Virginia Military Keydets vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Pick & Prediction SEPTEMBER 14th 2024

Preview and Prediction

After a decade-long absence, Georgia Tech's first week as a ranked team was short-lived as the Yellow Jackets were removed from the polls following their 31-28 loss to Syracuse on Saturday.

The Yellow Jackets (2-1, 1-1 ACC) made their debut in the Associated Press Top 25 at No. 23 after defeating then-No. 10 Florida State and Georgia State. However, their defeat to the Orange caused them to lose their ranking and they now turn their focus to their upcoming game against VMI (0-2) this Saturday.

Head coach Brent Key's team found themselves trailing 31-14 with just over eight minutes left in the game. Despite scoring two touchdowns and recovering an onside kick, Georgia Tech's efforts were not enough as Syracuse was able to drain the clock and secure the win.

"Inconsistency" was the word used by Key to describe his team's performance. He emphasized the need for improvement in sustaining drives and gaining positive yardage on first downs. These issues were evident in their loss to Syracuse and are areas that the team has been working on.

Despite the national media attention that came with their 2-0 start, Key does not believe that the ranking was a distraction for his team. He stated that success and attention are things that must be handled and did not see any signs during the week leading up to the game that suggested the ranking had any impact on their performance.

Next up for Georgia Tech is a matchup against FCS member VMI. The Yellow Jackets have only been upset by FCS teams twice in their history, with losses to Furman in 1983 and The Citadel in 2019. VMI is coming off a 35-28 loss to Bucknell and will be looking to bounce back in their home opener.

VMI head coach Danny Rocco acknowledged that the season is still young and that their conference schedule is yet to come. He sees their upcoming game against Georgia Tech as the start of a four-game season before they shift their focus to conference play.

This Saturday's game will mark the first meeting between the two teams since 1988, with Georgia Tech holding a dominant 14-1 series lead. VMI's only win against the Yellow Jackets came in 1950.

PREDICTION

Virginia Military Keydets

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Virginia Military Keydets vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Recap SEP 14TH 2024

Haynes King completed 17 of 22 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns, helping lead Georgia Tech to a 59-7 rout of visiting VMI on Saturday in Atlanta.

Backup Zach Pyron ran for a pair of scores, adding another through the air, as the Yellow Jackets (3-1) outgained VMI (0-3) 575-104.

After the teams traded punts on their opening drives, Ahmari Harvey forced a fumble from VMI wide receiver Julio Da Silva, which was recovered by Yellow Jackets linebacker Clayton Powell-Lee on the Georgia Tech 44-yard line.

From there, King's 22-yard pass to Chase Lane followed by Trelain Maddox's 14-yard run set the Yellow Jackets up on VMI's 14, eventually resulting in Aidan Birr's 28-yard field goal with 7:39 left in the first quarter.

Following another VMI punt, King's 35-yard touchdown pass to Malik Rutherford capped a two-play, 41-second drive, extending Georgia Tech's lead to 10-0 with 4:52 left in the first.

VMI's third punt of the first quarter set up the Yellow Jackets' offense on their own 27. King's 50-yard pass to Eric Singleton Jr. placed the ball on VMI's 12-yard line. Three plays later, Pyron scored on a 1-yard sneak, giving Georgia Tech a 17-0 advantage with eight seconds left in the first quarter.

With 11:04 left remaining in the second quarter, Georgia Tech capitalized off another VMI punt, as Pyron's second rushing touchdown -- this time a 2-yarder -- capped a six-play, 55-yard drive, putting the Yellow Jackets up 24-0.

Georgia Tech tacked on a pair of scores in the final two minutes of the first half, as Haynes connected with Singleton for a 14-yard passing touchdown with 1:49 remaining, before VMI's seventh punt of the first half resulted in a five-play, 73-yard drive that was capped with King's 33-yard passing score to Avery Boyd with 30 seconds left.

Leading 38-0 at the half, Georgia Tech outgained the Keydets 366-35. The Yellow Jackets picked up 19 first-half first downs, to VMI's one.

After each team agreed to shorten the quarters to ten minutes for the second half, Maddox stamped a five-play, 60-yard scoring drive with a 3-yard rushing touchdown with 7:38 left in the third quarter. Pyron added another tally with 1:32 left in the third, finding Leo Blackburn for a 24-yard touchdown, giving the Yellow Jackets a 52-point cushion.

VMI cracked the scoreboard with 6:37 left in the fourth, when Brady Hammonds found Ethen Horne for a two-yard passing touchdown on fourth and goal. Anthony Carrie's 2-yard rushing score for Georgia Tech then capped the game's scoring with 4:29 to play.