Virginia Falls to Georgia Tech in Overtime

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ATLANTA – It came down to overtime, but Virginia (7-4, 4-3 ACC) was unable to convert the 35-yard field goal in overtime as Georgia Tech (7-4, 5-3 ACC) took the 30-27 win on Saturday afternoon at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
 
It was a back-and-forth game with seven lead changes throughout. Georgia Tech took a 13-7 lead in the first quarter before Virginia regained the lead with a 56-yard pass from Brennan Armstrong (Shelby, Ohio) to Joe Reed (Charlotte Court House, Va.). The Yellow Jackets were back ahead with a field goal, before Bryce Perkins (Queen Creek, Ariz.) ran it in for a touchdown with 3:03 left in the second quarter. Neither team scored again until the fourth quarter.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia tied the game 24-24 on a 30-yard field goal with 4:31 to go in the fourth quarter. Georgia Tech went back up after a field goal with 1:04 to play. UVA drove 52 yards to score a 32-yard field goal to send the game to overtime. The Cavaliers held the Yellow Jackets to a field goal on the first drive of overtime, but were unable to convert to tie the game again.  
 
STAT LEADERS
• QB Bryce Perkins
Passing: 21-26, 217 yards, 1 TD
Rushing: 73 yards, 1 TD
 
• HB Olamide Zaccheaus
11 receptions, 111 yards
 
• LB Jordan Mack
12 tackles
 
• CB Bryce Hall
6 tackles, 2 PBUs
 
NOTES
• Virginia played its first overtime game since beating Syracuse in three overtimes in 2015 at Scott Stadium, 44-38.
• With 217 passing yards, Perkins becomes the first UVA quarterback with 2,000+ passing yards and 600+ rushing yards in the same season. He was also the first UVA quarter back with 1,500+ passing yards and 600+ rushing yards.
• Zaccheaus recorded his fifth 100-yard receiving game of the season and eighth of his career. He is now tied for No. 3 all-time at UVA in career 100-yard receiving games with Herman Moore and Billy McMullen.
• QB Brennan Armstrong threw his first collegiate touchdown on a 56-yard completion to Joe Reed in the first quarter.
• Joe Reed’s 56-yard touchdown reception is the 16th offensive touchdown by UVA this season that went for 20 yards or more. It is the ninth offensive touchdown that has gone for 35 yards or more.

FROM THE LOCKER ROOM
“Congratulations to Paul Johnson and their football team, it was a hard-fought game. I love my team; they battled like crazy … played very strong and played tough, played right to the end. I thought, defensively, we played very well, holding [Georgia] Tech to field goals for the most part. Ultimately, the storyline was the special teams miscues … the kick return for a touchdown, and the punt that bounced up and hit one of our players, that turnover. Those two plays, I thought, contributed to us not being quite able to pull off this game. Certainly, the safety … those three plays, in terms of clean play and execution, were the difference in the game.

“Offensively, we held the ball and scored. Defensively, we played well and held them to field goals, as well as significantly under their rushing total. So the plan worked well other than the special teams didn’t execute well enough on a few plays to win the game.”

UP NEXT
Virginia will close out the regular season on the road at Virginia Tech on Friday, Nov. 23 at 3:30 p.m. in Blacksburg, Va.