Jackets Are Going Bowling! – Football — Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

THE FLATS – Quarterback Haynes King threw for two touchdowns and ran for another that sealed Georgia Tech’s postseason-clinching sixth victory of the season, a 31-22 triumph over Syracuse on Saturday night at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field.

Georgia Tech (6-5) became eligible to play in a bowl game for the first time since the 2018 season on a night when Tech celebrated the 25^th anniversary of its 1998 team that won a share of the ACC championship and defeated Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl to finish 10-2. This year’s Yellow Jackets completed their conference schedule at 5-3 (its first winning ACC record since ’18) and can finish as high as a tie for third place depending on the results of next week’s games.

King led the Jackets to the postseason with an ultra-efficient evening, completing a season-best 80% of his passes (16-of-20) for 138 yards and two touchdowns, and running for a team-high-tying 82 yards on 11 carries (7.5 avg.) and a score.

King set the tone on the first series of the game, accounting for 67 yards (53 passing, 14 rushing) on a 75-yard touchdown drive that gave the Yellow Jackets a 7-0 lead. He was a perfect 5-of-5 passing on the opening possession and capped the 10-play, 75-yard drive with a 15-yard scoring toss to Jamal Haynes to give the Jackets a lead they would not relinquish.

King’s second touchdown pass came midway through the second period when he connected with Dominick Blaylock on a 53-yard scoring toss to give Tech a 14-3 lead.

After taking a 17-3 lead into halftime thanks to a 22-yard field goal by Aidan Burr with 13 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Georgia Tech appeared to take full control of the game when Paul Moala forced a fumble that was recovered by Jacob Cruz on the opening kickoff of the second half. One play later, Haynes burst through a huge hole a ran 30 yards untouched to paydirt to extend the Jackets’ advantage to 24-3 just 17 seconds into the third quarter.

However, Syracuse would not roll over, as it scored three touchdowns on its next five possessions and pulled within 24-22 with 7:41 left in the game. A pass breakup by Clayton Powell-Lee on a two-point conversion attempt following the Orange’s third touchdown of the second-half rally kept the Jackets’ lead intact.

Needing a long drive to seal the win on their next possession, King guided the Jackets to just that – a nine-play, 75-yard masterpiece that ran 5:19 off the game clock and culminated with the redshirt-sophomore…