2020 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team

The 2020 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Yellow Jackets were led by second-year head coach Geoff Collins. They played their home games at Bobby Dodd Stadium and competed as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

2020 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
2020 record	3–7 (3–6 ACC)
Head coach	Geoff Collins (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Dave Patenaude (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Andrew Thacker (2nd season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Nathan Burton (2nd season)
Home stadium	Bobby Dodd Stadium (Capacity: 55,000) (COVID capacity: 11,000)

2020 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 5 Notre Dame y^		9	–	0					10	–	2
No. 3 Clemson y$^		8	–	1					10	–	2
No. 22 Miami (FL)		7	–	2					8	–	3
No. 18 North Carolina		7	–	3					8	–	4
NC State		7	–	3					8	–	4
Boston College		5	–	5					6	–	5
Pittsburgh		5	–	5					6	–	5
Virginia Tech		5	–	5					5	–	6
Virginia		4	–	5					5	–	5
Wake Forest		3	–	4					4	–	5
Georgia Tech		3	–	6					3	–	7
Louisville		3	–	7					4	–	7
Florida State		2	–	6					3	–	6
Duke		1	–	9					2	–	9
Syracuse		1	–	9					1	–	10
Championship: Clemson 34, Notre Dame 10
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll.

After finishing their season with a 3–7 record (3–6 in ACC play), the Yellow Jackets determined that they would not consider a bowl bid (the NCAA waived bowl eligibility requirements for the 2020–21 bowl season).[1]

Previous season

The Yellow Jackets finished the 2019 season with a 3–9 record, 2–6 in ACC play, failing to earn bowl eligibility.

Preseason

Death of Bryce Gowdy

On December 30, 2019, Georgia Tech signee Bryce Gowdy, from Deerfield Beach, Florida, committed suicide by walking in front of a freight train.[2][3] He died aged 17 and had received a full scholarship to play football at Georgia Tech, having signed on December 18.[4]

Schedule

Spring game

The Yellow Jackets held spring practices until early March, when the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic forced the suspension of all NCAA activities. The Georgia Tech football spring game was scheduled to take place in Atlanta, GA on April 10, 2020, but was also canceled.

Regular schedule

Georgia Tech had games scheduled against Gardner–Webb and Georgia, which were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][6] This became the first season since 1924 that the Yellow Jackets do not play Georgia.

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 12	4:00 p.m.	at Florida State	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ABC	W 16–13	17,538
September 19	3:30 p.m.	No. 14 UCF*	Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA	ABC	L 21–49	11,000
September 26	11:00 am	at Syracuse	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	ACCRSN	L 20–37	0
October 9	7:00 p.m.	Louisville	Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA	ESPN	W 46–27	11,000
October 17	Noon	No. 1 Clemson	Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA (rivalry)	ABC	L 7–73	11,000
October 24	4:00 p.m.	at Boston College	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	ACCN	L 27–48	0
October 31	3:30 p.m.	No. 4 Notre Dame	Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA	ABC	L 13–31	11,000
November 28	7:00 p.m.	Duke	Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA	ACCRSN	W 56–33	11,000
December 5	4:00 p.m.	at NC State	Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC	ACCN	L 13–23	4,032
December 10	7:00 p.m.	Pittsburgh	Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA	ACCRSN	L 20–34	11,000
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 24 released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

[7]

The ACC released their schedule on July 29, with specific dates selected at a later date.[5]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 3	at Clemson	Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA
September 12	Gardner-Webb*	Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA
September 18	UCF	Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA
September 26	UNC	Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC
October 3	VPISU	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA (rivalry)
October 14	Virginia	Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA
October 24	Pitt	Heinz Field Pittsburgh, PA
October 31	Syracuse	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY
November 7	Duke	Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA
November 14	Notre Dame	Mecerdes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA
November 21	Miami	Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA
November 28	Georgia	Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium Athens, GA
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 24 released prior to game

The above is the original schedule planned for 2020 before changes were made due to the coronavirus pandemic. (needs to be completed) [8]

Game summaries

at Florida State

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (0–0) vs. Florida State Seminoles (0–0)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Georgia Tech	0	0	7	9	16
Florida State	10	0	3	0	13

at Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, FL

• Date: Saturday, September 12, 2020
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: partly cloudy • Temperature: 82°F
• Game attendance: 17,538
• TV: ESPN2
• Pregame line: Florida State −13.0

Game information
First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

Statistics	GT	FSU
First downs	24	21
Total yards	438	307
Rushes/yards	161	109
Passing yards	277	198
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	24–35–2	23–45–1
Time of possession	29:28	30:32

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Georgia Tech	Passing	Jeff Sims	24–35, 277 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Jeff Sims	13 carries, 64 yds
	Receiving	Malachi Carter	6 receptions, 66 yds, 1 TD
Florida State	Passing	James Blackman	23–43, 198 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jordan Travis	6 carries, 39 yds
	Receiving	Jashaun Corbin	8 receptions, 55 yds

vs UCF

#14 UCF Knights (0–0) vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1–0)

	1	2	3	4	Total
#14 UCF	7	21	0	21	49
Georgia Tech	7	7	0	7	21

at Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, GA

• Date: Saturday, September 19, 2020
• Game time: 2:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: • Temperature:
• TV: ABC
• Pregame line: UCF −7.5

Game information
First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

Statistics	UCF	GT
First downs	31	23
Total yards	660	471
Rushes/yards	243	227
Passing yards	417	244
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	27–41–1	18–37–2
Time of possession	31:52	28:08

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UCF	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Georgia Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Syracuse

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (0–0) vs. Syracuse Orange (0–0)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Georgia Tech	0	13	7	0	20
Syracuse	17	6	7	7	37

at Carrier Dome • Syracuse, NY

• Date: Saturday, September 26, 2020
• Game time: 11:00 a.m. EDT
• Game weather: indoor
• TV: ESPN3
• Pregame line:

Game information
First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

Statistics	GT	SYR
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Georgia Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Syracuse	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Louisville

Louisville Cardinals (0–0) vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (0–0)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Louisville	0	0	0	0	0
Georgia Tech	0	0	0	0	0

at Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, GA

• Date: Friday, October 9, 2020
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: • Temperature:
• TV: ESPN
• Pregame line:

Game information
First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

Statistics	LOU	GT
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Louisville	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Georgia Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Clemson

Clemson Tigers (0–0) vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1–0)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Clemson	0	0	0	0	0
Georgia Tech	0	0	0	0	0

at Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, GA

• Date: Saturday, October 17, 2020
• Game time: EDT
• Game weather: • Temperature:
• Pregame line:

Game information
First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

Statistics	CLEM	GT
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Clemson	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Georgia Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Boston College

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (0–0) vs. Boston College Eagles (0–0)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Georgia Tech	0	0	0	0	0
Boston College	0	0	0	0	0

at Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA

• Date: Saturday, October 24, 2020
• Game time: EDT
• Game weather: • Temperature:
• Pregame line:

Game information
First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

Statistics	GT	BC
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Georgia Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Boston College	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Notre Dame

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0–0) vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1–0)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	0	0	0	0	0
Georgia Tech	0	0	0	0	0

at Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, GA

• Date: Saturday, October 31, 2020
• Game time: EDT
• Game weather: • Temperature:
• Pregame line:

Game information
First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

Statistics	ND	GT
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Notre Dame	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Georgia Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Duke

Duke Blue Devils (0–0) vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1–0)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Duke	0	0	0	0	0
Georgia Tech	0	0	0	0	0

at Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, GA

• Date: Saturday, November 28, 2020
• Game time: EST
• Game weather: • Temperature:
• Pregame line:

Game information
First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

Statistics	DUKE	GT
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Duke	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Georgia Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at NC State

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (0–0) vs. NC State Wolfpack (0–0)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Georgia Tech	0	0	0	0	0
NC State	0	0	0	0	0

at Carter-Finley Stadium • Raleigh, NC

• Date: Saturday, November 21, 2020
• Game time: EST
• Game weather: • Temperature:
• Pregame line:

Game information
First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

Statistics	GT	NCST
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Georgia Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
NC State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Panthers (0–0) vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1–0)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Pittsburgh	0	0	0	0	0
Georgia Tech	0	0	0	0	0

at Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, GA

• Date: Thursday, December 10, 2020
• Game time: EST
• Game weather: • Temperature:
• Pregame line:

Game information
First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

Statistics	PITT	GT
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Pittsburgh	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Georgia Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Miami (FL)

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (0–0) vs. Miami Hurricanes (0–0)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Georgia Tech	0	0	0	0	0
Miami	0	0	0	0	0

at Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, FL

• Date: Saturday, December 19, 2020
• Game time: EST
• Game weather: • Temperature:
• Pregame line:

Game information
First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

Statistics	GT	MIA
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Georgia Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Miami	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Coaching staff

Coach	Title	Year at Georgia Tech	Previous job
Geoff Collins	Head Coach	2nd	Temple (HC)
Brent Key	AHC/RGC/OL	2nd	Alabama (OL)
Dave Patenaude	OC/QB	2nd	Temple (OC/QB)
Andrew Thacker	DC/LB	2nd	Temple (DC/LB)
Nathan Burton	Co-DC/S	2nd	Temple (DB)
Tashard Choice	RB	2nd	North Texas (RB)
Marco Coleman	DE/OLB	2nd	Oakland Raiders (DL)
Kerry Dixon	WR	2nd	Toledo (RB)
Larry Knight	DL	2nd	Temple (OLB)
Jeff Popovich	CB/DST	2nd	Boise State (CB)
Chris Wiesehan	TE/OST	2nd	Temple (OL/RGC)

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	NR		RV	NR
Coaches	NR		RV	NR	NR
CFP	Not released															Not released

References

1. Sugiura, Ken (December 14, 2020). "Georgia Tech ends season, will not consider bowl bid". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
2. Beachum, Lateshia. "'My baby walked in front of a train.' Georgia Tech football recruit's mom details his final days". Washington Post. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
3. "Bryce Gowdy, a star Georgia Tech football recruit, dies at 17". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
4. "Bryce Gowdy, Deerfield Beach , Wide Receiver". 247Sports. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
5. "ACC Announces Plans for Football and Fall Olympic Sports". TheACC.com. July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
6. Talty, John. "SEC moves to conference-only 2020 schedule, pushes back start of season". AL.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
7. "2020 Georgia Tech Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
8. "2020 Georgia Tech Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved 2020-12-04.