Georgia Tech kicker Aidan Birr had a forgetful moment in the first half of Saturday’s game against No. 10 Florida State, missing a 51-yard field goal at the start of the second half.
But when it mattered most, Birr and the unranked Yellow Jackets needed the luck of the Irish in Dublin to clinch the first upset of the 2024 college football season with a walk-off 44-yard field goal as time expired.
Just moments before the game-winning kick, Georgia Tech nearly turned over the ball when quarterback Haynes King fumbled but recovered for a loss of 10 yards back to Florida State’s 38-yard line.
Georgia Tech’s final drive of the game was a massive response to what appeared to be a momentum-shifting drive by Florida State just minutes earlier, in which the Seminoles converted two straight fourth downs to score a touchdown and tie the game at 21-21.
Yellow Jacket fans were reminded of the last time their team upset a Florida State squad ranked in the top 10. In 2015, Georgia Tech returned a missed field goal attempt for a touchdown to defeat the then-No. 9 Seminoles.
Georgia Tech is now 5-0 under head coach Brent Key against ranked ACC opponents.
The loss for Florida State could be a significant blemish on its resume as it now attempts to recover and reestablish itself as a team worthy of qualifying for the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.
Georgia Tech, on the other hand, just established itself as a force to be reckoned with moving forward, blowing the race for the ACC crown wide open.
Florida State will travel back home to Tallahassee to face Boston College on Sept. 2, while Georgia Tech will host Georgia State on Aug. 31 in Week 1.
