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Tech Falls in Pop-Tarts Bowl Heartbreaker

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Final Stats Postgame Notes Multimedia Photo Gallery

ORLANDO, Fla. – Haynes King and Georgia Tech’s offense looked to be on their way to another comeback for the ages in the waning minutes of Saturday’s Pop-Tarts Bowl, but the 22nd-ranked Yellow Jackets’ valiant comeback came up just short in a 25-21 loss to No. 12 BYU at Camping World Stadium.

BYU capped its own comeback from a 21-10 fourth-quarter deficit when it scored on a 2-yard run with 2:00 to go to take a 25-21 lead.

However, as he’s done so many times in his historic Georgia Tech career, King engineered a spectacular drive in the final two minutes to put the Jackets in position to win. The series was highlighted by a perfect 66-yard throw-and-catch to wide receiver Eric Rivers on fourth-and-15 that moved Tech to the BYU 18 yard line with 35 seconds remaining.

Unfortunately for the Jackets, after three-straight incompletions, King was intercepted by BYU’s Evan Johnson on fourth down to end the rally and seal the victory for the Cougars.

Despite coming up just short of a final win at the helm of Georgia Tech’s offense, King accounted for 301 yards of offense (270 passing, 31 rushing), threw for two touchdowns and broke three school records in his 38th and final game as a Yellow Jacket.

In addition to becoming Tech’s all-time leader in career completions (674), career completion percentage (.676) and single-season total offense (3,920), King also became only the second player to ever amass 10,000 yards of total offense in a career at Georgia Tech. King finished with 10,200 total yards in his three seasons as a Yellow Jacket, behind only College Football Hall of Famer Joe Hamilton, who had 10,640 yards of offense in four seasons at Tech (1996-99).

Wide receiver Malik Rutherford also capped a historic Georgia Tech career with an impressive performance in his final game as a Yellow Jacket, finishing with eight catches for 105 yards. Rutherford passed another College Football Hall of Famer, Calvin Johnson, for second all-time at Tech with 178 career receptions and also became only the seventh Yellow Jacket to ever register 2,000 career receiving yards (2,014).

Rivers also had a 100-yard day for the Jackets, finishing with 102 yards on four catches.

Not to be overshadowed by the Jackets’ 401 yards of offense, Tech’s defense came up big in several situations against BYU’s high-powered offense. A goal line stand on the first series of the game, capped by defensive back Zachary Tobe and linebacker Kyle Efford making consecutive tackles at the 1 yard line on third- and fourth-and-goal, and an end-zone interception by Rodney Shelley on BYU’s first possession of the second half highlighted the defensive effort.

Despite the loss, Georgia Tech closed the 2025 season with a 9-4 overall record, its best in nine years and tied for the 10th-most wins in Tech’s 133-season football history.

Haynes King broke three school records – single-season total offense, career completions and career completion percentage – and become the second Yellow Jacket to ever eclipse 10,000 career yards of total offense in the 38th and final game of his Georgia Tech career. (Michael Nance photo)

 

Postgame Notes

Team Notes

  • 22 Georgia Tech closes the season at 9-4, its best record since 2016
  • 12 BYU closes the season at 12-2.
  • Georgia Tech’s nine wins are tied for the 10th-most in its 133 seasons of football.
  • Georgia Tech fell to 26-22 in 48 all-time bowl games. Its 26 postseason wins are tied for the 14th-most in NCAA Division I FBS history and its 48 bowl appearances are the 15th-most all-time.
  • Georgia Tech lost to an opponent from the Big 12 Conference for the first time since a 28-25 loss at Kansas on Sept. 11, 2010, snapping the Yellow Jackets’ three-game winning streak against the Big 12.
  • Georgia Tech fell to 18-13 all-time against current members of the Big 12.
  • Georgia Tech lost for the first time in three appearances in what is now known as the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
  • Georgia Tech lost for the first time in three games at what is now known as Camping World Stadium.
  • Georgia Tech scored two touchdowns in a 13-second span in the second quarter, turning a 10-7 deficit into a 21-10 lead.
  • Georgia Tech lost for the first time this season when leading after three quarters (Tech led 21-10 going into the fourth quarter).
  • Georgia Tech had two 100-yard receivers (r-Sr. WR Malik Rutherford – 105 and r-Sr. WR Eric Rivers – 102) for the second time in the last four games (Rutherford and Rivers also had 100 receiving yards each on Nov. 15 at Boston College). It marks only the eighth time in Georgia Tech history that two receivers had 100 yards each in the same game. Before this season, Georgia Tech didn’t have two 100-yard receivers in the same game since 2005 (Demarius Bilbo and Calvin Johnson vs. North Carolina).

Individual Notes

  • In the 38th and final game of his illustrious Georgia Tech career, r-Sr. QB Haynes King became only the second Yellow Jacket to ever surpass 10,000 yards of total offense. With 301 total yards in Saturday’s game (270 passing, 31 rushing), King finished with 10,200 total yards as a Yellow Jacket (7,923 passing, 2,277 rushing). King joins College Football Hall of Famer Joe Hamilton (10,640 yds. – 1996-99) as the only Georgia Tech players with 10,000 yards of total offense.
  • King is the first player to reach the 10,000-yard plateau in just three seasons at Georgia Tech.
  • King set a new Georgia Tech single-season record with 3,920 yards of total offense this season (2,967 passing, 953 rushing).
  • King’s 2,967 passing yards this season are the third-most in Georgia Tech single-season history (behind only George Godsey’s 3,085 in 2001 and Hamilton’s 3,060 in 1999).
  • King became Georgia Tech’s all-time leader with 674 completions as a Yellow Jacket, breaking the previous record of 662, set by Reggie Ball in four seasons from 2003-06.
  • King also set a new Georgia Tech record for career completion percentage at .676 (674-for-997), shattering the previous record of .633, set by Godsey from 1998-2001.
  • With two touchdown passes on Saturday, King finished with six TD passes in three bowl games at Georgia Tech, which are the most postseason TD passes ever by a Yellow Jacket, breaking the previous school record of five that was held by Pepper Rodgers (two bowl games – 1953 and 1954 Sugar Bowl).
  • r-Sr. WR Malik Rutherford had eight receptions for 105 yards, good for his second 100-yard game of the season and fourth of his career.
  • Rutherford passed College Football Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson for second all-time at Georgia Tech with 182 career receptions. Johnson had 178 receptions as a Yellow Jacket from 2004-06.
  • Rutherford also became the seventh player in Georgia Tech history with 2,000 career receiving yards, finishing with 2,014 yards.
  • Rutherford moved into a tie for eighth in Georgia Tech history with his 53rd career game played.
  • r-Sr. OL Joe Fusile moved into a tie for sixth in Georgia Tech history with his 47th career start.
  • DB Rodney Shelley’s interception in the third quarter was his team-leading second of the season.
  • r-So. DB Will Kiker’s fumble recovery in the second quarter was the first of his career.
  • DB Fenix Felton and r-Fr. RB Trelain Maddox both made their first-career starts.
  • Maddox’s 3-yard touchdown run on a fake field goal in the first quarter was his first TD of the season and second of his career.
Malik Rutherford caught eight passes for 105 yards, passed Calvin Johnson on Georgia Tech’s all-time receptions list and became the seventh Yellow Jacket with 2,000 career receiving yards in his final game at Tech. (Danny Karnik 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

 

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