Five Biggest Takeaways From Georgia Tech's 24-21 Victory Against No.10 Florida State

Georgia Tech pulls off one of their biggest wins in recent memory

Georgia Tech vs Florida State will meet this Saturday at the Aviva Stadium. / RTE News

Georgia Tech has done it again. They were able to secure another win over a ranked ACC team and they did it in the season opener against the No. 10 team in the country. The Yellow Jackets have now won three of the last four games against Florida State and are 5-0 against ranked ACC opponents in the Brent Key era.

Here are some key takeaways .

1. Aidan Birr Game Winning 44-yard field goal- It’s not every day you get to hit a game-winning field goal in the season opener. Well, Birr hit his first-ever game-winning field goal in his career. It was certainly not easy to do especially after he missed a 51-yard field goal early in the game. Birr came back and was ready for his opportunity with the game on the line and nailed his field goal helping Georgia Tech pull off the massive upset against the Seminoles. The ACC honorable mention came up big for the Yellow Jackets when they needed him the most. 

2. Haynes King- The Aer Lingus Classic MVP displayed toughness and made plays all day long. King was 11/16 for 146 yards and also rushed for 54 yards. He combined for 200 yards of total offense and no the numbers may not be gaudy, but King was efficient and stepped up big in key situations all game long.  Perhaps one of the biggest plays that won’t get talked about is when Georgia Tech fumbled in Florida State territory and King batted the ball from the Florida State defender's hands who nearly recovered the fumble to his teammate. King made several heady plays on Saturday to make sure his team would win the game. The scoring drive that allowed Georgia Tech to get their first lead of the game, King was gutsy taking multiple hits but delivering dimes in the face of pressure to keep the drive alive. King proved he is one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC, and with him at the helm, the Yellow Jackets have a chance in any game. 

3. Tyler Santucci's Defense and Playcalling- It was a tough start for the Yellow Jackets as Florida State marched down the field and scored on their opening drive capped off by a 28-yard rushing touchdown by Lawrance Toafili. After that, the Georgia Tech defense played lights out. In the next two drives, they held Florida State to just six points both coming from kicker Ryan Fitzgerald who made two field goals from 50 yards out. The defense under Santucci looked faster and more physical. You could see the adjustment he made throughout the game never letting DJ Uiagalelei get comfortable. A stat that catches your eye is that the Yellow Jackets held Florida State under 100 yards rushing. Roydell Williams only rushed for 38 yards and Toafili 32 yards. Under Santucci, it looks like this defense will be faster and more explosive and better coached. They were also very disciplined and started to wrap up the ball carriers and playmakers better in the second half. If this is the defense the Yellow Jackets will get every game, they could be dangerous. 

4. Jamal Haynes- Call him Mr.Consistent he always shows up in the big games and gives you consistent production from the running back spot. In Ireland, Haynes rushed for 75 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries and averaged seven yards a carry. His longest run of the game came from 36 yards. When he got in open space, he was tough to bring down and he did a good job making defenders miss when he was one-on-one with them. Haynes looks like one of the better backs in the ACC and continues to build on his 2023 season when he was voted third-team All-ACC. 

5. Physicality-  The offensive line for Georgia Tech is vastly underrated but they showed their mettle and just how good they can be. The Yellow Jackets rushed for nearly 200 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday and were constantly driving running backs and receivers for more yardage. Coming into the game, one of the storylines was how would this offensive line fare against one of the best defensive fronts in the ACC. You can say job well done. King wasn’t sacked in this game and they gave him time to throw all game. The offensive line has 179 collegiate games on offense and 128 combined starts and it showed on Saturday. Patrick Payton, Joshua Farmer, and Darrell Jackson Jr were non-factors in this game.  This offensive line embodies their head coach Brent Key who was a former offensive lineman for the Yellow Jackets. 

The significance of this win can’t be understated and it was a well-rounded game on both sides of the ball. When the defense struggled early, the offense came back with a six-play 79-yard touchdown drive to cut the deficit to 8-7. When the offense stalled out for a few drives and the game was close, the Yellow Jackets' defense stepped up now allowing points in the second half until the end.