Fourth-quarter drive lifts Panthers over Jackets 31-28

ATLANTA -- First some good news from The Flats: Georgia Tech was able to relocate its missing offense. The Yellow Jackets were able to run the ball effectively and score some points.

Now the bad news: It just wasn't enough yards. It wasn't enough points. In the end it was more of the same.

The result was a 31-28 loss to Pitt on an otherwise lovely sunny day at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Georgia Tech suffered its fifth straight loss, an indignity not seen in these parts since the 1-10 debacle of 1994.

"Well, it just kind of seemed like that's the way the year is going," coach Paul Johnson said. "As I've said before, there's a very thin margin of error for this team and it reared its head."

Georgia Tech, limited to 71 yards rushing last week against mighty Clemson, roared back to rush for 376, the most since rolling for 439 against Tulane.

"You could recognize our offense again," Johnson said. "It looked like what we are used to doing. I mean, they come in No. 6 in the country."

The Pitt defense was averaging only 84.8 yards against the run. You couldn't tell it until the second half, when the Panthers made a few changes to which the Yellow Jackets never adjusted.

"We came out and made some adjustments at halftime and got after them a little bit," Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said.

Pitt limited Georgia Tech to 112 rushing yards in the second half and Georgia Tech could generate only one touchdown.

"You got to score more points," Johnson said. "Thirty-one is more than 28. We didn't get enough. Only got seven in the second half."

Neither team did much in the second half. Each scored once in the second half. Pitt quarterback Nat Peterman hit tight end J.P. Holtz for a 6-yard score with 51 seconds left in the third quarter. Georgia Tech tied it on a 7-yard run by Marcus Marshall with 13:35 remaining.

Pitt started its winning drive at its own 31 with 8:13 remaining. The Panthers converted a pair of fourth-and-shorts to keep the drive alive, but stalled after reaching the Georgia Tech 34.

On fourth-and-14, Narduzzi opted to try the field goal and Chris Blewitt, whose previous long kick was 48 yards, drove it through the uprights for a 56-yarder.

"The thing I can say about our kids is they've got faith," Narduzzi said. "They've got faith in what we were talking about, preaching and coaching, and our players made the plays today they needed to. Blewitt's field goal to win it, that's what you play in these big games for."

Georgia Tech had one last chance with 1:04 left and got as far as its own 47. But the Yellow Jackets, who had used all their timeouts, could not get close enough to give kicker Harrison Butker a chance to tie the game.

The game ended when Justin Thomas threw a desperation pass that was intercepted.

Peterman completed 14 of 21 passes for 162 yards and three touchdowns. Qadree Ollison rushed 22 times for 83 yards and a 1-yard touchdown. Wide receiver Tyler Boyd caught eight passes for 68 yards and two touchdowns, rushed five times for 26 yards and threw a pass for 29 yards. Boyd broke the school's career reception record. He has 204 catches, surpassing Devin Street's 202 total from 2010-13.

"Right now we are not very good on defense," Johnson said. "We've got to find a way to get better. And, having said that, we had our chances."

The defense allowed 391 yards to Pitt, but did not have a sack or even a tackle behind the line. It got very little pressure on Peterman.

"Things happen sometimes and sometimes it doesn't go your way," defensive end KeShun Freeman said. "We have to keep fighting and keep getting better. Adversity is going to come and we just have to stand in the face of it and do well with it."

Georgia Tech B-back Marcus Marshall rushed 10 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns in his first start. Quarterback Justin Thomas carried 14 times for 95 yards and completed 6 of 16 passes with one interception for 106 yards.

Things don't get any easier next year for the Yellow Jackets, as Florida State comes to Bobby Dodd for the first time since 2008.

With only five games left, Georgia Tech must win at least four to extend its streak of bowl appearances to 19 straight.

"We've just got to play a complete game," linebacker Tyler Marcordes said. "We had some good plays here and there and let some plays go. We can't do that. We have to play a complete game if we want to win."

This story was originally published October 17, 2015 at 8:51 PM with the headline "Fourth-quarter drive lifts Panthers over Jackets 31-28 ."