2016 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team

The 2016 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Yellow Jackets were led by ninth-year head coach Paul Johnson and played their home games at Bobby Dodd Stadium. They were a member of the Coastal Division in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Preseason
Georgia Tech ended the 2015 season with a 3–9 overall record, 1–7 in the ACC. The Yellow Jackets finished last in the Coastal Division. Georgia Tech is picked to finished 6th in the Coastal Division, with Duke in 5th and Virginia in last.

Recruiting
National Signing Day was February 3, 2016. The Yellow Jackets signed a total of 18 players in their 2016 recruiting class.

Schedule
The schedule for Georgia Tech's 2016 football season was announced on January 26, 2016.

Georgia Southern
Georgia Tech, behind the guidance of Justin Thomas, enjoyed a 35–24 win against the Georgia Southern Eagles in Atlanta. Thomas threw for 175 yards and a touchdown and Dedrick Mills added 89 yards on 12 carries and a Touchdown. The Yellow Jacket defense enjoyed a strong day, holding the Eagles offense to a minimal number of yards. Harrison Butker missed a short field goal, his only miss of the entire season. This was the second ever meeting between Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern, with Tech earning a win in 2014. At 1–3 in the ACC, Georgia Tech seeks to rebound over the next three weeks when it faces Top 20 University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill on November 5, and then the following weekend in Blacksburg Virginia facing #23 Virginia Tech. This weekend, Tech faces Duke in Atlanta in two weeks on October 29.

At North Carolina
Seeking to stay in the hunt for the 2016 Dr. Pepper ACC Championship in Orlando, Florida, Georgia Tech traveled to Chapel Hill North Carolina on November 5, 2016, seeking a win against Ryan Switzer and the North Carolina Tar Heels. In one of Tech's highlights, Clinton Lynch caught a 5-yard screen and bulldozed over six unc defenders for a 79-yard touchdown. Tech kept matters close until the second half.

At Georgia
Trailing UGA 14–27 with only 9:30 left in the game, the Yellow Jackets embarked on a 7 play, 94-yard touchdown drive that ended in a 5-yard touchdown run by Dedrick Mills to make it a 21–27 game with 6:28 remaining on the clock. On the ensuing Bulldogs drive, Georgia was able to run over 2 minutes off the clock. That drive ended, however, when Georgia Tech defensive back Lance Austin intercepted Jacob Eason with 3:39 left in the game. Starting from Georgia's 46-yard line, the Yellow Jackets drove down to The University of Georgia's red zone. On a 3rd and goal situation with 36 seconds left in the game, Georgia Tech called a toss pitch to Qua Searcy, who would then pass the ball to Justin Thomas on a trick play. When the Yellow Jackets ran the play, however, Thomas was covered. Instead of passing the ball, Searcy ran the ball in for a 6-yard touchdown to tie the game 27–27. The ensuing extra point gave Georgia Tech a 28–27 lead. On the last play of the game, Eason was once again intercepted, securing a victory for the Yellow Jackets.

With the victory, Justin Thomas became the first Georgia Tech quarterback to beat Georgia twice in his career since Joe Hamilton in 1998–99.

Kentucky
Georgia Tech took an early lead on a strip-six fumble return forced by DT Pat Gamble, and finished by LB PJ Davis. Eventually, Georgia Tech won 33–18.