College football is back, and it wasted no time reeling fans back in. Week 0 is usually not one to produce drama, but Georgia Tech made a statement by defeating No. 10 Florida State, 24-21, on a walk-off 44-yard field goal by Aidan Birr.
Birr had never attempted a go-ahead field goal in the 4th quarter in his career before today, but the sophomore's leg secured the win in Dublin, Ireland. This was the Yellow Jackets' first top-10 win since 2015.
What a way to start the college football season 😮💨
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter)
The Seminoles jumped out of the gate with a seven-play touchdown drive to open the game, topped off by a fake PAT attempt to take an early 8-0 lead. The Yellow Jackets responded quickly with a six-play touchdown drive to close the gap to just one.
The defenses settled in after two scoring drives to start the game, as Georgia Tech made a huge stop on 4th and 4 in the Seminoles' second drive. Following a 52-yard field goal by Florida State’s Ryan Fitzgerald, the Yellow Jackets put together an eight-minute scoring drive to take the lead 14-11 late in the first half.
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Both kickers shined today, as Fitzgerald tied the game 14-14 after drilling a 59-yarder as time expired in the first half.
After a scoreless third quarter, Georgia Tech’s Jamal Haynes broke the stalemate in the second half with a two-yard touchdown run set up by a 21-yard scramble by Yellow Jackets’ quarterback Haynes King. King did a little bit of everything today for the Yellow Jackets, tallying 54 yards on the ground and 146 through the air.
Florida State responded with a nail-biting 15-play touchdown drive that included two fourth-down conversions of seven or more yards.
The Yellow Jackets got the ball back with a little over six minutes to play, tied 21-21. Georgia Tech slowly trekked down the field, using as much clock as possible. On the Seminoles' 28-yard line, King fumbled the snap with a minute left in the game, pushing the Yellow Jackets back to the 38-yard line– likely a tough field goal for Birr.
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King responded with a huge 12-yard pass on 3rd and 18 to put Georgia Tech well back in field goal range, setting up Birr for the eventual game-winner.
This was Florida State’s first regular season loss since 2022 after an undefeated 2023 campaign before its bowl game loss to Georgia. Georgia Tech had lost 15 straight games to top-10 opponents entering today’s game, but Brent Key had his squad ready in his second official year leading the Yellow Jackets.
