When the Jackets upset the Miami Hurricanes on a miracle last-second touchdown in November of last year, some dismissed it as the product of luck. Tech went on to win its first bowl game in five years, dismantling the University of Central Florida Golden Knights, 30-17, after they lost to the same team in 2022, 27-10. Still, ACC media voters ranked the Jackets as a distant ninth in the conference.
To borrow an expression from the city of Dublin where Tech just knocked off its first top-ten ranked opponent since 2015, that seems like a load of blarney.
Their victory against the Florida State University (FSU) Seminoles was beautiful in its entirety. Coming into the game, Tech was the underdog and looked like it on FSU’s first drive. The Seminoles’ running game, highlighted by a 28-yard touchdown run from redshirt senior running back Lawrence Toafili, looked to be too much for a Tech defensive line that attracted plenty of questions in the offseason.
Toafili’s touchdown was the last time FSU ran for double-digit yards on a running play. The Jackets clamped down on FSU’s running game, holding them to only 40 rushing yards and 1.54 yards per carry for the rest of the game. The front seven forced redshirt senior quarterback DJ Uiagalelei to make plays only with his arm. Redshirt freshman linebacker Kyle Efford made running backs think twice about running up the assuming they got past defensive tackles redshirt junior Jordan van den Berg and senior Makius Scott. When FSU tried to stretch the Jackets defense out with runs to the outside zone, the edge duo of redshirt senior defensive end Sylvain Youndjuen and redshirt junior Romello Height were there to force the ball carrier back into the defense’s teeth.
That is all before mentioning the cohesion that the Jackets’ secondary showed. While there were a few lapses in coverage where Uiagalelei was able to find space, Tech’s defensive backs mostly forced him to make quick, shallow throws. It took Uiagalelei 19 completions to get close to 200 passing yards, leading to a modest average of 7.1 yards per throw. Cornerbacks redshirt junior Ahmari Harvey and junior Rodney Shelley stood out on Saturday, repeatedly staying with their coverage assignment and making tackles in run support to keep the Seminoles from getting traction with their running game.
It should be noted that FSU was without highly touted sophomore receiver Hykeem Williams, who was ranked as a true five-star recruit and the third-best receiver in the 2023 recruiting class. However, Tech took primary option senior wide receiver Malik Benson completely out of the game and held him to 39 yards on four catches. On offense, the Jackets found massive success through their running game. The duo of redshirt juniors quarterback Haynes King and running back Jamal Haynes ran for 139 yards alone, but it was apparent that Tech was going to find success on the ground early. On the very first play from scrimmage, Haynes ran for 14 yards, weaving through running lanes to find space in an FSU defensive line that found themselves rebuffed on multiple occasions. The quarterback run was a central element of Tech’s offense for the entire game. King carried the ball 14 times while redshirt sophomore Zach Pyron ran the ball in at the goal line for a touchdown. Tech’s 190 rushing yards carried them to victory and it will be interesting to see if they can carry this over into their game against Georgia State.
If there is one area of improvement for the Jackets, it would be the passing game. Outside of a 42-yard throw to redshirt junior receiver Malik Rutherford on Tech’s first touchdown drive, the offense struggled to find consistency through the air. FSU’s secondary held sophomore receiver Eric Singleton Jr. in check for much of the game — he only had one catch for seven yards heading into the fourth quarter. On the two drives where the Jackets were immediately stopped for a loss of yardage, they were not able to make up the difference through the air. Their unevenness through the air played a large role in FSU’s ability to preserve a 14-14 tie for much of the third quarter.
However, when they needed it most, the passing game came alive for Tech. After the Jackets took a 21-14 lead on a Haynes touchdown run, the Seminoles mounted a long touchdown drive that tied the game with 6:33 left in the game. Key’s team showed they were not afraid of the moment — they mixed in run and pass plays to keep FSU’s defense off balance.
Tech fans experienced a collective moment of panic as King fumbled the snap at the FSU 28-yard line. Thankfully, he was able to get the ball back and put the Jackets in position for the biggest play of the game. With 17 yards to go, firmly outside of field goal range, the quarterback found Singleton for his second catch of the game — a 12-yard grab that put the game on the leg of redshirt sophomore kicker Aidan Birr. Birr showed no hesitation and promptly kicked it through to give the Jackets the 24-21 win.
In terms of what this means for the program, almost five million people watched the Jackets get their biggest win since 2015. This team has gained national attention and expectations have risen. It is far from a guarantee that they will meet those expectations — there is a lot of football to be played, and Tech has plenty to improve on. However, if their performance against the Seminoles is any indication, they are certainly sucking diesel (Irish expression).
The Jackets are back in action under the bright lights of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field as they take on their cross-town rivals, the Georgia State Panthers, on Saturday night at 8 p.m in front of what promises to be a roaring crowd that will give the players an excellent chance to build on their momentum and achieve a top-25 ranking for the first time since the 2015 season. It is also the Jackets’ first time playing the Panthers in program history and they’ll be facing a familiar face in redshirt senior quarterback Zach Gibson, who played for the Jackets for two seasons.