ATLANTA — After starting the 2021 season with a loss to Northern Illinois in their first game, the expectations for this years Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team dropped dramatically.
Yet, after a dominating performance over a ranked North Carolina team at Mercedes-Benz stadium Saturday night, the Jackets showed fans they shouldn’t be written off just yet.
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After taking a 13-7 lead into halftime, the Jackets found another gear in the second half of their 45-22 win over the Tar Heels.
Sophomore quarterback Jeff Sims, who got hurt and lost his starting job after the Northern Illinois loss, returned late in the second quarter and was the sparkplug for a team still looking to establish its identity.
Sims scored on an 11-yard TD run with just :42 seconds left in the first half to give Tech the lead in the game and he was just getting started.
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Sims jump started the Jackets in the second half with a 27-yard TD pass to Malachi Carter just a little over one minute into the third quarter.
He ended the scoring with a 50-yard TD run with 1:13 left in the game. Sims finished the game completing 10 of 13 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 128 yards and the late game TD.
The Yellow Jackets hounded Tar Heels QB Sam Howell the entire game sacking him eight times.
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The win was Tech’s first ACC win of the season as they move to 1-1 in the conference and 2-2 overall. North Carolina dropped to 1-2 in the ACC and a 2-2 record for the season.
Georgia Tech hosts the Pittsburgh Panthers this coming Saturday at Bobby Dodd stadium, kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.
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