Jackets Pass Final Road Test at Boston CollegeJackets Pass Final Road Test at Boston College
Football

Jackets Pass Final Road Test at Boston College

No. 14/12 Georgia Tech moves within one win of ACC title game berth with 36-34 triumph

Box Score

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – No. 14/12 Georgia Tech proved its resiliency once again and moved within one win of a spot in the 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game with a 36-34 victory at Boston College on Saturday afternoon.

Georgia Tech (9-1, 6-1 ACC), which trailed by 11 points going into the fourth quarter, drove 69 yards in 13 plays to set up Aidan Birr’s game-winning 23-yard field goal with 11 seconds to go in the victory. The Yellow Jackets moved to 3-1 this season when trailing going into the fourth quarter.

Tech scored 19 points in the final period to erase a 28-17 deficit in Saturday’s come-from-behind win. The Jackets scored the first 16 points of the fourth quarter on a 26-yard field goal by Birr and touchdown runs of 2 and 54 yards by senior running back Jamal Haynes and freshman wide receiver Jordan Allen.

After Tech took a 33-28 lead on Allen’s TD run with 6:14 to go, BC responded by retaking a 34-33 advantage just five plays later.

However, Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King led the Jackets to the winning points, throwing for 25 yards and rushing for 27 on Tech’s final possession.

The final drive capped another spectacular day for the Heisman Trophy candidate, as he finished with 424 yards of total offense – 371 through the air and 53 on the ground. It marked King’s fourth-straight game with at least 325 yards of total offense and his third-straight with at least 300 passing. He once again did it in a strikingly efficient manner, connecting on 26-of-34 passes (76.5 percent), good for the fifth-best completion percentage in Georgia Tech history for a passer with at least 30 attempts in a game. He now holds six of the top seven single-game completion percentages in school history (min. 30 attempts).

Wideouts Malik Rutherford and Eric Rivers were King’s favorite targets with 121 and 119 yards, respectively, which marked the first time in 20 years that Tech had two 100-yard receivers in a game (Damarius Bilbo – 131 and Calvin Johnson – 114 vs. North Carolina on Sept. 10, 2005).

Running back Malachi Hosley also had a 100-yard game on the ground, rushing for 107 on 15 carries, including a 27-yard touchdown to open the scoring in the first quarter.

In all, the Jackets racked up 628 yards of offense, good for their third-straight game with at least 500 yards and their highest total of the season against an NCAA Division I FBS opponent.

Georgia Tech now sets its sights on one of the biggest home games in its ACC history – next Saturday’s home matchup with No. 23 Pitt (7-3, 5-1 ACC). A win would send the Yellow Jackets to the ACC Championship Game for the first time since 2014 and move it within one more victory of its first-ever College Football Playoff berth.

Kickoff for Saturday’s showdown with Pitt will be announced later on Saturday or early Sunday.

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 Malik Rutherford (pictured on his career-long 71-yard touchdown reception) and Eric Rivers gave Georgia Tech two 100-yard receivers in game for the first time in 20 years (Seth Bradley photo)

 

Postgame Notes

Team Notes

  • No. 14/12 Georgia Tech overcame an 11-point fourth quarter deficit in its 36-34 victory at Boston College.
  • With the victory, Georgia Tech (9-1, 6-1 ACC) can clinch a berth in the ACC Championship Game with a win over Pitt next Saturday at Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field.
  • Georgia Tech trailed 28-17 going into the fourth quarter. The Yellow Jackets moved to 3-1 this season when trailing after three quarters (Tech trailed 14-13 in the 24-21 win over Clemson on Sept. 13 and 20-17 in the 30-29 overtime win at Wake Forest on Sept. 27).
  • The comeback marked the second time this season that Georgia Tech has overcome a double-digit deficit to win. Tech trailed by as many as 17 points (20-3 in third quarter) in the win at Wake Forest.
  • After Georgia Tech took a 33-28 lead with 6:14 to go in the game, Boston College retook a 34-33 lead with 4:09 left. Tech responded with a 13-play, 69-yard drive that culminated with r-Jr. PK Aidan Birr’s second game-winning field goal of the year, a 23-yarder with :11 to go.
  • Georgia Tech moved to 12-3 in games that immediately followed a loss under head coach Brent Key (dating back to him taking over as interim head coach prior to the fifth game of the 2022 season).
  • Georgia Tech’s 628 yards of total offense were its second-most in a game this season (most: 680 vs. Gardner-Webb – Sept. 6) and its most against an NCAA Division I FBS opponent since it had 635 in a 46-42 win over North Carolina on Oct. 28, 2023.
  • The 628 yards of offense were the seventh-most in Georgia Tech history and its second-most in an ACC game (behind only its 635 against UNC in 2023).
  • For the sixth time this season, Georgia Tech lost the turnover battle, as Tech committed one and Boston College had none. The Yellow Jackets moved to 5-1 when losing the turnover battle.
  • Georgia Tech’s 9-1 record marks only the 10th time in its 133-season football history – and only the third time since 1966 (1990, 2009 and 2025) – that it has won at least nine of its first 10 games.
  • Georgia Tech’s nine wins are its most since it finished 9-4 in 2016.
  • Georgia Tech has six ACC wins for the first time since 2009 and only the seventh time in its 43 seasons in the conference.
  • Georgia Tech is 8-5 all-time versus Boston College, including a 4-1 record at BC.
  • Georgia Tech lost the opening coin toss for the ninth time in 10 games this season. The Yellow Jackets’ lone win on an opening coin toss came in their second game of the season (Sept. 6 vs. Gardner-Webb). Including losing the coin toss at the beginning of overtime at Wake Forest (Sept. 27), Tech is 1-10 in coin tosses this season. The statistical odds of winning just 1-of-11 coin tosses are just 0.54% (1 in 186.2).

Individual Notes

  • r-Sr. QB Haynes King continued to cement his status as a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy, accounting for 424 yards (371 passing, 53 rushing).
  • With his 371 passing yards, King became the fourth player in Georgia Tech history with 7,000 passing yards. King has thrown for 7,215 in 33 games as a Yellow Jacket.
  • With his 424 yards of total offense, King also became the fourth player in Georgia Tech history with 9,000 yards of total offense. He has 9,346 total yards (7,215 passing, 2,131 rushing) in his 33 games at Tech.
  • King’s 300-yard passing game was his eighth as a Yellow Jacket, which broke the school record of seven, previously held by Joe Hamilton (1996-99).
  • The 300-yard passing game was King’s third-straight (304 vs. Syracuse – Oct. 25 and 408 at NC State – Nov. 1). He’s the first Georgia Tech player with three-straight 300-yard passing games since George Godsey in 2000 (454 at Clemson – Oct. 28, 323 vs. Virginia –  Nov. 9 and 354 at Maryland – Nov. 18).
  • King’s .765 completion percentage (26-of-34) was the fifth-best in Georgia Tech history for a passer with at least 30 attempts in a game. He now holds six of the top seven single-game completion percentages in school history (min. 30 attempts).
  • r-Sr. WR Malik Rutherford’s 121 receiving yards were a season high (prev.: 62 vs. Gardner-Webb – Sept. 6).
  • Rutherford’s 100-yard receiving game was the third of his career (prev. 131 vs. Georgia State – Aug. 31, 2024 and 113 at Louisville – Sept. 21, 2024).
  • Rutherford’s 71-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter was the longest of his career (prev.: 55 vs. Louisville – Sept. 1, 2023).
  • r-Sr. WR Eric Rivers 119 receiving yards were his most as a Yellow Jacket (prev.: 97 at NC State – Nov. 1).
  • Georgia Tech had two 100-yard receivers in a game for the first time since Sept. 10, 2005, when Damarius Bilbo (131) and Calvin Johnson (114) both surpassed the 100-yard mark vs. North Carolina.
  • Fr. WR Jordan Allen’s 65-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was Georgia Tech’s longest rush of the season (prev.: 61 – Fr. J.P. Powell vs. Temple – Sept. 20).
  • r-Sr. Jordan van den Berg’s six tackles were a career high (prev.: 5 – 2X, last vs. Syracuse, Oct. 25).
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 Malachi Hosley had 107 rushing yards in Saturday’s win at BC, including a 27-yard touchdown run to open the scoring (Seth Bradley photo)

 

Multimedia

Head Coach Brent Key Postgame Press Conference (Video)

Head Coach Brent Key Postgame Press Conference (Audio)

Student-Athletes Postgame Press Conference (Video)

ACC Digital Network Highlights

ACC Digital Network Condensed Game

ACC Digital Network Full Game Replay

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2025 GEORGIA TECH FOOTBALL TICKETS

With a fanbase that has been reenergized by the Yellow Jackets’ success, attendance at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field is up 29% over this time in 2024. Fans can still be a part of the excitement on The Flats, as tickets remain for the Yellow Jackets’ final regular-season home game of 2025 at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field:

Saturday, Nov. 22 vs. No. 22 Pitt (Senior Day/Military Appreciation Day/Michael Isenhour Toy Drive-25th Anniversary) – Click HERE for tickets.

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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