Georgia Tech is not canceled. It’s not throwing up its hands and punting the season.
No, a 73-7 loss at Clemson on Oct. 17 that was the largest margin of defeat in ACC history won’t erase what had been a season of progress, head coach Geoff Collins assured.
“We had a bad day,” Collins said a few days after his program set that mark of futility. “That does not change where this program is headed.”
To his point, the Yellow Jackets showed some signs of an upward trajectory until that game. There’s time remaining to find their way back on that path after being sideswiped off it. They were on the way to outplaying their last-place projection in the ACC’s preseason poll, a feat still within reach.
A 2-3 start to ACC play (2-4 overall) featured a 16-13 win at Florida State and 46-27 defeat of Louisville, two teams not light on talent that were favored heading into the game. Curiosities about being ahead of schedule followed after the second.
“I don’t really worry about those things, but it got me thinking after [losing to Clemson],” Collins said. “The big thing I can say is we’re much better at every single phase than we ever were and we continue to get better. We’re bigger, faster and stronger. The culture is stronger.”
For now, though, those feel-good moments have dissipated with an unfriendly reminder about the lengthy trek that remains before Georgia Tech can hope to compete with the league’s best for an entire game. A 48-27 loss at Boston College on Saturday was a further reality check.
