ATLANTA -- After beating Miami last week, Georgia Tech entered the AP poll for the first time since Nov. 20, 2011. The drought was put to an end after 1,051 days -- or two years, 10 months and 16 days.
When the new poll is released on Sunday, the Yellow Jackets stay in the top 25 will be a short-lived seven days, and their perfect 5-0 season marred with loss No. 1.
This one-week stay on the polls isn't new to Tech, however.
A 25th-ranked Yellow Jackets team lost to Georgia on Nov. 26, 2011, just a week after entering the poll. Two weeks prior, Georgia Tech was ranked 20th, but was bounced by 10th-ranked Virginia Tech five days later in a Thursday-night game.
With Georgia Tech's 31-25 loss to Duke on Saturday, Florida State in the Atlantic Division and Virginia in the Coastal will be the ACC's only unbeaten teams in conference play. The Yellow Jackets' perfect season is gone, their shot at the College Football Playoff has been erased and they are no longer in the driver's seat for a trip to Charlotte, N.C. for a chance to play in the ACC title game.
The Yellow Jackets can only blame themselves. With apologies to a Duke team that came into Bobby Dodd Stadium and put up 31 points, Georgia Tech beat itself.
The Georgia Tech offense coughed the ball up three times; a Zach Laskey fumble and two Justin Thomas second-half interceptions tragically ended drives.
Laskey fumbled the football 82 seconds into the second half. Georgia Tech took the kickoff to start the third quarter, after lightning in the area caused a 77-minute weather delay. The Yellow Jackets were down only 14-12 at that moment, and desperately in need of points.
Two drives later, Thomas tossed his first pick, a costly turnover in the red zone. The Yellow Jackets drove the ball to Duke's 10-yard line down by 12 points. Thomas tried to float a pass over linebacker Zavier Carmichael, but the football had too much air underneath. Carmichael pulled the pass down on the 5-yard line, and ended Tech's scoring threat.
Thomas' second interception came at Tech's own 46-yard line. Duke safety Jeremy Cash returned the interception to the Tech 23. Duke put seven points on the board just three plays later, and put the Blue Devils up 31-12.
Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson said this game wasn't terribly dissimilar to the previous five. Those all ended in wins.
"We're not good enough to lose the turnover battle 3-0 to anyone and win the game," said Johnson, who called those turnovers and costly penalties the difference on Saturday.
The penalties that really hurt Georgia Tech came in the first half. Both of Duke's early touchdowns came after penalties extended Blue Devil drives.
An offsides penalty against Tech in the first quarter, with Duke's punting team on the field, extended the drive where the Blue Devils scored their first touchdown. A pass interference call on Chris Milton in the second quarter, on third down, kept the ball in Duke's hands.
The Blue Devils put their second touchdown on the board seven plays later.
With three turnovers and two costly penalties that turned stopped drives into points for Duke, it's no wonder Georgia Tech came out on the losing end. Johnson, admittedly disappointed after the loss, explained the two polar-opposite directions the rest of the season could lean.
If Tech plays error-free football over its next six games, Johnson feels the Yellow Jackets could win them all. If sloppy play returns, like it did against the Blue Devils, the head coach said his team could very well lose every remaining game.
