BY SEAN HOLOHAN
ATLANTA (AP) — Aidan Birr made a 55-yard field goal as time expired and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets upset the No. 12 Clemson Tigers 24-21 on Saturday.
With no timeouts left and the clock running with under 20 seconds to play, the Georgia Tech special teams squad sprinted onto the field and lined up.
And on fourth-and-3, Birr connected and the home crowd rushed the field. Birr’s kick tied for the longest field goal in Georgia Tech history.
“We worked that situation a lot throughout camp and practice,” Birr said. “Seeing the offense and the defense play so well, I didn’t want to let them down.”
Quarterback Haynes King returned from a lower-body injury that kept him out of Georgia Tech’s Sept. 6 win over Gardener-Webb.
King was 19 for 27 for 216 yards and added 25 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown on a 1-yard quarterback sneak in the fourth quarter for the Yellow Jackets (3-0, 1-0 ACC).
King’s score and the 2-point conversion gave the Yellow Jackets a 21-14 lead.
“Georgia Tech is a special place,” Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said. “To see the student body, the way they’ve come out and supported us this year and get behind this team, that’s what it’s all about.”
Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik had an uneven performance in which he turned the ball over twice — one fumble and one interception.
Klubnik was 15 for 26 for 207 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown pass to Bryant Wesco early in the second half to give the Tigers a 14-13 lead. Klubnik added 62 yards and one touchdown on the ground.
For the second straight week, Clemson (1-2, 0-1) had to overcome a slow start and halftime deficit.
Decisive drive
On the game’s final drive, Georgia Tech took possession from its 25-yard line with 3:26 remaining and two timeouts. The Yellow Jackets drove down the field, led by King, before Birr’s decisive kick.
“Early in that drive, Haynes came to the sideline and said put the ball in my hand and we’ll win this thing,” Key said. “And we did.”
Clemson’s offensive struggles
Clemson’s offense continued its trend of slow first-half starts with its first two drives ending on Klubnik’s fumble and a missed 52-yard field goal. The offensive struggles continued before the Tigers went down the field on their final drive of the first half, scoring with just 49 seconds to go on Klubnik’s fourth down quarterback sneak at the goal line.
Clemson seemed poised to mount another comeback, driving down the field to open the second half, but the drive ended abruptly when Klubnik’s pass was intercepted at the Georgia Tech 7 by Omar Daniels.
“Georgia Tech is for real, but now it’s next-game mentality,” Daniels said. “We’re going to go out and celebrate this win, but it doesn’t stop here.”
The Takeaway
Clemson: The Tigers have been on a slide in the AP poll, having lost ground every week since opening the season at No. 4.
Georgia Tech: With the win, Georgia Tech could enter the AP Top 25 poll for the first time since Sept. 9, 2024, in which the Yellow Jackets were ranked No. 23 after starting 2-0.
Up next
Clemson will host ACC conference foe Syracuse.
Georgia Tech will play at home against nonconference opponent Temple.
