Cam Ward and No. 4 Miami finally ran out of second-half comebacks as Haynes King led Georgia Tech to a 28-23 win over the previously unbeaten Hurricanes on Saturday, giving the Yellow Jackets their first win over a top-five team in 15 years.
Fans rushed the field, toppling both goalposts, after the game.
King ran for 93 yards with a touchdown and threw for a score. The Yellow Jackets overcame 347 passing yards and three touchdown passes by Ward, the Heisman Trophy contender.
Miami (9-1, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 4 College Football Playoff) was denied its first 10-0 start since 2017. Georgia Tech (6-4, 4-3) became bowl-eligible and ended a two-game losing streak that came with King, the dual-threat quarterback, held out with a right shoulder injury.
Miami’s unbeaten run through its first nine games included three second-half comebacks. Miami beat Duke 53-31 last week only after the Blue Devils led 28-17 in the third quarter. Against Georgia Tech, the Hurricanes’ only lead was 10-7 and they trailed the rest of the way after the Yellow Jackets went up 14-10 in the second quarter.
King’s 5-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter gave the Yellow Jackets 28-16 lead. Ward’s 38-yard scoring pass to Xavier Restrepo cut the lead to 28-23. Miami’s final possession started at its 19 with 1:52 left but Ward fumbled when sacked by Romello Height, and Jordan Van Den Berg recovered for Georgia Tech.
Georgia Tech’s Jamal Haynes broke through Miami’s defensive front for a 65-yard run on the second play of the game and added a 16-yard scoring run two plays later as the Yellow Jackets took a 7-0 lead.
Ward answered with a record-setting 74-yard scoring pass to Elijah Arroyo. It was Ward’s school-record 30th touchdown pass of the season. Ward had been tied with Steve Walsh, who threw 29 scoring passes in 1988.
Haynes left the game following a big hit from safety Jaden Harris on the Yellow Jackets’ next possession and didn’t return.
The takeaway
Miami: Three fourth-down stops were costly for Ward and the Miami offense. Ward was pressured and threw an incompletion on fourth-and-3 from the Georgia Tech 23 in the second quarter. Ward threw another incompletion on fourth and 1 from the Georgia Tech 39 on the Hurricanes’ opening drive in the second half. Finally, Ward was sacked on fourth and 16 from the Georgia Tech 22 early in the fourth quarter after a penalty wiped out an apparent scoring pass to Isaiah Horton on fourth and 6.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets took their first win over a top-five team since beating No. 4 Virginia 28-23 at Bobby Dodd Stadium in 2009. The Yellow Jackets demonstrated offensive creativity in utilizing the running skills of King and wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. to overcome the injuries to Haynes and Alexander. Backup quarterback Aaron Philo added a touchdown pass.
Poll Implications
The Hurricanes will take a hit in the AP Top 25 and College Football Playoff rankings with their first loss while also dropping out of a first-place tie with SMU atop the ACC standings.
Up next
Miami: Following an off week, the Hurricanes will play Wake Forest on Nov. 23 at home.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets are off next week before playing North Carolina State in a Thursday night home game on Nov. 21.
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