The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly From Georgia Tech's 59-12 Win Over Gardner-Webb

• Georgia Tech moved to 2-0 with the win.
• Georgia Tech is 2-0 for the second-straight season. Prior to 2024, the Yellow Jackets had not won their first two games of the season since 2016 (the Jackets were 1-1 after two games every season from 2017-23).
• Georgia Tech is 2-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2015 and 2016.
• Georgia Tech extended its winning streak at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field to six games. It is its longest winning streak at Bobby Dodd Stadium since it won eight-straight at BDS from 2016-17.
• Georgia Tech moved to 98-29-4 all-time in home openers (.763).
• Georgia Tech moved to 21-6 in home openers since 2000.
• Georgia Tech moved to 2-0 all-time against Gardner-Webb.
• Georgia Tech amassed 680 yards of offense. It marked the seventh time in 28 games since Brent Key took over as the Yellow Jackets’ permanent head coach prior to the 2023 season that Tech has had at least 500 yards of offense.
• Georgia Tech’s 680 yards of offense ranks third in program history behind 768 yards vs. Kansas (Sept. 17, 2011) and 712 yards vs. Presbyterian (Sept. 8, 2012).
• Georgia Tech had 457 passing yards, which ranks second in school history. The program record remains 486 vs. Virginia on Nov. 10, 2001.
• Georgia Tech averaged 11.9 yards per play, the second highest in school history behind 13.5 yards per play against Kansas (Sept. 17, 2011).
• Georgia Tech’s defense registered six sacks, its most in a game since it had eight at Wake Forest on Sept. 23, 2023.
• Georgia Tech’s three-play, 94-yard, 1:07 touchdown drive in the second quarter marked the first time that the Yellow Jackets had an offensive scoring drive of at least 94 yards that took 1:07 or less off the clock since a one-play, 95-yard scoring drive that took just 14 seconds off the clock on the opening possession of its 66-24 win over Kansas on Sept. 17, 2011.
• r-Sr. DB Ahmari Harvey’s 65-yard return of a blocked field goal by r-Sr. DL Jordan van den Berg was Georgia Tech’s first blocked field goal return for a touchdown since Lance Austin’s 78-yard return for the game-winning touchdown in the Yellow Jackets’ 22-16 win over No. 9 Florida State on Oct. 24, 2015.
• A week after turning the ball over on its first three possessions last Friday at Colorado, Georgia Tech had turnovers on its first two possessions against Gardner-Webb.
• After turning the ball over on its first two possessions of the game, Georgia Tech scored touchdowns on its next four possessions to open a commanding 28-6 lead late in the second quarter.

• Philo completed 21-of-28 passes for 373 yards and a touchdown.
• Philo’s 373 passing yards were the most ever by a Georgia Tech player in his first-career start and the sixth-most in Georgia Tech history.
• His 21 completions and 373 passing yards were both career highs (prev.: 19 completions and 265 yards vs. NC State – Nov. 21, 2024).
• Jr. RB Malachi Hosley had his first 100-yard rushing game at Georgia Tech with 100 yards and two touchdowns (55 and 5 yards) on nine carries (11.1 avg.). Hosley, the 2024 Ivy League Player of the Year, had 10 100-yard rushing games in two seasons at Penn (2023-24).
• r-Sr. RB Jamal Haynes rushed for a career-high, tying two touchdowns (47 and 1 yards). He previously ran for two touchdowns in wins over North Carolina on Oct. 12, 202,4 and No. 10 Florida State on Aug. 24, 2024.
• The two-touchdown game was the fourth of Haynes’ career. He had a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown against Syracuse on Nov. 18, 2023.
• So. WR  had his first-career touchdown reception in the first quarter (11 yards).
• r-Sr DB Ahmari Harvey’s 65-yard return of a blocked field goal was the first touchdown of his career.
• R-Sr. TE Brett Seither had his first reception in 651 days in the first quarter (26 yards). Seither, who missed the entire 2024 season due to injury, made his last previous catch on Nov. 25, 2023 against Georgia.
• So. DL Amontrae Bradford’s game-high two sacks were the first two of his career.

The Ugly

I am just going to skip straight to the ugly.

Two turnovers at the beginning of the game. For the second straight game, Georgia Tech turned it over on its first two possessions. The Yellow Jackets were never in any danger of losing the game, but they cannot continue to start games like that. If they do it against a better opponent, they might not be so fortunate.