn’t convert on a pair of field goal attempts — with one not getting off due to an errant snap and the second getting blocked — and also allowed the Fighting Irish to convert a fake punt and a fake field goal for first downs.

The Yellow Jackets also struggled to establish its vaunted rushing game. After coming into the game leading the Atlantic Coast Conference and ranked in the top 25 nationally in rushing offense at 204.4 yards per game, had a season-low 64 yards on the ground and averaged just 2.2 yards per carry.

Making his third-career start, Pyron was a bright spot in the running game, as he gained 59 yards before two sacks were taken into account in his final tally of 45 yards on the ground.

Defensively, DT Zeek Biggers led a strong effort by Tech’s defensive front with a season-high five tackles, which included a career-best two for loss. Behind Biggers, the Yellow Jackets held Notre Dame to 168 rushing yards, which marked only the third time this season that ND ran for less than 200 yards. The Irish’s 4.4 yards per carry was nearly two yards less than its season average (6.13).

Safeties Taye Seymore and LaMiles Brooks added seven and five tackles for the Jackets, respectively.

Georgia Tech (5-3, 3-2 ACC) returns to action next Saturday with a pivotal ACC game at Virginia Tech (4-3, 2-1 ACC). Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. on ACC Network.

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Corey Robinson (left) and Jamal Haynes (right) celebrate Haynes’ 1-yard touchdown plunge that gave Georgia Tech a 7-0 lead on the final play of the first quarter. (Danny Karnik photo)

 

Postgame Notes

Team Notes

  • Georgia Tech fell to 5-3 on the season, while No. 12/11 Notre Dame moved to 6-1.
  • The defeat evened Georgia Tech’s record against nationally ranked opponents under head coach Brent Key at 5-5.
  • Georgia Tech fell to 6-31-1 all-time against Notre Dame. The loss was Georgia Tech’s fourth-straight in the series.
  • Georgia Tech’s 64 rushing yards were a season low (prev.: 98 at Louisville – Sept. 21). The Yellow Jackets, who had 616 rushing yards over their previous two games (245 vs. Duke, 371 at North Carolina), entered the game ranked No. 1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and No. 25 nationally in rushing offense (204.4 ypg).
  • For the second-straight week, Georgia Tech was plagued by miscues on special teams. The Yellow Jackets did not convert on two field goal attempts (one bad snap, one block), allowing Notre Dame to convert a fourth-down-and-8 with 22 yards on a fake punt and a fourth-down-and-4 with 4 yards on a fake field goal.
  • Georgia Tech was without arguably its top players on offense (QB Haynes King) and defense (LB Kyle Efford), who were both out of action due to injury. King had his streak of 20-consecutive starts snapped (he had started every game since he arrived at Georgia Tech in 2023) and Efford had streaks of 21-straight games played and 14-consecutive starts snapped.

 

Individual Notes

  • Making the third start of his career (first since No. 12, 2022 vs. Miami), r-So. QB Zach Pyron had 314 yards of total offense (269 passing, 45 rushing). He was the Yellow Jackets’ leading passer and rusher.
  • Pyron’s 269 passing yards and 314 yards of total offense were both career highs (prev.: 253 and 309 at Virginia Tech – Nov. 5, 2022).
  • r-Jr. WR Malik Rutherford (4 rec., 32 yds.) caught a pass for the 24th game in a row, which is tied for the 7th-most consecutive games with a reception in Georgia Tech history. It is Tech’s longest streak since Demaryius Thomas had a reception in 29-consecutive games from 2008-09.
  • r-Sr. WR Abdul Janneh, Jr.’s 60-yard reception in the third quarter was his longest in two seasons at Georgia Tech (prev.: 33 at Wake Forest – Sept. 23, 2023). The 60 receiving yards were also his single-game high as a Yellow Jacket (prev.: 47 at Wake Forest – Sept. 23, 2023).
  • Pyron’s 60-yard completion to Janneh was also his career long (prev.: 56 to Nate McCollum at Virginia Tech – Nov. 5, 2022).
  • DL Zeek Biggers’ five tackles were a season high (prev.: 3 – 2X, most recently at North Carolina – last Saturday).
  • Biggers’ two tackles for loss were a career high (prev.: 1.5 vs. Bowling Green – Sept. 30, 2023).
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59,021 fans were in attendance for Georgia Tech’s annual home date at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Danny Karnik photo)

 

Multimedia

Head Coach Brent Key Postgame Press Conference (Video)

Head Coach Brent Key Postgame Press Conference (Audio)

Student-Athletes Postgame Press Conference (Video)

ACC Digital Network Highlights

ACC Digital Network Condensed Game

ACC Digital Network Full Game Replay

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