Jackets Fall to Ole Miss in Week 3

OXFORD, MS. — Tonight the Jackets were unable to get the job done after coming within one touchdown against Ole Miss, falling to the Rebels 48-23.

As far as losses go, this one feels more tolerable than others. There were moments of genuinely exciting football from the Jackets tonight and that is a vast improvement from this contest last season. Haynes King showcased his passing abilities on a big stage tonight, throwing for 307 yards and two touchdowns. Jamal Haynes and Trey Cooley led the Jackets on the ground, rushing for 72 and 51 yards respectively. Eric Singleton Jr. led in receiving with 97 yards. These offensive leaders were responsible for any hope I had of winning this game.

Georgia Tech struggled in the first quarter. The defense gave up a field goal on the Rebels’ first drive. Then, kicker, Aidan Birr’s 42-yard field goal attempt was blocked and then returned to the GT 34, setting Ole Miss up well to stretch the lead to 10-0 early in the first.

In the second, Birr finally got the Jackets on the board with a 22-yard field goal and the defense held the Rebels scoreless, sending the teams to the locker room 10-3.

Two touchdowns in the third stretched the Rebels’ lead even further, but quarterback Haynes King was able to answer back with his first touchdown after connecting with receiver Eric Singleton on two big plays.

Ole Miss was forced to punt on the opening series of the fourth and momentum shifted in favor of the Jackets. The offense seemed to hit its stride with King completing passes to both Singleton and Trey Cooley for sizable gains downfield. This momentum ultimately culminated in a 15-yard pass from King to Singleton for a touchdown, bringing the Jackets within seven.

And then things spiraled. Ole Miss put up 17 unanswered points in about seven minutes. The GT defense struggled to stop anything and the fate of the game seemed sealed. Georgia Tech went down swinging with a late-game touchdown from Avery Boyd and an unsuccessful 2-point conversion. Their efforts, however, were quickly answered by ANOTHER Ole Miss TD to end the game with a score of 48-23.

The Jackets move on to face 3-0 Wake Forest next weekend in Winston-Salem, NC at 5:30 PM on September 23.