In an unusual Week 0 matchup, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets matched up against the No. 10 ranked Florida State Seminoles in Dublin, Ireland. A lot of buzz in the offseason was created for the Seminoles following their 13-0 start last season, with multiple college football fans and analysts listing Florida State in the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket. However, those hopes came tumbling down in the first college football game of the season, as the Yellow Jackets stunned them and the college football world with a 24-21 win on Saturday.
The Yellow Jacket offense was something to behold last season, as the team finished third in the ACC last season in offensive yards and were returning a large majority of their production from last season, including quarterback Haynes King, running back Jamal Haynes, and receivers Eric Singleton Jr and Malik Rutherford. The big question was going to be how the defense looked, after finishing dead last in the ACC last season in yards allowed, rushing yards allowed, and allowing the second-most points in the league. The answer to that question was Tyler Santucci, the new defensive coordinator.
Santucci brought in a new scheme to the Yellow Jackets, a mix of 3-4 and nickel defenses. Under former defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker, the team ran nothing but a 4-2-5 while he was at the helm. The defense for the Yellow Jackets was able to make plays when it could and when it mattered, giving the offense opportunities to maximize their output. The new-look defensive line held Florida State to 98 yards, a 1 40-yard difference of what they allowed on average last season.
King was a highlight reel, displaying his dual threat ability by completing 11-16 passes for 146 yards and running the ball 15 times for 54 yards. However, the biggest difference I seen with King was in the way that he played safe, as the ACC leader in interceptions thrown last season didn’t try to force the ball in really tight windows and was careful, resulting in him not turning the ball over at all in the game.
The offensive line shined throughout, as they only allowed one hurry on King the whole game and paved the way for the team to accrue 190 rushing yards and 5.3 yards per carry.
Haynes led the way in the ground with 75 yards and two touchdowns, while catching two passes for 16 yards, with all 16 coming on a shifty run after catch, where he made two Seminole defenders lose their footing.
Defensively, the Yellow Jackets were led by Kyle Efford, who did his best impersonation of Brian Bosworth in gigantic shoulder pads, and led the Yellow Jackets with 10 total tackles.
The two teams stayed within striking distance of each other the entire game, however it would be Georgia Tech with the ball last, as they would wind down the final 6:33 on a 12-play drive that ended with a game-winning 44-yard field goal as time expired to vanquish the Seminoles 24-21.
The Yellow Jackets will host cross-town foe Georgia State Saturday at 8pm Eastern time.