Tag: GT

No. 12 BYU rallies late to beat No. 22 Georgia Tech in Pop-Tarts Bowl

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Jovesa Damuni scored the go-ahead touchdown with two minutes remaining as No. 12 BYU rallied for a 25-21 victory over No. 22 Georgia Tech on Saturday at the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Fla.

Damuni’s 4-yard run capped a 15-point fourth-quarter flurry for the Cougars (12-2), who earned their first 12-win season since 2001. Enoch Nawahine also rushed for a score in the final quarter and Evan Johnson made the game-sealing interception, as BYU overcame an 11-point deficit.

“We haven’t won 12 games in a while,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “So this is something to be really proud of and something to carry for the rest of their life.”

Bear Bachmeier completed 27 of 38 passes for 325 yards, one touchdown and one interception for BYU. Chase Roberts had a touchdown catch, and Carsen Ryan had eight receptions for 120 yards.

Haynes King was 23-of-40 passing for 275 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for the Yellow Jackets (9-4), who lost for the fourth time in five games.

Trelain Maddox rushed for a touchdown while Eric Rivers (102 receiving yards) and J.T. Byrne caught scoring passes. Malik Rutherford had eight catches for 105 yards.

BYU was part of this bowl game after being passed over for a College Football Playoff at-large berth. The Cougars’ blemishes were two blowout losses against Texas Tech.

BYU pulled within 21-18 when Nawahine scored from the 2-yard line on the direct snap and Bachmeier added a two-point conversion run with 11:13 remaining in the game.

Later in the quarter, the Cougars drove 70 yards on nine plays with Damuni scoring the game-winner.

“We were just staying calm,” Ryan said of BYU’s comeback. “We’ve been in this position before. We know to stick together and trust our process and trust your teammates and we’ll come out on top.”

Georgia Tech had one last chance, and King converted a fourth-and-15 with a 66-yard pass to Rivers to the BYU 18-yard line with 52 seconds left.

King then threw three straight incompletions, one just over the hands of Dean Patterson in the end zone with 14 seconds to play.

King’s final throw was into the end zone and Johnson, who was the beaten defender on the 66-yard play, made the pick with 6 seconds left.

BYU prevailed without star running back LJ Martin, the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, who sat out with an injury.

Earlier, Georgia Tech scored two second-quarter touchdowns in a span of 13 seconds to take an 11-point lead.

The stretch started with King throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Rivers with 5:28 left to cap a 10-play, 76-yard drive.

BYU’s Cody Hagen failed to catch the ensuing kickoff and Georgia Tech’s Will Kiker recovered at the BYU 6-yard line. On the next play, King tossed a scoring pass to Byrne for a 21-10 lead.

The teams traded touchdowns in the first quarter. Bachmeier tossed a 7-yard scoring pass to Roberts, and Maddox scored on a 3-yard run for the Yellow Jackets.

Will Ferrin kicked a 22-yard field goal to give the Cougars a 10-7 lead with 9:49 left in the first half.

–Field Level Media

No. 16 Georgia Tech survives Boston College upset bid on last-minute FG

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Aidan Birr’s 23-yard field goal with 14 seconds left lifted No. 16 Georgia Tech to a 36-34 win over host Boston College in Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference game at Chestnut Hilll, Mass.

After Turbo Richard’s 43-yard touchdown run flipped the score back Boston College’s way with 4:09 left, the Yellow Jackets (9-1, 6-1) put together a 13-play, 69-yard drive in the next 3:58 to win the game.

Haynes King was 26-of-34 for 371 yards and a touchdown while leading Tech, which had a 628-537 advantage in total yardage. Eric Rivers (119 yards) and Malik Rutherford (121 yards, one touchdown) were his top targets, while Malachi Hosley rushed for 107 yards and a score.

Dylan Lonergan threw for 362 yards for Boston College (1-10, 0-7), including 142 to Reed Harris. Turbo Richard rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries.

Lewis Bond finished with eight catches for 106 yards, becoming Boston College’s single-season and career receptions leader during the game.

Georgia Tech had erased a 28-17 deficit with three consecutive third-quarter scores, beginning with a 26-yard Burr field goal. After forcing a 3rd-and-9 incompletion to get the ball back, Eric Rivers caught King’s 35-yard ball to set up a Jamal Haynes 2-yard rushing score, but a 2-point attempt to tie failed.

Following a 3-and-out, the visitors needed one score — Jordan Allen’s 54-yard scamper up the sideline and a PAT — to take a 33-28 lead with 6:14 left.

The Eagles were not done. After Lonergan found Jeremiah Franklin on a 3rd-and-19 play to extend the drive, Richard broke off a 43-yard touchdown run with 4:09 left to flip the score again. The 2-point attempt failed.

Georgia Tech scored first on Hosley’s 27-yard touchdown with 4:59 left in the first quarter.

Boston College then logged an 11-play, 75-yard drive over 5:40, tying the game after Richard’s 1-yard touchdown on 4th down in the opening minute of the second quarter. He also broke free for a 42-yard run earlier in the drive.

After King aired out a 48-yard pass during the ensuing series, the Eagles were unable to turn Bryce Steele’s fumble recovery into points. However, Rutherford broke a tackle for a 71-yard touchdown run to flip the score back Georgia Tech’s way with 9:44 left in the second.

Lonergan led a 10-play, 93-yard drive — including Bond’s career milestone grab — in just 1:04 to tie the game at 14-14 late in the first half. The Alabama transfer connected with Harris three times before Kaelan Chudzinski’s 3-yard touchdown.

Early in the third, a big run into the red zone by Richard helped set up Jordan McDonald’s 14-yard run to give Boston College a 21-14 lead.

Redeeming himself for a 49-yard miss at the end of the first half, Birr kicked a 34-yarder to cap a 14-play drive with 4:35 left in the third.

The Eagles extended their lead as Harris broke multiple tackles on a 32-yard catch-and-run before the third quarter expired. On the other side of the break, a red-zone stand forced Birr to come on for a 26-yard field goal.

–Field Level Media

FSU football players participate in fall practice as the team prepares for Georgia Tech at the Albert J Dunlap training center on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024.

No. 10 Florida State, Georgia Tech kick off 2024 season in Dublin

Posted on | by Field Level Media

For 229 days, the college football world has awaited the return of the ever-changing sport.

No team is more eager to get back to the proving grounds than No. 10 Florida State.

Georgia Tech and Florida State kick off the 2024 season on Saturday in Dublin, Ireland. Saturday marks the ninth college football game played in the country.

A College Football Playoff bridesmaid in December, the Seminoles return depth from the 13-1 conference-championship winning team. Florida State brings back 73 players, including nine All-ACC members, an unprecedented number in today’s transfer portal-dominated landscape.

In the backfield, the Seminoles are led by fifth-year senior Lawrance Toafili, who rushed for 463 yards in 2023, when he backed up Trey Benson. Toafili was last year’s ACC Championship Game MVP and enters the season as Florida State’s leading returner in rushing and all-purpose yards.

The offense returns a receiving core of nine Seminoles who combined for 86 receptions for 1,195 yards and five touchdowns. Although the unit lost Keon Coleman, Johnny Wilson and Jaheim Bell to the NFL Draft, a pair of experienced players in Mackey Award watch list tight end Kyle Morlock (19 receptions, 255 yards in 2023) and Ja’Khi Douglas (14-243) look to anchor the group.

Maybe the most vital piece of the Florida State roster is fifth-year transfer quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. He takes over for Jordan Travis, the 2023 ACC Player of the Year whose season ended with a knee injury that shifted the Seminoles’ fortunes. Travis was a fifth-round pick of the Jets in April.

After an inconsistent career at Clemson from 2020-22, Uiagalelei found more success at Oregon State in 2023, passing for 2,638 yards and accounting for 27 total touchdowns.

Back in the ACC for a final go-around, the veteran quarterback is considered a key in the Seminoles’ bid for their first College Football Playoff appearance in a decade.

“DJ has played in a lot of football games,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “He’s seen it all. He’s been through the highs and lows. I could not be any more pleased with what I’ve seen since he got here in January. He’s playing with a lot of confidence. I’m excited to see him go play like he’s prepared. If he does that, I think he could have a very special season.”

In front of Uiagalelei, Florida State returns all-conference offensive linemen Darius Washington and Maurice Smith.

Florida State was left out of the playoff last season in part because of injuries at the quarterback position. But the Seminoles are 23-4 the past two seasons and don’t need a pep talk before taking the field in 2024.

Georgia Tech enters the season coming off its first winning campaign since 2018, and first bowl win since 2016. Brent Key has the program anticipating renewed success, but the Seminoles have dominated the series with a 13-4 advantage in regular-season ACC meetings (2-0 in ACC title games).

Dual-threat quarterback Haynes King, who threw for 2,842 yards and 27 touchdowns, while adding 737 rushing yards and 10 scores on the ground in 2023, is back behind center for the Yellow Jackets.

“When I say (Haynes) has every skill and every bit of ability to be the best quarterback in the country, I mean it,” Key said. “We’re very excited for him.”

Last year’s leading rusher Jamal Haynes (1,059 yards, seven touchdowns) also returns for Tech.

Florida State’s offense gets plenty of publicity. The Seminoles have some youth on the other side of the ball, but defensive back Azareye’h Thomas said the group’s mindset paves the way for positives.

“They have speed, speed, speed. Our defense will have to mind our Ps and Qs,” Thomas said of playing Georgia Tech’s track athletes at wide receiver. “It starts in the meeting room. We watch film so that when we come out to practice, it’s easy.”

Key overturned a staff that ranked 97th in the country last year in points allowed. Duke’s defensive coordinator, Tyler Santucci, relocated to Atlanta. Under Santucci, the Blue Devils allowed just 19 points per game, best in the ACC.

“That’s why I got hired,” Santucci said. “Stop people, create takeaways … get the ball back to the offense and don’t let them score touchdowns. That’s not pressure. That’s our job.”

Georgia Tech is playing internationally for the second time. The Yellow Jackets topped Boston College 17-14 in the inaugural Aer Lingus Classic in 2016.

“It’s a great opportunity for Georgia Tech,” Key said. “It’ll be great for people to see the GT on a worldwide stage.”

–Field Level Media

Louisville s coach Jeff Brohm watches Kevin Coleman catch the ball on April 14, 2023 during the Cardinals' final open practice before their spring game.

Georgia Tech, Louisville aim for edge in ACC opener

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Atlantic Coast Conference foes dive headfirst into league play Friday when Louisville visits Atlanta for a matchup against Georgia Tech in the season opener.

Former Louisville quarterback Jeff Brohm will be making his coaching debut for the Cardinals, who are coming off an 8-5 season. Louisville lost its 2022 opener against Syracuse, 31-7, and will be hoping for an improved effort against a Georgia Tech team that also got thumped in its 2022 kickoff game.

The Yellow Jackets got crushed 41-10 by Clemson in their first game last season and never really recovered en route to a 5-7 campaign. Brent Key coached Georgia Tech in its final eight games last season and was named the Yellow Jackets’ permanent head coach on Nov. 29.

Georgia Tech returns 15 starters and quarterback Haynes King is one of the newcomers. The Texas A&M graduate transfer made seven starts for the Aggies over the last three seasons and is tasked with resurrecting an offense that averaged 17.2 points — 125th nationally — a season ago.

“Was there momentum last year? Yeah,” Key said. “We quit waiting on bad things to happen. We went out there starting to expect to win. … Winning grows in your locker room just like losing does.”

Louisville will be welcoming in a new quarterback, Jack Plummer. The former California signal-caller passed for 3,095 yards and 21 touchdowns for the Golden Bears last season. He previously spent time at Purdue, where Brohm coached for the last six seasons.

“Jack has done a really good job,” Brohm said. “He’s got game experience. He’s played a lot of football. He wants to win. … So I just think we’ve tried to prepare Jack as much as we can. He’s got to be smart and understand that if we get in a situation where we need some big plays, he can’t do it all himself.”

Even though Louisville has been part of the ACC since 2014, the teams have only met twice all-time. Georgia Tech has won both of those meetings by a combined 54 points.

–Field Level Media