Boston College
0-1 , 0-1
Georgia Tech
1-0 , 1-0
Team Stats
GT 7, BC 0
GT - Jordan, M. 3 yd run (Butker, H. kick), 11 plays, 59 yards, TOP 6:50
GT 7, BC 7
BC - Hilliman,J 73 yd run (Lichtenberg,C kick), 1 plays, 73 yards, TOP 0:13
GT 7, BC 14
BC - Towles,P 6 yd run (Lichtenberg,C kick), 9 plays, 63 yards, TOP 4:05
GT 10, BC 14
GT - Butker, H. 40 yd field goal 11 plays, 46 yards, TOP 5:49
GT 17, BC 14
GT - Mills, D. 4 yd run (Butker, H. kick), 11 plays, 59 yards, TOP 2:58
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
RECAP: Georgia Tech 17, Boston College 14
September 03, 2016 | Football
Eagles fall in the season opener after Yellow Jackets mount fourth-quarter comeback
GAME INFORMATION
Georgia Tech 17, Boston College 14
Records: Boston College (0-1, 0-1 ACC), Georgia Tech (1-0, 1-0 ACC)
Location: Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
Attendance: 40,562
Time of Game: 3:08
Weather: 59 degrees and rain
BC HIGHLIGHTS
- Redshirt sophomore RB Jon Hilliman ran for a career-high 73 yards for the Eagles' first touchdown, and he finished with 102 yards on the ground.
- Junior WR Charlie Callinan hauled in a career-high 92 yards receiving, including a career-long 54-yard catch.
- Junior LB Ty Schwab recorded a career-high 9 tackles, while senior DL Truman Gutapfel added a career-high 8 tackles. Junior LB Connor Strachan's four tackles for a loss - of his eight solo tackles - were also a career-high.
KEY MOMENTS
- Graduate QB Patrick Towles rushed for a touchdown to put the Eagles ahead 14-7 at the end of the third quarter, but Georgia Tech rallied with a field goal and a touchdown in the final quarter to secure the 17-14 win.
- The Eagles missed a pair of field goals from distances of 43 yards and 35 yards.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Georgia Tech got on the board first, capping a 12-play drive for the game's first touchdown with 3:11 left in the first quarter. The Yellow Jackets converted 4th-and-1 and 3rd-and-12, the latter with a 36-yard pass to the 4-yard line. Redshirt sophomore QB Matthew Jordan plunged in from the 3-yard line for the score.
- BC had a chance to cut into the lead as the second half got underway. Graduate QB Patrick Towles connected on three passes (Callinan for 17 yards and sophomore WR Jeff Smith for 8 and 14 yards) to bring the Eagles to GT30, but sophomore K Colton Lichtenberg's 43-yard field goal attempt was blocked at the line of scrimmage and hit the crossbar.
- On the Eagles' first play of the second half, Hilliman broke free for a career-high 73-yard run from scrimmage for BC's first touchdown.
- With 8:33 left in the third quarter, senior DB John Johnson forced a GTech fumble, which was recovered by Gutapfel at the BC33. Towles completed 20- and 8-yard passes to sophomore WR Mike Walker for 4th-and-1 at the GT18, but Colton Lichtenberg missed the 35-yard field-goal attempt wide left.
- The Eagles took their first lead of the game with 11:46 left in the game when Towles rushed for six yards for the touchdown on 3rd-and-goal. The drive - which carried over from the third quarter - also included a 13-yard reception by Callinan and a 26-yard catch by redshirt freshman WR Chris Garrison to get the Eagles into the Yellow Jackets' territory. Lichtenberg converted the extra point.
- Georgia Tech pulled three points back when Harrison Butker converted a 40-yard field-goal attempt with 5:57 remaining. QB Justin Thomas connected a 14-yard pass to Brad Stewart and after a defensive pass interference call, Dedrick Mills scampered 21 yards to bring GTech into the red zone.
- After a sack and loss of 9 yards by senior LB Matt Milano, Thomas found Qua Searcy for a 22-yard completion on 4th-and-19 to keep the GTech drive alive. On third down, Ricky Jeune hauled in a 26-yard pass before Thomas rushed for 6 yards to the BC6. After a 2-yard gain, Mills ran in from the 4-yard line to put the Yellow Jackets ahead with :35 remaining
UP NEXT
The Eagles will face Massachusetts on Saturday, Sept. 10, in a road game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Kickoff is set for noon and the game will be televised on NESN locally and ESPN3 nationally. The game will also be available on the Boston College IMG Radio Network, including WEEI 850 AM locally.
