A perfect weather day for Senior Day at Bobby Dodd Stadium as the graduating players were honored on the field with their families before the game. The early arriving sold out crowd was ready for one of the biggest games here in recent memory. Night contests at Tech are always especially electric no matter how big the game is with the atmosphere and the downtown skyline beyond the stands unmatched.

   But, the nice weather couldn’t make up for a frustrating game and thoughts of what might have been as things got ugly early. The first quarter could not have gone worse. Pitt had outgained Tech 176 to 21 resulting in a 21-0 lead. The Panthers scored again early in the second quarter to go ahead 28-0.

   From that point, the GT defense started to slow down Pitt’s offense giving the Jackets time to make it a game. Tech finally got on the board with 4:45 left in the half as Haynes King maneuvered a 15 play 75 yard drive. A few minutes later, they scored again on an Isiah Canion TD catch to pull to within 14. With a minute left, Pitt roared down the field only to miss a field goal twice. Tech clearly had taken momentum with them into the locker room trailing 28-14.

   In the third quarter, Tech was driving again near the goal line when Braylan Lovelace made the play of the game, stepping in front of a King pass and racing 100 yards the other way for a backbreaking 100 yard pick six and a 35-14 Pitt lead. It was basically a 14 point swing, the ultimate difference in the game.

   Georgia Tech trimmed the deficit to 35-28 with less than five minutes left after a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns when Turner went up the middle for a crushing 56 yard TD run that sucked the life out of the sold out crowd.

   King finished with 333 yards of total offense, throwing for 257 yards and two touchdowns (both to Canion) and rushing for another score, but he also threw two interceptions, including the game-changing pick-six.

“We had turnovers, drops, false starts, penalties…very poor on third down. We weren’t able to establish the run. Just, all and all, we didn’t play well enough to win the football game,” said head coach Brent Key. 

   “Incredible job by our guys going on the road against a really good football team,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. “It’s not easy on the road anywhere in the ACC, and to come out and do that was great.”

   “Too many mistakes were made across the team,” one fan said. “It makes the loss even more disappointing knowing that, without those mistakes, the game could’ve been won”.

   The final score of 42-28 was deceptive in that the game was much closer than that….but also just out of reach after the early 28-0 deficit. Fans had hopes of a comeback that never was almost to the very end.

   Tech dropped out of any hopes for an ACC title. The loss was Georgia Tech’s first home defeat since 2023, snapping a streak of 10 wins at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

   With the loss, Tech has no hopes for playing in the ACC Championship Game or making the playoffs. The Jackets now turn to their annual rivalry game, facing #4 Georgia on Friday in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. 

   A better bowl game and revenge over last year’s 8 overtime loss at UGA will be the motivation.

  It’s a 3:30 p.m. Friday kickoff on ABC.