THE FLATS – Georgia Tech reached the end zone twice in the first five minutes and 20 seconds of the game, but Bowling Green held the ball for nearly 43 minutes of possession, forced three turnovers and upset the Yellow Jackets, 38-27, Saturday afternoon at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field.
Quarterback Haynes King threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 53 yards, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Yellow Jackets’ three giveaways and Bowling Green running 20 more plays than the Jackets, thanks in large part to a 10-for-17 performance on third downs.
King took advantage of a 43-yard opening kickoff return by Christian Leary and threw a 53-yard strike to Eric Singleton, Jr. on the Yellow Jackets’ first play from scrimmage, which marked the true freshman’s fifth-consecutive game with a touchdown reception to begin his career. Tech added another TD on its next possession, driving 71 yards on five plays with King hitting Leary from 11 yards out to make it 14-0 at the 9:40 mark of the first quarter.
But after racking up 124 yards and 14 points on its first six plays, Tech mustered just 122 yards on its next six possessions over the second and third periods as the Falcons made their charge. After the Jackets opened the quick 14-0 lead, Bowling Green scored on five of its next six possessions (not including a kneel-down to close the first half) to take a commanding 38-14 lead late in the third quarter.
Tech got its offense back on track after BG opened up the 24-point advantage, putting together scoring drives of 81 and 65 yards to cut the deficit to 38-27, but the Jackets could not convert an onside kick to keep their hopes alive and the Falcons ran out the clock to seal the upset.
Running back Terion Stewart keyed Bowling Green’s offensive effort with 138 yards on 26 carries, both career highs.
Jamal Haynes had 49 rushing yards on eight carries for Tech, while Dominick Blaylock led the receiving corps with seven catches for 131 yards, which were the most receiving yards by a Yellow Jacket since DeAndre Smelter (now a graduate assistant on Tech’s coaching staff) had 132 yards against Wofford on Aug. 31, 2014.
Tech returns to the road next Saturday for a primetime Atlantic Coast Conference showdown at Miami (Fla.). Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. on the ACC Network.
Eric Singleton Jr. caught a 53-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the game, which gives him a touchdown reception in each of the first five games of his collegiate career. (Photo by Danny Karnik)
Postgame Notes
- Team Notes
- Georgia Tech fell to 2-3 on the season.
- Georgia Tech fell to 1-1 all-time against Bowling Green and 1-2 against current members of the Mid-American Conference.
- Georgia Tech’s 53-yard touchdown pass from Haynes King to Eric Singleton Jr. on the first play from scrimmage of the game marked the first time that the Yellow Jackets scored on their first offensive play of a game since an 81-yard pass from Justin Thomas to Marcus Marshall in a 38-7 win over Vanderbilt on Sept. 17, 2016.
- The opening touchdown also marked Georgia Tech’s first one-play touchdown drive since an 86-yard touchdown pass from Tobias Oliver to Qua Searcy in the second quarter of a 38-28 win at North Carolina on Nov. 3, 2018.
- Bowling Green’s 42:45 time of possession was the second-highest ever by a Georgia Tech opponent, trailing only Alabama’s 43:22 time of possession on Sept. 8, 1979.
Individual Notes
- True Fr. WR Eric Singleton Jr. caught a 53-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the game, which gives him a touchdown reception in each of the first five games of his collegiate career.
- Singleton is the first Yellow Jacket with a touchdown reception in five-consecutive games since Kelly Campbell caught TD passes in six-straight games in 2000 (Sept. 30 vs. North Carolina-Nov. 18 vs. Maryland).
- WR Christian Leary’s 11-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter was his first as a Yellow Jacket and his first since he caught an 11-yard touchdown pass as a true freshman for Alabama vs. Arkansas on Nov. 20, 2021.
- r-Jr. WR Dominick Blaylock caught seven passes for 131 yards, the first 100-yard receiving game by a Yellow Jacket this season and Georgia Tech’s first since Nate McCollum (101) vs. Miami (Fla.) on Nov. 12 of last season.
- Blaylock’s 131 receiving yards were the most by a Yellow Jacket since DeAndre Smelter (132) vs. Wofford on Aug. 30, 2014.
- P David Shanahan’s 60-yard punt in the second quarter was his longest of the season (prev.: 51 at Wake Forest – last Saturday), the fourth-longest of his career and is tied for the eighth-longest in the ACC this season.
Christian Leary’s 11-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter was his first as a Yellow Jacket. (Danny Karnik photo).
Multimedia
Head Coach Brent Key Postgame Press Conference (Audio)
Postgame Press Conference (Video)
Game Highlights (ACC Digital Network)
Condensed Game (ACC Digital Network)
Around Social Media
Home sweet home 🏠#StingEm pic.twitter.com/HBLzEVWJV7
— Georgia Tech Football (@GeorgiaTechFB) September 30, 2023
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