Georgia Tech should look no further than the 2019 game against Miami as inspiration for an upset

Can Georgia Tech upset Miami this weekend?

Jackson Caudell | Oct 4, 2023

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Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

NowGeorgia Tech is coming off of an embarrassing performance against Bowling Green and I think it is fair to say it is one of the worst losses in program history. Now they are tasked with facing No. 17 Miami on the road and trying to pull a big upset?

Does that sound a bit familiar?

Go back to 2019 and it was the first year for Georgia Tech under Geoff Collins and the Yellow Jackets had a dreadful start to the season. It was never going to be easy transitioning away from Paul Johnson and the triple option offense (especially with no transfer portal at the time), but it was going rougher than most had anticipated. The season began with a 52-14 loss to eventual national runner-up Clemson and then two games later, an overtime loss to the Citadel pushed the Yellow Jackets to 1-2.

It would get worse though.

Georgia Tech had a bye week after the loss to The Citadel and then managed to score only two points in a loss to Temple. After losing to North Carolina, Georgia Tech lost by eighteen to a Duke team that finished the year 5-7.

Then the Miami game happened.

Georgia Tech marched down to Miami with a 1-5 record to face a 3-3 Miami team that had just pulled off a big win over eventual ACC Coastal champion Virginia. The Yellow Jackets were massive underdogs in the game and nobody gave them a chance to keep it close.

But you could tell there was a chance for an upset right away. Georgia Tech recovered a fumble in the endzone to take an early 7-0 lead, but quickly fell behind 14-7 after a couple of Miami scores. Pressley Harvin III delivered the highlight of the game after that with a fake punt thrown to Nathan Cottrell to tie the game up. Miami would miss a chip shot field goal to win the game in regulation and the Yellow Jackets would take the game in overtime after a Jordan Mason touchdown and then a stop by the defense on 4th down.

It was a huge upset that Georgia Tech needed, even though they would finish 3-9 that season.

So the question is: Can the Yellow Jackets do it again?

Let's start by saying that the Miami team that Georgia Tech is going to be facing on Saturday night is miles better than the one they faced four years ago in Hard Rock Stadium. Mario Cristobal is a much better head coach than Manny Diaz and this Miami roster is more talented. The Hurricanes have one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC in Tyler Van Dyke, one of the best offensive lines in the country, and a defensive line full of athletic pass rushers that can give any team in the country trouble. They handled Texas A&M at home and the Aggies are a team that is capable of winning the SEC West.

This Georgia Tech team is also far better than the 2019 team that won.

Quarterback Haynes King is currently the leading passer in the ACC, with 1,480 yards in five games. King is currently in front of some notable quarterbacks like Drake Maye (ACC preseason Player of the Year), Florida State's Jordan Travis, and Miami's Tyler Van Dyke (though Van Dyke has played in only four games). King struggled against Bowling Green on Saturday but has been fantastic this season and provided stability at the position.

The Georgia Tech running game has slowed down a little bit these past couple of weeks, but Jamal Haynes is still the third-leading rusher in the ACC and he is closing in on second. Haynes has 376 yards this season, trailing North Carolina's Omarion Hampton (383 yards) and Louisville's Jawhar Jordan (510 yards).

It has been a fantastic season for true freshman Eric Singleton Jr. Singleton has become a starter for the Yellow Jackets now and is sixth in the ACC in receiving yards with 335 yards, trailing Virginia's Malik Washington (556 yards), Louisville's Jamari Thrash (444 yards), Miami's Xavier Restrepo (355 yards), Virginia's Malachi Fields (355 yards), and Boston College's Lewis Bond (350 yards). Singleton is averaging 18.6 yards per catch and is tied for second in the ACC with five touchdown catches.

Georgia Tech's defense has had its fair share of struggles on defense, but they have two guys who are among the statistical leaders on that side of the ball. Kyle Kennard is tied for fourth in the ACC in sacks, with four this season. Safety Jaylon King is tied for third in interceptions with two. Kennard got all four of his sacks against Wake Forest and King got both of his interceptions against the Demon Deacons.

It is going to take a tremendous effort from players like King, Haynes, Singleton, and others to even make this a possibility, but those guys do not have to look far back to see that a struggling Yellow Jackets team can go down to South Florida and pull a massive upset.