Georgia Tech Football: Six takeaways from Jackets 52-14 loss to Clemson

No.1 Turnovers made a steep hill even steeper

When facing a team like Clemson, you can’t have three turnovers and expect to win or even come close to a win. On Thursday, the Jackets ball security wasn’t up to par and in the process, they had three turnovers on the evening, two fumbles and one interception. All three turnovers proved to be fatal with the Tigers scoring 21 points off turnovers.

The first turnover of the evening was early and really took any momentum the Jackets tried to gain away. After the defense forced a three-and-out to start the game, Juanyeh Thomas fumbled the ensuing punt in Clemson’s red zone and the Tigers would recover. From there, the Tigers would take a 7-0 lead a handful of plays later. As an experienced returner and freshman All-American last season, such miscues and turnovers from Thomas are unacceptable. It’s not a turnover that takes any faith away from Thomas but he’ll have to make sure he minimizes any negative plays. The Jackets special teams are one of the few areas this season where they should be comparable if not better than their opponents.

The second turnover came early in the second quarter as true freshman running back Jamious Griffin fumbled a carry in Clemson territory. It resulted in another rather easy Clemson touchdown a few plays later and made at the time a 14-0 lead, a 21-0 lead, officially putting the rout on for the Tigers.

The third and last turnover for the Yellow Jackets was probably the dagger of them having any hope of keeping the game close. But first the context of the situation is needed. Prior to this last turnover, Georgia Tech cornerback Tre Swilling who had himself a tremendous night had just intercepted Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and returned the interception all the way to the two-yard line. To the Jackets credited, they tried three straight runs after the interception and somehow managed just a single yard. On fourth and one, the Jackets decided to do a roll-out and pass the ball and not go for three points. That would backfire, as Oliver’s attempted pass to Jalen Camp was tipped and intercepted by the Tigers at the goal line. Upon replay, it seems that Oliver could’ve run the ball in especially with his athleticism but that is neither here nor there.

On the ensuing possession from Clemson, the Tigers would end up scoring once again, putting them up 28-0 before half time. Overall, each of three turnovers were deadly for the Jackets and the three scores off turnovers really puts a different spin on the game. Without the turnovers, the Jackets allowed 33 points but the turnovers ultimately put too much pressure on the Jackets defense. They could only hold their weight for so long and the extra possessions handed to Clemson was just too much to handle.