ACC Football Recap – Georgia Tech Sting Wake Forest in OT, 30-29

Yellow Jackets sting Deacons in OT

Georgia Tech is still unbeaten. They intercepted Wake Forest’s 2-point play for the win in overtime to edge the Demon Deacons 30-29 on Saturday, capping a wild day that saw them rally from 17 down in the third quarter to stay unbeaten. This time, Georgia Tech trailed 20-3 early in the third quarter, then rallied to hold off Wake Forest’s bid for a huge win under first-year coach Jake Dickert. 

“The one thing I’ll say about this team: For 60 minutes and then some, there still was not one person on that sideline who didn’t believe we were going to win the football game,” Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said.

QB Haynes King ran for two touchdowns to lead the Yellow Jackets (5-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), including a tough 2-yard keeper to start the OT. The Demon Deacons (2-2, 0-2) responded the next-play with a 25-yard scoring run to the left pylon. it was then coach Jake Dickert played for the win. Ashford rolled to his right looking for a target and under pressure, but ultimately had to force the ball back toward the middle  where it was intercepted. 

Claiborne ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns while Ashford ran for one, helping the Demon Deacons lead 17-3 at halftime. Georgia Tech forced OT on Birr’s 33-yard field goal with 2 seconds left in regulation, coming on another play with Birr running out onto the field to line up with the clock still rolling.

“Really the whole thing was coming in at halftime, we had to hit a hard reset,” Key said. “There was no yelling and screaming. There was no getting after people. I simply said to them, ‘We have to take a deep breath, blow the first half out, and all that matters is us going out there to win the third quarter.’”

Takeaways 

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets are 5-0 for the first time since 2014.

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons squandered another lead, but finished much stronger. 

Key non-call Birr’s OT-forcing kick came moments after a critical sequence in which the officials missed an apparent offsides call on Georgia Tech, coming with the Yellow Jackets holding no timeouts and the Demon Deacons working on the clock. That led Ashford to throw a free-play deep ball on third down only to learn there was no flag, sparking an irate reaction from the Demon Deacons sideline and boos cascading from the stands. The Yellow Jackets got the ball back with 1:41 left for the OT-forcing drive.

“I’m not putting that on Robby,” Dickert said. “There’s no way he can see the flag. … I put them in that situation. Just go call the play, don’t risk that situation and go find a way to get a first down to win the game.”

Next

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets head into the bye before hosting Virginia Tech on Oct. 11.

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons get their own matchup with the Hokies, traveling to Blacksburg on Oct. 4.