Sims sparks Ga. Tech to 45-22 upset of No. 21 North Carolina

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Georgia Tech backmost Jeff Sims (10) throws a touchdown walk arsenic North Carolina linebacker Jeremiah Gemmel (44) closes successful during the 2nd fractional of an NCAA assemblage shot crippled Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, successful Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Jeff Sims was truly upset for a fewer days. Then helium pulled himself unneurotic and waited for different chance.

When it came Saturday night, helium definite took vantage of it.

Sims came disconnected the seat to tally for 3 touchdowns and walk for another, Georgia Tech’s defence stifled Sam Howell overmuch of the crippled and the Yellow Jackets bushed a ranked squad for the archetypal clip successful Geoff Collins’ 3 seasons arsenic manager with a 45-22 upset of No. 21 North Carolina.

Sims played for the archetypal clip since helium was injured successful a season-opening nonaccomplishment to Northern Illinois and surrendered his starting occupation to Jordan Yates.

“I’m not gonna lie,” Sims said. “I was truly successful a slump mentally for a mates of days. But I conscionable talked to my family, blocked the extracurricular noise, leaned successful connected God and my household and they truly helped maine get done it.”

Sims replaced Yates precocious successful the 2nd 4th and ran for TDs of 11 and 1 yards that enactment Georgia Tech successful power — the second acceptable up by his 38-yard scamper.

Sims threw a 27-yard scoring pass to Malachi Carter and finished disconnected the crippled with a flourish, scoring connected a 50-yard tally with conscionable implicit a infinitesimal remaining for Georgia Tech (2-2, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference).

He rushed for 128 yards connected 10 carries and completed 10 of 13 passes for 112 yards.

“There’s nary payment to maine being a pouter,” Sims said. “I knew my clip was gonna come.”

North Carolina (2-2, 1-2) is shaping up arsenic 1 of the nation’s astir underachieving teams aft coming into the play ranked successful the apical 10.

Sam Howell was sacked 8 times and fumbled the shot distant 3 times, leading to 10 points for the the Yellow Jackets successful the archetypal fractional and mounting up their last TD. He besides was stuffed connected a fourth-down tally successful his ain territory, giving Georgia Tech different abbreviated tract that led to a touchdown.

“I’m really, truly disappointed successful the mode we played,” manager Mack Brown said. “Sims came successful and did a tremendous occupation successful the 2nd half. We couldn’t halt him.”

Howell completed 25 of 39 for 306 yards and 2 touchdowns. He besides scored the game’s archetypal TD connected a 23-yard tally but finished with conscionable 8 yards rushing aft back-to-back games with much than 100 yards.

Howell’s main tormenter was Georgia Tech linebacker Charlie Thomas, who had 2.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles successful the Tar Heels backfield.

“We knew we had to enactment unit connected him,” said linebacker Quez Jackson, who chipped successful with 10 tackles including a sack. “He tin bushed you with his arms and his legs.”

The Tar Heels didn’t look thing similar the squad that blew distant Virginia the week before, piling up 699 full yards successful a 59-39 victory.

Instead, they reverted to the shaky signifier of a 17-10 nonaccomplishment astatine Virginia Tech successful the play opener, erstwhile Howell was sacked six times and threw 3 interceptions.

Georgia Tech caput manager Geoff Collins yells to his players connected the tract during the archetypal fractional of an NCAA assemblage shot crippled against North Carolina Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, successful Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

MAYHEM AT MERCEDES-BENZ

The Yellow Jackets played the archetypal of six games successful six seasons astatine Mercedes-Benz Stadium, astir a mile from their midtown field and champion known arsenic location of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.

The retractable-roof installation was lone astir half-filled. The announced attendance was 37,450, and nary tickets were sold successful the precocious deck.

Still, Collins considered it a success, saying it was the commencement of bigger things for his program.

“I person a batch of visions for what this programme tin be, should be, volition be,” the manager said. “You got a glimpse of that tonight.”

THE TAKEAWAY

North Carolina: The Tar Heels simply made excessively galore mistakes to beryllium considered among the nation’s amended teams. Among their 7 penalties was 1 that wiped retired a tract goal. They rushed for conscionable 63 yards and gave up 13 tackles down the enactment of scrimmage. It’s backmost to the drafting committee for Brown and his staff.

Georgia Tech: Sims has surely regained the starting occupation that was his during a promising freshman play and the archetypal crippled of 2021. Yates made his 3rd consecutive commencement astatine backmost adjacent though Sims was healthy, but the discourtesy didn’t bash overmuch until Collins made the switch. Georgia Tech had conscionable 71 yards connected 5 possessions with Yates astatine backmost but finished with 394 full yards.

Georgia Tech wide receiver Malachi Carter (7) makes a drawback for a touchdown arsenic North Carolina antiaircraft backmost Kyler McMichael (1) defends during the 2nd fractional of an NCAA assemblage shot game, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, successful Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

SIGNATURE WIN

Collins came into the nighttime with a grounds of 7-18 since taking implicit arsenic Georgia Tech manager successful 2019, including a 0-6 people against ranked teams.

Make it 1-6.

UP NEXT

North Carolina: Tar Heels statesman a agelong of 3 consecutive games successful Chapel Hill erstwhile they big rival Duke adjacent Saturday.

Georgia Tech: Yellow Jackets instrumentality to field adjacent Saturday to instrumentality connected Pittsburgh astatine Bobby Dodd Stadium.

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