Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Jamal Haynes celebrates with Jordan Brown after scoring a touchdown. (Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
The first game of the 2024 college football season provided the first surprise as well.
The Yellow Jackets were 10.5-point underdogs coming into the game, but didn’t play like it for a second and led the majority of the game.
Haynes King had moved Georgia Tech into field goal range on the game-winning drive before a calamitous botched shotgun snap pushed the Yellow Jackets back to the FSU 38-yard line. But on third-and-long, he found Eric Singleton for an 11-yard gain to put them back into field goal range for Birr’s winning kick.
King finished 11-for-16 for 146 passing yards to go along with 54 rushing yards. RB Jamal Haynes rushed 11 times for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
Playing in his FSU debut, D.J. Uiagalelei was 19-for-27 with 193 passing yards and made two clutch fourth-down completions on the drive that tied the game midway through the fourth quarter. But he wouldn’t see the field again as King and Co. bled the final 6:33 off the clock on their game-winning drive.
Saturday’s slate includes four games involving six FBS teams. Here’s a look at what’s on tap for the rest of the day.
North Alabama vs. Southeast Missouri State | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
Florida A&M vs. Norfolk State | 7:30 p.m. ET | ABC
SMU at Nevada | 8 p.m. ET | CBSSN
Delaware State at Hawai’i | 11:59 p.m. ET | Spectrum Sports PPV
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Here’s the game-winning 44-yard kick by Aidan Birr:
Defensive TD for New Mexico!
We’ve still got more college football today, and New Mexico got the scoring started against Montana State by returning a fumble 41 yards for a score!
IT’S GOOD! Georgia Tech wins it!
Aidan Birr makes the game-winner to start the season off with a bang!
Eric Singleton makes a move in the flat and gets GT back into field goal range with 21 seconds left. It’ll be a 44-yarder to win it.
Oh my goodness! Haynes King fumbles the shotgun snap and the Yellow Jackets went backwards to the FSU 39.
GT facing 2nd-and-7 at FSU 28 as the Seminoles call a timeout.
Now 1:11 left to play. Georgia Tech is on the edge of field goal range.
Just 2 minutes left in this one and Tech has the ball at the FSU 39-yard line.
The Yellow Jackets are on the move and past midfield with just four minutes left in the game. Haynes King has made some clutch plays throughout this one, including a third-down conversion to keep GT’s drive alive.
Touchdown Noles!
The Seminoles are in the end zone on a one-yard plunge from Roydell Williams. That was a 15-play, 84-yard drive that included two clutch fourth-down throws from DJ Uiagalelei. We have a ballgame in Ireland folks.
The Seminoles are cobbling together a decent drive of their own here. They just went for it on fourth down and got it, moving the ball inside GT’s red zone.
Touchdown Georgia Tech!
It’s Jamal Haynes again, jumping over bodies at the goal line to give Tech the lead to start the fourth quarter.
Haynes gets into the end zone for the second time of the afternoon and Georgia Tech leads #10 FSU 21-14 early in the fourth quarter. 👀 #CFB pic.twitter.com/5bGzct0oW7
GT’s Haynes King rips off a 21-yard run on a draw and gets the ball all the way down to the FSU 1-yard line to end the quarter.
The Yellow Jackets are moving the ball at will with chunk plays through the air. They’re inside FSU’s red zone now.
FSU’s last punt may have delivered the highlight of the game though. GT’s Rodney Shelley decided to catch it without waving for a fair catch and got blasted by FSU’s Edwin Joseph.
They’re trading punts now. Both offenses have slowed to a crawl as the third quarter hits the midway point.
The Seminoles moved the ball into GT territory but were forced to punt. Tech will have the ball back at its own 20.
The drive stalls out at the FSU 34 though, and GT’s Aidan Barr misses the 51-yard FG attempt. We’re still tied up at 14.
We are back for the second half and Georgia Tech’s Jamal Haynes just broke one outside for 36 yards to start things off.
