ACC Football Recap: #12 Georgia Tech Defeats Duke, 27-18

Yellow Jackets take down Blue Devils

DURHAM, N.C.  Safety Omar Daniels returned a fumble a school-record 95 yards for a touchdown and No. 12 Georgia Tech pieced together enough late-game offense to beat Duke 27-18 on Saturday and continue its best start to a season in more than a half-century.

Jackets QB Haynes King  threw for 205 yards and rushed for a game-high 120 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown run with 2:10 left.  Georgia Tech (7-0, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) has won its first seven games for the first time since 1966. The last time the Yellow Jackets were 4-0 in ACC play came 27 years ago.

Duke (4-3, 3-1), bidding to hold first place midway through its conference schedule, saw its three-game winning streak end.  Blue Devils QB Darian Mensah  was 32 for 44 for 373 yards and two touchdowns.

Georgia Tech didn’t have a touchdown drive until a 72-yard march in the fourth quarter, building a 20-10 lead on Malachi Hosley’s 10-yard run with 4:57 remaining. King threw for 38 yards with three completions on the drive. His 28-yard TD run extended the margin.

After Duke moved 96 yards, Daniels returned a first-quarter fumble 95 for the game’s first points.

Duke was marred by red-zone mistakes — a fumble, botched attempt on a field goal and fourth-down penalty. The Blue Devils covered 159 yards on their first two possessions combined and didn’t score. They held a 238-110 advantage in total yards in the first half.

The Yellow Jackets managed just 110 yards of total offense in the first half but went into halftime tied at 7. However, as they’ve done in each of their three road games this season, the Jackets turned on the jets offensively after the break. Tech ranked up 266 yards of offense and scored on all four of its offensive possessions after the break (a final kneel-down notwithstanding) to pull away from the Blue Devils.

Once again, quarterback Haynes King was the catalyst for the Yellow Jackets’ high-octane offense, totaling 325 yards of offense. 

After Duke racked up 238 yards of offense in the first half, Georgia Tech’s defense was spectacular in the second half, as it surrendered just 116 yards on the Devils’ first four possessions after the break. Jy Gilmore stuffed the stat sheet for Georgia Tech defensively with a game-high 11 tackles, including 1.5 for loss and a half sack, and two pass breakups. Tech broke up five passes as a team, sacked Duke QB Darian Mensah twice and hurried him four times.

Takeaway: 

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets executed on offensive almost flawlessly on their final two full possessions and more than doubled their point total across the game’s last five minutes. Virginia is the only other ACC team without a league loss.

Duke: The Blue Devils wasted too many scoring chances and suffered their second loss in four home games.

Next

Georgia Tech: Saturday October 25th home vs. Syracuse.

Duke: Next Saturday Nov. 1 the Blue Devils travel to Clemson.