DUBLIN (KLTV) – The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets upset the Florida State Seminoles in the 2024 Aer Lingus College Football Kickoff in Dublin, Ireland.
Former Longview Lobo Haynes King and the Yellow Jackets came into the game as underdogs against the 10th-ranked Seminoles.
Florida State got the ball first and quickly marched down the field going 75 yards in 7 plays for the first score of the game. The Seminoles executed a 2-point conversion to take an 8-0 lead.
The Jackets answered back on the next drive. King hit Malik Rutherford on a screen for 42 yards to get deep into Florida State territory. King ran the ball down to the one yard line before backup quarterback Zach Pyron entered the game and punched it in from a yard out to get the Jackets on the board.
Following unsuccessful drives by both teams, the Seminoles added three more points on a 52-yard field goal by Ryan Fitzgerald to give the Noles an 11-7 lead. King then led the Yellow Jackets back down the field to take the lead. King kept the drive alive by rushing for a first down twice. Running back Jamal Haynes ran it in from a yard out to cap off a 14-play, 75-yard drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock. As time expired in the first half, Fitzgerald nailed a 59-yard field goal to tie the game up at 14.
The third quarter was scoreless for both teams, but Georgia Tech was driving as the quarter ended. King was 5-5 on the drive for 61 yards passing, and added 21 yards on the ground to get the Yellow Jackets down to the two yard line as the third quarter came to an end. On the first play of the fourth, Haynes found the end zone again to give Georgia Tech a 21-14 lead.
The Seminoles didn’t go away quietly. Florida State executed a 15-play drive going 84 yards and converting on two fourth downs to tie the game again at 21 apiece. The Yellow Jackets got the ball back with over six and a half minutes left in the game. King threw for 32 yards and rushed for another 14, including a crucial third down conversion to put the Jackets in a position to win the game. Kennedale native Aidan Birr nailed a 44-yard field goal to give the Yellow Jackets a 24-21 win. That was Georgia Tech’s first win over a top 10 team since 2015.
King finished 11-16 for 146 yards through the air, while rushing the ball 15 times for 54 yards. The Longview native was named the Player of the Game.
Georgia Tech improves to 1-0 on the year and 1-0 in ACC play. The Jackets will be back at home next week to take on Georgia State.
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