2019 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team

The 2019 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology during the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Yellow Jackets were led by head coach Geoff Collins, in his first season. They played their home games at Bobby Dodd Stadium and competed as a member of the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). They finished the season 3–9, 2–6 in ACC play to finish in last place in the Coastal Division.

2019 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
DivisionCoastal Division
Record3–9 (2–6 ACC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDave Patenaude (1st season)
Offensive schemePro spread
Defensive coordinatorAndrew Thacker (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinatorNathan Burton (1st season)
Base defenseMultiple
Home stadiumBobby Dodd Stadium
Uniform
Seasons
← 2018
2020 →
2019 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Atlantic Division
No. 2 Clemson xy$^   8 0     14 1  
Louisville   5 3     8 5  
Wake Forest   4 4     8 5  
Florida State   4 4     6 7  
Boston College   4 4     6 7  
Syracuse   2 6     5 7  
NC State   1 7     4 8  
Coastal Division
Virginia x   6 2     9 5  
Virginia Tech   5 3     8 5  
Miami (FL)   4 4     6 7  
Pittsburgh   4 4     8 5  
North Carolina   4 4     7 6  
Duke   3 5     5 7  
Georgia Tech   2 6     3 9  
Championship: Clemson 62, Virginia 17
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

Preseason

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Preseason award watch lists

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Listed in the order that they were released

Award Player Position Year
Doak Walker Award[1] Jerry Howard, Jr. RB JR
Jordan Mason RB SO
John Mackey Award[2] Tyler Davis TE SR
Rimington Trophy[3] Kenny Cooper C SR
Ray Guy Award[4] Pressley Harvin III P JR
Wuerffel Trophy[5] Jahaziel Lee DL SR

Preseason media poll

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2019 Georgia Tech spring game, white vs. gold

In the preseason ACC media poll, Georgia Tech was predicted to finish last in the Coastal Division.[6]

Media poll (Coastal Division)
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Virginia 1003 (82)
2 Miami (FL) 992 (55)
3 Virginia Tech 827 (20)
4 Pittsburgh 691 (8)
5 Duke 566 (6)
6 North Carolina 463 (1)
7 Georgia Tech 302 (1)

Previous season

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The Yellow Jackets finished the 2018 season 7–6, 5–3 in ACC play to finish in second place in the Coastal Division. They were invited to the Quick Lane Bowl, where they lost to Minnesota.


Schedule

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DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
August 298:00 p.m.at No. 1 ClemsonACCNL 14–5279,118
September 72:00 p.m.South Florida*ACCNW 14–1046,599
September 1412:30 p.m.The Citadel*
  • Bobby Dodd Stadium
  • Atlanta, GA
ACCRSNL 24–27 OT42,871
September 283:30 p.m.at Temple*CBSSNL 2–2431,094
October 54:00 p.m.North Carolina
  • Bobby Dodd Stadium
  • Atlanta, GA
ACCNL 22–3845,044
October 1212:30 p.m.at DukeACCRSNL 23–4121,741
October 1912:00 p.m.at Miami (FL)ACCNW 28–21 OT54,106
November 24:00 p.m.Pittsburgh 
  • Bobby Dodd Stadium
  • Atlanta, GA
ACCRSNL 10–2041,219
November 912:30 p.m.at VirginiaACCRSNL 28–3344,596
November 163:30 p.m.Virginia Tech
  • Bobby Dodd Stadium
  • Atlanta, GA (rivalry)
ACCRSNL 0–4543,263
November 218:00 p.m.NC State
  • Bobby Dodd Stadium
  • Atlanta, GA
ESPNW 28–2638,198
November 3012:00 p.m.No. 4 Georgia*
ABCL 7–5255,000

[7]

Game summaries

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At Clemson

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1 2 3 4 Total
Yellow Jackets 0 0 7 7 14
No. 1 Tigers 14 14 14 10 52

A surprisingly positive start for Tech almost immediately turned into a wreck very early in the game. Tech defended Clemson's high-powered offense very well, earning a 3 and out on Clemson's first drive. However, all of Tech's momentum evaporated when the ensuing Clemson punt was fumbled deep in Tech territory. Clemson recovered the fumble and scored, the first 7 of 28 points in the half. Tech was able to find its defensive footing in fits and starts, but big plays broke through for Clemson, including a 90-yard run on a delayed draw by Travis Etienne. Tech's best defensive play of the night would be a 41-yard interception return by Tre Swilling to the 2 yard line, which ultimately led to Tech throwing an interception on 4th & goal. Tech would later score 2 touchdowns in the second half, along with Clemson scoring 24 points to make the final score 52-14 Clemson.

South Florida

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1 2 3 4 Total
Bulls 3 0 0 7 10
Yellow Jackets 0 14 0 0 14

Georgia Tech secured the win over South Florida by way of USF mistakes, a strong defensive performance, and excellent special teams play. As the GT offense continues to solidify their long term offensive gameplan, they were able to do just enough to outscore the USF offense. Aided by numerous penalties on the USF defense, the Jackets moved the ball mostly via rushing plays while playing with a patchwork offensive line after a rash of injuries at those positions. The defensive penalties and costly fumbles made up the list of USF mistakes, with the biggest miscue being a fumble on the goal line while trying to score the go-ahead touchdown. The Tech defense was able to secure that fumble, all the while limiting USF's production throughout the day. From the many pass breakups to the 9 TFLs, the Jackets defense stifled USF for most of the day. Finally, the performance of Tech's special teams provided a big lift and was a major contributor to the first win of the G**** C****** Era. Marred only by a widely missed 51-yard field goal attempt and one shanked punt, Tech's special teams was a definite positive on the day. Tech's Pressley Harvin III was able to pin USF consistently within the 15-yard line with 2 of the punt returns resulting in fumbles (one recovered by each team). Kick coverage and returns were executed with little drama and were consistently well-executed. With the win, Tech avoided its first 0–2 start in 30 years.

The Citadel

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1 2 3 4OT Total
Bulldogs 7 7 7 33 27
Yellow Jackets 0 6 8 100 24

The Citadel, with their triple option style of play, dominated time of possession, clocking in at 41:50 to Tech's 18:10. The Jackets struggled offensively, managing only 301 total yards compared to the Bulldogs' 320 rushing yards.

The loss is a historic one for Georgia Tech. It marks Tech's first loss to an FCS opponent since a 1983 loss to Furman 36 years prior. This is also The Citadel's first win over an ACC opponent, previously going 0–22 against members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, and The Citadel's first win against the Jackets, failing to beat them in the previous 10 matchups.[8]

At Temple

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1 2 3 4 Total
Yellow Jackets 0 0 2 0 2
Owls 0 14 10 0 24

The meeting is the first between the universities. Coach Geoff Collins was Temple's coach the previous season and left them after allegedly building up their program towards a top tier AAC team.

North Carolina

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1 2 3 4 Total
Tar Heels 3 14 0 21 38
Yellow Jackets 0 0 7 15 22

Facing off against UNC for the Yellow Jackets home ACC opening, they initially went scoreless in the first half. The Yellow Jackets managed to score 22 points in the second half, but ultimately was not enough to overcome the point deficit. The game marked the first career start for redshirt freshman James Graham, though he shared some early snaps with running QB Tobias Oliver.

At Duke

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1 2 3 4 Total
Yellow Jackets 7 7 3 6 23
Blue Devils 10 28 3 0 41

At Miami (FL)

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1 2 3 4OT Total
Yellow Jackets 14 7 0 07 28
Hurricanes 14 7 0 00 21

Three missed field goals by Miami kickers sent the game into overtime which led Georgia Tech to break a 4 game losing streak. As like the last game in Miami played 2 years prior, the game came down to the final play where Miami turned the ball over on downs just a few inches short of the line to gain during the overtime period.

Pittsburgh

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1 2 3 4 Total
Panthers 10 7 0 3 20
Yellow Jackets 0 7 3 0 10

At Virginia

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1 2 3 4 Total
Yellow Jackets 14 7 0 7 28
Cavaliers 14 10 0 9 33

Virginia Tech

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1 2 3 4 Total
Hokies 14 17 14 0 45
Yellow Jackets 0 0 0 0 0

NC State

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1 2 3 4 Total
Wolfpack 0 3 10 13 26
Yellow Jackets 7 14 7 0 28

Georgia

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1 2 3 4 Total
No. 4 Bulldogs 17 0 21 14 52
Yellow Jackets 0 7 0 0 7

Players drafted into the NFL

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Round Pick Player Position NFL Club
6 206 Tyler Davis TE Jacksonville Jaguars

References

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  1. ^ "2019 Doak Walker Award Candidates Announced" (PDF). July 17, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  2. ^ "2019 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List Released" (PDF). July 19, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  3. ^ "2019 Rimington Trophy Fall Watch List Released". July 19, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  4. ^ "Watch list for Ray Guy Award released". July 24, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  5. ^ "Wuerffel Trophy unveils Watch List for 2019". July 25, 2019. Archived from the original on July 25, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  6. ^ "Clemson Favored to Continue ACC Football Championship Run". theACC.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  7. ^ "2019 Georgia Tech Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  8. ^ "The Citadel stuns Georgia Tech in overtime". Reuters. September 14, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2019.