THE FLATS – No. 18/19 Georgia Tech dominated the Atlantic Coast Conference’s weekly awards on Monday, following the Yellow Jackets’ 24-21 win over Clemson last Saturday.
Tech’s Haynes King (Longview, Texas/Longview H.S.) was named the ACC Quarterback of the Week, Keylan Rutledge (Royston, Ga./Franklin County H.S.) was tabbed as the ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week, Omar Daniels (Moutrie, Ga./Colquitt County H.S.) was named ACC Defensive Back of the Week and place kicker Aidan Birr (Kennedale, Texas/Kennedale H.S.) earned ACC Specialist of the Week honors.
King accounted for 314 total yards (211 yards on 20-of-28 passing and rushing for 103 rushing yards on a career-high 25 carries) in the heart-stopping win over longtime rival Clemson. He was at his best in fourth quarter, opening the period with a 1-yard touchdown run that gave the Yellow Jackets a 21-14 lead then, after Clemson knotted the score at 21-21 with 3:26 to go in the ballgame, leading the Jackets into field goal range, setting up Birr’s game-winning 55-yarder. King accounted for 36 of Tech’s 38 yards on the final possession (18 passing, 18 rushing) and picked up two key first downs with runs of 9 and 4 yards on third-and-1 and third-and-2 to keep the drive alive.
Rutledge was the key component of the offensive front that paved the way for King and the Yellow Jackets’ offense. Tech racked up 358 yards of offense in the win, including 147 rushing yards against a Clemson defense that had surrendered just 93 yards on the ground per game going into the contest. Rutledge was primarily matched up against Clemson all-America defensive tackle Peter Woods, who finished the game with just two tackles (one solo, one assist).
Daniels led Georgia Tech’s defensive effort with a forced fumble and an interception to go along with seven tackles. Daniels’ first-quarter forced fumble set up a field goal that gave Tech an early 3-0 lead, while his third-quarter interception in the red zone thwarted a Clemson scoring opportunity.
Birr was the hero of the day, as he capped a 4-for-4 performance (3-for-3 on field goals and 1-for-1 on extra points) with his school-record-tying, game-winning 55-yard field goal as time expired. The 55-yard field goal matched the longest in Georgia Tech history and was the longest by a Yellow Jacket in 39 years (since David Bell’s 55-yard boot vs. Georgia in 1986). It was also only the sixth “walk-off” field goal in Tech history and the first since his own 44-yarder as the clock hit 0:00 in a 24-21 win over No. 10 Florida State last season in Dublin, Ireland.
The ACC weekly honor is King’s second in his two games this season (he was also named ACC QB of the Week after accounting for 299 yards of offense (156 rushing, 143 passing) and scoring three rushing touchdowns, including the game-winning 45-yard touchdown run with 1:05 to go in Tech’s season-opening 27-20 win at Colorado, and fifth of his career. Rutledge and Birr were honored for the second time in their respective careers, while Daniels’ award is his first.
Off to its first 3-0 start since 2016 and ranked No. 18 in this week’s Associated Press poll, its highest national ranking since 2015, Georgia Tech closes a three-game homestand this Saturday when it hosts Temple at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Kickoff for Georgia Tech’s Family Weekend/First Responders Day game is set for 4:30 p.m. Tickets are still available and can be purchased HERE.
2025 GEORGIA TECH FOOTBALL TICKETS
Tickets still remain for each of the Yellow Jackets’ final four home games at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field.
Sept. 20 vs. Temple (Family Weekend/First Responders Day) – Click HERE for tickets.
Oct. 11 vs. Virginia Tech (Hall of Fame Weekend) – Click HERE for tickets.
Oct. 25 vs. Syracuse (Homecoming) – Click HERE for tickets.
Nov. 22 vs. Pitt (Senior Day/Military Appreciation Day/Michael Isenhour Toy Drive-25th Anniversary) – Click HERE for tickets.
Additionally, Georgia Tech fans can take advantage of this week’s Hike and Spike package, which includes tickets to Saturday’s football game versus Temple at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field and Friday’s highly anticipated volleyball showdown versus archrival Georgia at McCamish Pavilion. Click HERE for more on Hike and Spike special offer.
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
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