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Georgia Tech’s first week as a ranked team in nearly a decade did not last long as the Yellow Jackets were bounced from the polls following Saturday’s 31-28 loss at Syracuse.

Georgia Tech (2-1, 1-1 ACC) joined the Associated Press Top 25 at No. 23 after wins over then-No. 10 Florida State and Georgia State. Following their defeat to the Orange, the unranked Yellow Jackets turn their attention to VMI (0-2) on Saturday.

Head coach Brent Key’s team fell behind 31-14 with 8:39 left before a pair of touchdowns, sandwiched around an onside kick recovery, gave the Yellow Jackets hope.

Ultimately, Georgia Tech’s defense couldn’t get off the field and Syracuse drained the clock.

“I think the biggest word is inconsistency, and that’s what we’ve been working on,” Key said. “That game was the epitome of inconsistency from an offensive standpoint. … The ability to sustain, get positive yardage on first downs, keep the chains moving. We weren’t able to do that.”

Although Georgia Tech’s 2-0 start garnered more national media attention than the Yellow Jackets have had in years, Key doesn’t believe the ranking was a distraction.

“No, I don’t think that one bit,” Key said. “Those are things that come with success and you’ve got to be able to handle it. But I didn’t see one thing in the week that led me to believe that it had anything to do with the loss.”

Key’s team will look to bounce back against FCS member VMI. Since Division I football split into subdivisions in 1978, Georgia Tech has been upset by FCS members on two occasions, falling to Furman in 1983 and The Citadel in 2019.

The Keydets enter play Saturday on the heels of a 35-28 loss to Bucknell. Trailing by 21 with just over eight minutes left, a pair of late touchdowns weren’t enough as VMI fell in its home opener.

“The season is young,” VMI head coach Danny Rocco said. “The interesting thing about our schedule is our four nonconference games are on the front end. The reality is our conference schedule is out in front of us. We have this four-game season, then the opportunity to rev it back up once we get into conference play.”

Saturday marks the first meeting between the teams since 1988, with Georgia Tech holding a 14-1 series lead. VMI’s lone win came in 1950.

–Field Level Media