Atlanta, GA—-Quarterback Haynes King threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jamal Haynes early in the fourth quarter, leading Georgia Tech to a 24-14 victory over Duke on Saturday night. This handed the Blue Devils their first loss of the season.
Maalik Murphy had put Duke ahead late in the third quarter with a 65-yard touchdown dime to Sahmir Hagans, giving the Blue Devils a 14-10 slim lead.
However, Jamal Haynes, who rushed for 128 yards on 19 carries, completed an impressive 85-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown reception to give Georgia Tech a 17-14 advantage. King struck again with a 9-yard pass to Eric Singleton Jr. with 6:36 left in the game, securing the win.
Georgia Tech (4-2, 2-2 ACC) controlled much of the first half but had to recover after giving up a 10-0 lead. Duke (5-1, 1-1 ACC) missed the chance to extend its best season start since 1994 when the team won its first seven games.
Haynes, who turned 22 on the day, tied his career high in rushing yards and was celebrated postgame with a birthday cake on the field. He credited his offensive line for his performance, saying, “We came out and did what we had to do. Big shoutout to the offensive line.”
The Yellow Jackets dominated the ground game, out-rushing Dukies 245-74, while also leading in total yards 412-279. Chad Alexander contributed 59 rushing yards to Tech’s total.
Duke coach Manny Diaz pointed to Georgia Tech’s rushing attack as the decisive factor. “The tailbacks going for as many yards as they did was ultimately the telling stat,” he said. Despite a brief surge to take the lead, Diaz admitted Duke couldn’t maintain its momentum. “We looked hard to stop, but just couldn’t keep it going.”
King contributed both on the ground and through the air, completing 23 of 31 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns, along with 30 rushing yards. Backup QB Zach Pyron also added a 2-yard touchdown run on Georgia Tech’s opening drive.
For the Blue Devils, Murphy threw for over 200 yards for the sixth straight game, completing 18 of 31 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Duke’s final chance to score ended with an interception by Ahmari Harvey with 11 seconds left, and Todd Pelino missed a 43-yard field goal attempt with under four minutes remaining, sealing Duke’s fate.
Up Next:
Duke: Plays Florida State on Oct. 18 at home..
Georgia Tech: Travels to North Carolina on Oct. 12. The Tar Heels fell to 3-3 and 0-2 in the ACC with a 34-24 loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday.
