The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets struggled offensively and with overall team control, as the team went into the Birmingham with their held high, but left with a sour taste in their mouths as the Vanderbilt Commodores won the contest 35-
The first half of the game was a back-and-forth slugfest, with both defenses proving their team’s toughness. The first three drives of the game resulted in a total of 15 plays and punts for both teams, one by the Commodores and two by the Yellow Jackets.
The Commodores offense broke out first, as they put together an eight-play, 87-yard drive that was dominated by Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia, who was responsible for 82 of the team’s yards on the drive, including a 40-yard pass to receiver Loic Fouonji to put them in the red zone for the first time of the game, ultimately resulting in a 7-yard passing touchdown from Pavia to Cole Spence to take a 7-0 lead in the second quarter.
The Yellow Jackets offense would wake up on the next drive, highlighted by running back Jamal Haynes, who rushed for a total of 29 yards and caught a pass from quarterback Haynes King for 11 yards. King would connect with receiver Ryan Goede from two yards out to tie the game at 7-7.
Pavia would then lead the Commodores on a 14-play, 81-yard drive that would include the Commodores converting on third-and-four and third-and-nine, then converting a fourth-and-one from the two-yard line, when Pavia used his legs to get in the end zone for his second touchdown of the game to put the Commodores up 14-7 with 1:55 left in the first half.
King would come on the field looking to lead the offense to put points up before the end of the half, and he did just that, completing his first four passes of the drive, before the Commodores would commit a holding penalty and an unsportsmanlike penalty that would put the Yellow Jackets in field goal range for kicker Aiden Birr to come out for his first attempt of the game from 43 yards out to bring the Yellow Jackets within striking distance, 14-10, to head into halftime.
For much of the second third quarter, both teams would struggle to move the ball effectively, although Birr did make his second field goal of the game to chip away at the Commodores lead, 14-13.
Both teams would trade punts after the field goal before back-to-back defensive penalties, one defensive pass interference and one holding penalty, to put the Commodores in the red zone and would eventually result in 3-yard touchdown pass from Pavia to tight end Eli Stowers, giving the Commodores a 21-13 lead just before the beginning of the fourth quarter.
The Yellow Jackets, down 21-13, would feel the pressure to get something going on offense, resulting in a turnover on back-to-back possessions, one by way of interception from King and one by way of fumble after receiver Malik Rutherford would fumble after a 29-yard reception.
The Commodores took full advantage over the turnovers, getting in the end zone after both, with Pavia responsible for both, to take a 35-13 lead in the fourth quarter.
The game would enter a lightning delay with 7:17 remaining.
Coming out of the lightning delay, the Yellow Jackets would rely on Haynes immediately, as he nearly scored a 29-yard touchdown, getting dropped at the one-yard line. The Yellow Jackets would then get called for a false start, before Haynes would eventually find the end zone from nine yards out by way of a catch to cut into the Commodores lead and make it 35-20 with five minutes remaining in the game.
After a three-and-out, the Yellow Jackets would get the ball back inside their own 20-yard line, and drive down to score a touchdown after King found receiver Bailey Stockton with 1:30 left in the game to cut the lead down to a 35-27 one possession game.
The Commodores would recover an onside kick to seal the game before knelling to ball to run the clock out.