All Yellow Jackets

RECAP: Georgia Tech Defeats North Carolina 41-34 Behind Jamal Haynes Go-Ahead Touchdown In The Final Minute

Georgia Tech is now 5-2, marking the best start to a season for them since 2014

Jackson Caudell

Oct 12, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Jamal Haynes (11) is hoisted in the air after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Oct 12, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Jamal Haynes (11) is hoisted in the air after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Chapel Hill, NC- Georgia Tech came into this game on a three-game winning streak against North Carolina and winners of five of their last six matchups against the Tar Heels.

Thanks to star running back Jamal Haynes, Georgia Tech has beaten the Tar Heels four years in a row and won six of the last seven matchups against the Tar Heels.

It looked like Georgia Tech was going to cough away a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, but a good stand by the defense backed up on the goal line and then a 68-yard touchdown run from Jamal Haynes with 16 seconds left on the clock won the game for Georgia Tech. It was an unbelievable finish to a game that had a lot of ups and downs in the 4th quarter, but Brent Key's team found a way to win.

Now, Georgia Tech is hoping that starting quarterback Haynes King is healthy. King went out in the fourth quarter of the game and backup quarterback Zach Pyron came in the game and finished off the win, but the status of King is now in question.

After the game, this is what Key said about King's injury:

"No, we will know something soon. He's in there enjoying the victory."

That is going to be something to monitor going forward. Georgia Tech faces Notre Dame next weekend.

It was a good day for the Georgia Tech offense, especially the running game. Georgia Tech totaled 505 yards, including 371 yards (a season high) on the ground, averaging nearly eight yards per carry. Jamal Haynes led the way with 170 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, averaging 8.9 yards per carry. Haynes King had 107 yards on 11 carries and Chad Alexander finished with 61 yards on 10 carries. This team is starting to find its groove running the football after the bye week.

King finished the day 11-22 for 127 yards through the air. It was not his best day passing, but the running game made up for it.

The defense came up with three sacks on the day and forced two turnovers, two categories that Georgia Tech has struggled in this season.

Overall, it was a good win for Georgia Tech, despite playing a poor fourth quarter. They did enough to win and now they will get a chance to face Notre Dame in Mercedes Benz Stadium next week with a chance to clinch bowl eligibility.

Let's recap a crazy day in Chapel Hill.

North Carolina won the toss to start the game and opted to kick. Georgia Tech started the game with the football.

The first drive for Georgia Tech started with promise, but ended in a punt. King found Avery Boyd for 11 yards on the 1st play of the game, Jamal Haynes picked up nine yards on a run, and then Eric Singleton picked up eight yards. It stalled out from there however and David Shanahan was brought out to punt, where he pinned North Carolina on their own three-yard line for their first possession of the game.

Georgia Tech did well on the early downs against their offense on the first drive, but the Tar Heels found a way to convert the first couple of third downs to keep the drive alive. On the third third down of the drive however, Georgia Tech brought the heat and got a strip sack, courtesy of defensive back Syeed Gibbs and Jordan van den Berg recovered to give the Yellow Jackets great field position.

King found Ryland Goede for 16 yards on the first play of the next drive then he scrambled for 14 to give Georgia Tech their first goal to go opportunity of the day. On 3rd and goal, Chad Alexander, who was recenly put on scholarship this week, scored his first career touchdown to give the Yellow Jackets a 7-0 lead.

The two teams exchanged three and outs, but North Carolina got their first touchdown on their third possession. Criswell found JJ Jones for a 53-yard catch and then Syeed Gibbs was called for pass interference to set up UNC in great scoring position. Criswell kept it himself and tied the game up 7-7.

The Yellow Jackets offense proceeded to go three and out and UNC had a chance to take the lead as the game shifted to the second quarter.

North Carolina proceeded to move the ball, but a third down pressure from LaMiles Brooks forced a 42-yard field goal attempt, which was then blocked by Rodney Shelley. Georgia Tech's defense and special teams got them off the field and the game was still tied.

After back-to-back three and outs, the Yellow Jackets offense found its groove. They got a big third down run from Alexander that went 28 yards, but they stalled out at the goal line. They had to settle for a field goal. Birr nailed the 26-yard attempt and Georgia Tech retook the lead 10-7.

On the next possession, Hampton appeared to break a big run, but it was called back for a facemask. Sylvain Yondjouen sacked Criswell on the next play and the Yellow Jackets were able to force a three and out.

The offense had a chance to go up double-digits and they proceeded to go on an eight play, 62-yard drive. Malik Rutherford a big third down catch that went for 10-yards and then Haynes King went 20 yards untouched up the middle for a touchdown to make it 17-7. It looked like Georgia Tech was starting to take control of the game, but the Tar Heels still had one of the best running backs in the country and were not going to go away.

Speaking of Hampton, he busted a 71-yard run to start the next North Carolina drive and it got them down to the goal line immediately. After a penalty and a run that went nowhere, Criswell found Jones for a touchdown that cut the lead to 17-14 with 34 seconds left in the first half. With UNC getting the ball to start the 2nd half, Georgia Tech was going to try and put points on the board and they did that.

WIth 34 seconds left, you might think it was the passing game that got GT down the field, but it was their running game. Jamal Haynes busted a 37-yard run to start the drive and then King carried the ball for gains of 12 and then 14 yards. With just six seconds left, Brent Key chose to kick a field goal and Birr nailed a 29-yard attempt to put Georgia Tech up 20-14 with three seconds to go. The clock ran out on the ensuing kickoff and it was halftime.

Some stats from the first half:

Georgia Tech had 214 yards on 27 carries. Jamal Haynes had 77 yards on 10 carries, King had 72 yards on six carries, Alexander had six carries for 40 yards, and Rutherford had 19 yards on two carries.

King was 6-15 for 55 yards. Goede was the leading receiver with one catch for 16 yards.

Georgia Tech outgained North Carolina 269-226 in the first half.

North Carolina got the ball to start the second half and it looked like the Yellow Jackets forced a three and out, but a personal foul and targeting penalty was called on Kyle Efford. After a review, the targeting was taken away, but the personal foul stood. It was first and ten for UNC.

After driving down the field, UNC opted to try a trick play on second down and lost 13 yards on the play, setting up a 3rd and 24. After getting 18 yards back on a screen, they faced a 4th down and 6 and decided to go for it. Yellow Jackets cornerback Warren Burrell broke up the pass and gave the ball back to the offense.

The running game continued to dominate on the next drive. The offense went 67 yards in eight plays and it ended with another touchdown from King, his second of the day. On that drive. Georgia Tech set their season high for rushing yards (259) and King set his season high for rushing yards in a game (92). It was still the third quarter.

On the next possession, North Carolina had a good kick return to start the drive, but they quickly faced a 3rd and 10. Criswell connected with Copenhaver for the first down, but they could not move any more after that and had to settle for a 50-yard field goal. The Tar Heels made it and the game was now 27-17 in favor of Georgia Tech.

After a quick three and out from the Georgia Tech offense, disaster ensued. North Carolina returned a punt for a touchdown and all of a sudden, the lead was cut to 27-24 and the Tar Heels were the team that had the momentum. Georgia Tech got the ball back, but the pressure was on the offense to get something going.

They did just that.

The offense responded with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a Jamal Haynes TD. It was exactly what the Yellow Jackets needed.

It looked like they were immediately going to add more.

On the first play of the next drive, North Carolina fumbled the ball after a catch and Georgia Tech had the ball in great field position. Tah'j Butler forced the fumble and Ahmari Harvey recovered it. It was a chance to really put the game out of reach.

Instead of King in at quarterback though, Pyron came into the game and Georgia Tech proceeded to go three and out. Birr lined up to attempt a 49-yard field goal, but he missed it. It was a blown opportunity for the Yellow Jackets.

This is when things got tense for Georgia Tech.

North Carolina proceeded to march down the field in 13 plays and scored a touchdown to cut the game to a 34-31 lead for Georgia Tech. The offense needed to put together something on the next drive to try and wind down the clock to potentially seal the game.

Georgia Tech took over with 3:27 left in the game and after a couple of runs, it was 3rd and 1 at the two-minute timeout. The Yellow Jackets were hit with a penalty coming out of the timeout, something that should not happen ever, and it turned a makeable 3rd and 1 to a harder 3rd and 6. Georgia Tech kept it on the ground with Pyron, but he came up short and a punt was on the way for the Yellow Jackets. North Carolina had a chance to win the game with 1:45 left.

It was the running of Criswell that got the Tar Heels down into scoring territory. He ripped off a 20-yard run and then an 11-yard run to get into field goal range. Criswell then found Hampton out of the backfield for an eight-yard gain. On the next play, Hampton ran to the outside and was tackled late out of bounds, giving North Carolina 15 extra yards and putting them on the nine-yard line.

The defense held though. Georgia Tech forced a field goal instead of giving up a touchdown and it was 34-34 with 44 seconds left. It was a great stand for the Yellow Jackets defense with such little time left.

With 44 seconds left and two timeouts, it was going to be a question of whether Key wanted to try and go score with Pyron at quarterback or go to overtime. After a seven-yard quick completion to Rutherford, it looked like Georgia Tech was going to let the clock run and then go to overtime.

Then the bigegst play of the game happened.

Haynes took an inside handoff and went 68 yards to the endzone to seal the game for Georgia Tech. It was the perfect ending to this particular game and it moved Georgia Tech to 5-2, their best start since 2014.

Georgia Tech vs Notre Dame will kickoff at 3:30 next weekend at Mercedes Benz Stadium and will be televised on ABC.

Published |Modified
Jackson Caudell
JACKSON CAUDELL

Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell