Georgia Tech’s trip to Virginia Tech started in a hole and never fully dug out, even after a second-half surge made things look briefly interesting. The Jackets dropped a 34-24 decision and slipped to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in ACC play, setting up Boston College at home for Homecoming next week.
The first half was rough from the opening snap. Virginia Tech needed just three plays to score, then kept finding explosive gains through Que’sean Brown, who piled up 180 receiving yards on five catches before halftime. Georgia Tech managed only 149 yards in the opening two quarters, threw an interception, and stared at a 24-3 deficit that made the game feel out of reach early.
And yet, the Jackets didn’t fold after the break.
Georgia Tech came out swinging in the third quarter, opening the half with a three-play touchdown drive capped by a 42-yard run from Tre Maddox. A defensive jolt followed almost immediately. After recording only two sacks against FBS opponents all season, Tech got to the quarterback three times on Virginia Tech’s first two possessions of the second half, and that pressure helped turn the game for a moment.
A short field after Rahkeem Smith’s return set up another strike, this one a 33-yard touchdown catch by Dalen Penson. Just like that, what had been a three-touchdown margin was down to 24-17.
That was as close as Georgia Tech got.
Virginia Tech answered, settled back in, and gradually controlled the rest of the game even as Georgia Tech’s offense operated efficiently. Alberto Mendoza finished with a career-high 335 passing yards on 29-of-38 passing, and Jordan Allen was a steady target with 10 catches for 120 yards on 13 targets. Still, the Jackets couldn’t overcome the damage done before halftime.
They also played with fire a few times. Georgia Tech had three fumbles, with two from Mendoza and one from Rahkeem Smith, but never lost possession on any of them. Even with that kind of luck, the first-half problems were too much to erase.
The game also came without linebacker Kyle Efford for the first time after his medical retirement earlier in the week. He was on the sideline with a headset on, and the defense looked disjointed early before finding some traction later.
The opening quarter set the tone for the ugly start. Brown burned Tech for a 60-yard catch-and-run touchdown to open the scoring, then Georgia Tech drove into first-and-goal territory before Tre Maddox had the ball stripped at the four and it rolled out of the end zone for a touchback. Virginia Tech quickly cashed in again, using another chunk play sequence to set up Ethan Grunkemeyer’s 20-yard touchdown run.
Georgia Tech had a few signs of life on offense, including a 25-yard completion to Allen on an Alberto Mendoza scramble left and later a 15-yard catch by Dalen Penson, but the Jackets couldn’t finish possessions. A red-zone opportunity slipped away after the Maddox fumble, and a drive later they went punt, punt, turnover on downs in spirit, even if the ball stayed with Tech.
The second quarter only made the climb steeper. Georgia Tech forced one punt and briefly moved itself into scoring position after a Virginia Tech defensive pass interference call, but the Hokies flipped the field right back with a big Brown reception and a Ja’Ricous Hairston touchdown. Mendoza then threw an interception directly to Quentin Reddish, and after a Ta’je McCoy sack forced a field goal attempt, Virginia Tech stretched the lead to 24-3.
The Jackets did string together one late drive before halftime, converting on third downs to keep things moving, but an illegal hands to the face penalty wiped out a deeper completion to Isaiah Fuhrmann and left the drive dead.
The fourth quarter gave Georgia Tech one last push. After Virginia Tech pushed its lead to 34-17 with a chip-shot field goal, Tech answered with a solid possession that included catches by Allen, Javien Plummer, and Chris Corbo to reach the red zone. But Mendoza was sacked, recovered his own fumble, and Aidan Birr later missed a 37-yard field goal wide right.
Georgia Tech did hit once more, with Jaiven Plummer scoring from six yards out after a strong Chad Alexander run got the Jackets moving again, cutting it to 34-24 with 5:20 left. That was the final burst. Virginia Tech bled the clock, Georgia Tech couldn’t force the needed stop, and the Hokies finished it off with kneel-downs.
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Georgia Tech had enough second-half fight in Blacksburg to make the trip home feeling like there was something to build on, but the opening stretch left too deep a hole. The Yellow Jackets spotted Virginia Tech a halftime cushion after two early turnovers and an opening-drive touchdown allowed on defense, then spent the rest of the afternoon trying to climb back into a game that had already tilted sharply the other way.
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