Disaster struck in Dublin, with Florida State’s season of redemption getting derailed immediately as Georgia Tech upset the No. 10 team in the country. The Seminoles were, simply, outclassed in a 24-21 defeat on a walk-off field goal in the 2024 Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland.
Georgia Tech, double-digit underdogs entering the contest, was the faster and more physical team as the Yellow Jackets steadily controlled the trenches for most of the game. It was a jarring development for a team that – after going 13-0 last year prior to an unprecedented playoff snub – was considered by Mike Norvell as the strongest and fastest team he fielded at FSU.
But those attributes weren’t on display nearly enough. Georgia Tech was able to control the game while the Seminoles were tentative to do anything vertically with transfer quarterback DJ Uiagalelei for most of the contest until FSU was having to battle back from a touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter.
FSU tied the game at 21-21 with 6:33 left, showing some life through the air after a listless performance passing the ball. The Seminoles had Georgie Tech at 3rd-and-7 in their own territory after a false start penalty, but QB Haynes King found RB Jamal Haynes out of the backfield for 16 yards.
Tick, tick, tick.
Georgia Tech, as it did so often in the game, ran the clock down with steady gains as FSU’s defenders slipped and lost grip on a rushing attack that finished with 190 yards for a robust 5.3 yards-per-carry.
The Yellow Jackets chewed the clock, successfully, with Aidan Birr – who missed a 51-yarder at the start of the second half – making the game-winning field goal from 44 yards out with no time remaining.
Georgia Tech out-gained FSU 336 to 291 while averaging nearly seven minutes per possession on their final three scoring drives.
It started well enough for the Seminoles.
A smattering of runs to a variety of backs behind a bullish offensive line allowed FSU to methodically move the ball downfield with ease as Lawrance Toafili capped off a 7-play, 75-yard drive with a 28-yard scamper. FSU hit a swinging gate toss to TE Brian Courtney on the two-point conversion.
But Georgia Tech responded immediately with its own easy drive, aided by a 42-yard screen to receiver Mark Rutherford, as the Yellow Jackets made it look even easier. Six plays, 79 yards and not a single third-down faced as backup QB Zach Pyron powered in a short score.
It would be a sign of things to come.
The Yellow Jackets went ahead on the third drive of the game and never trailed again.
It was complete and utter control as the upstart squad dominated the trenches against FSU’s vaunted defensive line, one that ESPN’s Pete Thamel stated before the game was the top front in the country per various NFL scouts. Gains on the ground of 4, 4, 5, 6, 7, 16 allowed GT to get deep into FSU territory with minimal resistance as the wave of white jerseys got runners free while linebackers struggled to fill gaps. Finally getting to first and goal at the three, GT used three gains on one yard to surge into the end-zone and take a 14-11 lead.
The Seminoles, meanwhile, were highly conservative on offense even as the Yellow Jackets started attacking FSU’s run game with run blitzes and quick triggers. The Seminoles attempted one pass more than 10 yards downfield – it drew a pass interference – with most of DJ Uiagalelei’s throws coming right at or behind the line of scrimmage.
FSU was fortunate that PK Ryan Fitzgerald had a career day in the first half. First he made a 52-yarder, and then surpassed that with the second-longest kick in school history – a 59-yarder – as time expired in the first half to tie the game at 14-14.
FSU had a chance to stop Georgia Tech midway through the third quarter as the Yellow Jackets missed a handoff, put the ball on the ground, and still managed to come up with it as multiple defenders missed the ball or didn’t dive to recover it. On the next play, facing 3rd and 12, King spun out of pressure and delivered a dart downfield for a first down. He then kept the ball for a 21-yard gain to get into first and goal.
The Seminoles, trailing 21-14 in the early seconds of the fourth quarter, finally started moving the ball in the air although it took multiple fourth-down conversions to find success. Uiagalelei first found WR Ja’Khi Douglas wide open over the middle of the field on 4th-and-7 for a gain of 20, and then hit WR Malik Benson on a slant on 4th-and-8 for 19 yards. This set up a one-yard touchdown run by Roydell Williams as FSU tied the game at 21-21 with 6:33 left.
But the passing numbers were reflective of a team that didn’t trust its quarterback to throw the ball, creating unknowns of how the Seminoles will navigate the rest of the season. Uiagalelei finished with 193 yards on 19 of 27 passing.
The Seminoles are back in action on Labor Day, next Monday, at home against Boston College.
