SOUTH BEND, IND. — Two teams that have minimized the turnover and the penalty as any kind of factor in their games were reintroduced to those painful truths of football Saturday.
Georgia Tech went its opening game without being whistled for a penalty, and suffered only two more inconsequential calls the next week against Tulane.
Saturday, a very meaningful flag landed at its feet when a third-quarter holding call on Trey Braun nullified a 23-yard touchdown run by quarterback Justin Thomas. Tech trailed 16-7 at the time.
That quarter began on a rueful note when on a keeper, Thomas uncharacteristically lost the ball at his own 40 yard line.