WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Georgia Tech got lucky. The Yellow Jackets were sloppy and slow-footed on offense and defense until it was nearly too late. They needed nearly every break to go their way to escape with an overtime victory.
Tech coach Brent Key probably wouldn’t dispute the truth of any of those statements. They also didn’t matter after the Jackets beat Wake Forest 30-29 to remain undefeated and on track for the ACC championship game.
“I’m extremely excited to win the football game,” Key said. “We’ve got two weeks now to deal with those things.”
There will be plenty of mistakes for Key and his staff to address before Tech plays Virginia Tech on Oct. 11 at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
The 16th-ranked Yellow Jackets fell behind 20-3 early in the second half. Georgia Tech’s offense lacked rhythm. Its defense played well early, then couldn’t stop Wake quarterback Robby Ashford.
But one thing Key doesn’t need to worry about is his team’s character. The Jackets nipped the Demon Deacons at the end, same as they did to Clemson. That’s two gritty conference wins out of two played for Tech (5-0, 2-0 ACC).
Tech kicker Aidan Birr tied the score with a 33-yard field goal near the end of regulation. The Jackets got the ball first in overtime and took their first lead since 3-0 on quarterback Haynes King’s touchdown run. The advantage held up when Clayton Powell-Lee snagged Ashford’s pass on a two-point try after Wake Forest scored a touchdown.
Tech won ugly. Sometimes, that’s what it takes for good teams to prevail in conference road games. The Jackets came out on top after playing from behind for most of the game. They’ll probably have to grind out more wins like this in the six ACC games left on their schedule.
Win enough of them and Tech will be in the ACC title game.
“I think there’s something special about this team, not even looking in the future, just the present with that just happened,” King said. “To overcome that, on the road, it’s just the maturity that we have. The trust that we have, players to players and coaches to players.”
The Jackets had to lean on those traits to win this game. Tech overcame the 20-3 deficit in less than 17 minutes after Ashford left the game with an injury and King broke out of a funk. The Jackets got their opening to win when Wake Forest missed a 27-yard field-goal attempt with seven minutes to play.
The Jackets gave the ball away on the next play with a fumble. Wake Forest recovered the ball at Tech’s 23-yard line. The Deacons gained one first down, but Tech stopped them on third-and-goal. Connor Calvert kicked a field goal to put Wake Forest ahead 23-20 with five minutes to go.
King led the Jackets to the Deacons’ 46-yard line with two long completions, but his third-down pass was off the mark. Key decided to punt with two timeouts and 4:04 left.
“What are your choices?” Key said. “Too far for a field goal. It’s fourth-and-10.”
Tech downed the punt at the 7-yard line. The Deacons faced a third-and-5 when a Tech defender jumped offside and didn’t appear to get back before the snap. Officials didn’t throw a flag. Ashford’s pass was incomplete.
The Jackets tied the score when Birr and the kicking team rushed on the field for a field-goal try, same as they did against Clemson. Tech clinched the game when Powell-Lee collected what’s not officially an interception.
“He gave us a present, and I was happy to capitalize and just call it a game on that one,” Powell-Lee said.
The Jackets got a few gifts in this game. There was the short Wake Forest field-goal attempt that hit the upright, the offside penalty that wasn’t and, most of all, Ashford’s injury.
Ashford was running free in the open field when Kyle Efford got just enough of his leg for a tackle at Tech’s 29-yard line. Ashford left the game after that play, and the drive stalled with backup Deshawn Purdie. Wake Forest kicked the field goal for the 20-3 lead.
Tech rallied when King finally started looking like himself.
“The first half, each person was taking their turn (with mistakes),” King said. “I know a lot of those were me. We came out in the second half and created our own (energy) and tried to find a way.
“We came into this game (knowing) that’s what we knew we were going to have to do. Find a way, find a win.”
King was sharp during a 13-play, 78-yard drive that ended with a 14-yard TD pass to Eric Rivers that left a 20-10 deficit for Tech. After Wake Forest went three-and-out with Purdie at QB, King scored on a 2-yard run to cap another long drive. Ashford returned for the Deacons’ next drive, but it ended with a punt.
Tech’s next drive ended with a Birr field goal. The Jackets somehow had tied the game with 9:45 to play. They did it again after Wake answered with a field goal. Birr and the kicking team rushed onto the field to kick a field goal, just like they did against Clemson.
The Jackets went on to outlast Wake Forest in overtime and win a game that once seemed hopeless for them.
Said Key: “One thing I’ll say about this team, for 60 minutes and then some, there was still not one person on that sideline who didn’t believe we were going to win that football game.”
At game’s end, plenty of people who didn’t believe Tech would win were standing on the hill beyond one end zone. That’s where Wake Forest students started gathering after their team took the lead with five minutes to go. They were anticipating rushing the field to celebrate the Deacons earning their first victory over a ranked team since Oct. 1, 2022, at Florida State.
“It was something we noticed, honestly,” Powell-Lee said. “Like, what was the point? [We’re going to] win this game. It was like, ‘Keep on playing. Don’t worry about them. They can be sad when they realize they didn’t win.’”
Tech got lucky. It doesn’t matter.
The Jackets won the game. They are undefeated. They are on track for the ACC championship game.
“Survive and advance,” Key said.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
