ESPN commentator Joe Tessitore's comments followed a compelling ACC showdown which brought an end to a seven-month hiatus and laid the foundation for a fascinating season of college football. "Are you kidding? Run the ball." yelled Georgia Tech coach Brent Key after his Yellow Jackets upset No.10 Florida State, 24-21 at Dublin's Aviva Stadium in front of a lively crowd of 47,998.
How the game unfolded
Georgia Tech kicker Aidan Birr's winning 44-yard field goal hugged the inside of the left upright with just five seconds left on the clock to give the Yellow Jackets their first win over the Seminoles since 2015 and leave Florida State, a game into the season, already sweating on a potential playoff berth.
Georgia Tech have the fourth-toughest schedule in the FBS this year. Based on their opening day showing against a top 10 team, they will go into games against the likes of No.7 Notre Dame, No.19 Miami and No.1 Georgia with a real air of confidence. The Atlanta-based team, very much in the shadows of their illustrious state rival Georgia Bulldogs 71 miles down the road in Athens, won the key battle at the line of scrimmage. Their coach, Key, a former four-year starting guard for the Yellow Jackets, will have appreciated his offensive line's role in their gritty victory. His team led the ACC in rushing last season and bullied Florida State, opening up gaps for nippy 5'9" 190lbs redshirt junior Jamal Haynes to burst through. The junior running back ran for 75 yards and scored two touchdowns.
Ground attack
Georgia Tech racked up 190 of their 336 total yards of offense on the ground, including 75 rushing yards for quarterback Haynes King. King, a 6'3", 200 lb transfer from Texas A&M in 2022, showed impressive toughness and composure, especially after recovering his fumble with the game entering the dying stages as the Yellow Jackets advanced down the field looking to set up their kicker Barr for the game-winning field goal. Haynes threw for 146 yards and ran the ball 15 times for a further 54 yards. Georgia Tech's quarterback isn't the fastest on the ground, but was savvy enough to elude Seminoles defenders for some tough gains.
The Seminoles started well, Lawrance Toafili's 28-yard scoring run capped a seven-play, 75-yard drive followed by a two-point conversion that didn't look out of place at the Irish national team's rugby stadium, giving Florida State an 8-0 lead. The Yellow Jackets responded quickly with a six-play 79-yard drive capped by a 1-yard Zach Pyron run that brought Georgia Tech back within a point.
A Jamal Haynes rushing touchdown for the Yellow Jackets and two lengthy field goals, from 52 yards and 59 yards from Florida State kicker Ryan Fitzgerald levelled the half-time score at 14-14. Fitzgerald's 59-yard kick was the longest in ACC conference game history.
Haynes ran the ball in from two yards to finish an impressive 89-yard Georgia Tech drive and hand the 10.5 point underdogs a 21-14 lead early in the fourth quarter, before Alabama transfer Roydell Williams' 1-yard score tied the game with 6:33 remaining. All five touchdowns in the game were scored on the ground, highlighting the battle in the trenches.
Georgia Tech took control of the ball for the remaining six and a half minutes, grinding out a 12-play, 49-yard drive that ate up the clock and put Birr in position to land a 44-yard field goal, handing the Yellow Jackets a surprise victory and condemning Florida State to an early season loss. Oregon State transfer and former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei had a solid but uninspiring performance in his Florida State debut, completing 19 of 27 passes for 193 yards, but this result raises immediate questions about his new team's potential to make the end of season playoff.
College football is back, roll on next weekend!
Next opponents:
Georgia Tech hosts state rival Georgia State on 31st August.
Florida State will look to start afresh with a home fixture against ACC conference rival Boston College on 2nd September.
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