A sold-out Aviva Stadium hosted a thrilling opening game as this year’s NCAA College championship season got under way in Dublin. An Atlantic Coast Conference match between Georgia Tech and Florida State saw the 10th-ranked Seminoles beaten 24-21 by Aidan Birr’s last-second field goal.
The game was a neutral venue for all but one of the players involved. It’s not often that a punter is the centre of attention in the match build-up but in David Shanahan, Georgia Tech have a history maker.
Three years ago Shanahan, from Castleisland in County Kerry, became the first Irishman ever to earn a full scholarship to play college football.
Now in his senior year, the cheers for Shanahan’s punts from the near 50,000 crowd were among the very loudest of the night.
There were also outstanding special teams performances in the game from FSU kicker Ryan Fitzgerald, who impressed with two long-range field goals, but it was Georgia Tech’s Birr, who held his nerve to deliver the game-winner – with Shanahan playing a crucial supporting role as his holder.
Shanahan said it was an “unreal feeling” to win back on Irish soil, especially given that it was his own special teams unit delivering the upset victory.
“It’s just incredible way to win,” he said.
“For this guy, Aidan, it took a hell of a lot of bottle but I had full confidence in him, honestly.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him miss two kicks in-a-row. It all really went down to the last play – an unreal feeling.”
