Second-Half Surge Lifts Undefeated Jackets Over DukeSecond-Half Surge Lifts Undefeated Jackets Over Duke
Football

Second-Half Surge Lifts Undefeated Jackets Over Duke

Georgia Tech moves to 7-0 for first time since 1966

Box Score

DURHAM, N.C. – No. 12 Georgia Tech once again shook off a slow start on the road to dominate the second half and move to 7-0 on the season with a 27-18 victory at Duke.

With the win, Georgia Tech (7-0, 4-0 ACC) moves to 7-0 for the first time since 1966 and is 4-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play for the first time since 1998.

The Yellow Jackets managed just 110 yards of total offense in the first half but went into halftime tied at 7-7 thanks to Omar Daniels’ school-record 95-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the first quarter.

However, as they’ve done in each of their three road games this season, the Jackets turned on the jets offensively after the break. Tech ranked up 266 yards of offense and scored on all four of its offensive possessions after the break (a final kneel-down notwithstanding) to pull away from the Blue Devils.

Once again, quarterback Haynes King was the catalyst for the Yellow Jackets’ high-octane offense, totaling 325 yards of offense (205 passing, 120 rushing), including 240 in the second half. King engineered scoring drives of 63 (FG), 89 (FG), 72 (TD) and 71 (TD) yards after the break, capped by his 28-yard touchdown run that gave the Jackets a commanding 27-10 lead and all but sealed the Blue Devils’ fate with 2:10 left in the game.

After Duke racked up 238 yards of offense in the first half, Georgia Tech’s defense was spectacular in the second half, as it surrendered just 116 yards on the Devils’ first four possessions after the break (before a relatively meaningless touchdown drive after the Jackets had taken the 17-point lead with only 130 seconds to go).

Jy Gilmore stuffed the stat sheet for Georgia Tech defensively with a game-high 11 tackles, including 1.5 for loss and a half sack, and two pass breakups. Tech broke up five passes as a team, sacked Duke QB Darian Mensah twice and hurried him four times.

Georgia Tech puts its unbeaten record on the line once again next Saturday when it welcomes Syracuse for homecoming at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Kickoff is set for noon. Tickets still remain HERE.

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 Haynes King totaled 325 yards of offense and led Georgia Tech on four second-half scoring drives, capped by his 28-yard TD run with 2:10 to go that all but sealed the Jackets’ 27-18 win (Keith Lucas photo)

 

Postgame Notes

Team Notes

  • With the win, No. 12 Georgia Tech remains unbeaten at 7-0 (4-0 ACC).
  • Georgia Tech handed Duke (4-3, 3-1 ACC) its first ACC loss of the season.
  • Georgia Tech moved to 7-0 for the time since 1966 and only the eighth time in the school’s 133 seasons of football (1917, 1928, 1942, 1947, 1952, 1964, 1966, 2025).
  • Georgia Tech’s seven-game winning streak is its longest since it won eight-straight from Sept. 26-Nov. 14, 2009.
  • Georgia Tech moved to 4-0 in ACC play for the first time 1998.
  • Georgia Tech moved to 56-35-1 all-time versus Duke.
  • Georgia Tech moved to 24-21 all-time at Duke.
  • The win was Georgia Tech’s fifth-straight over Duke, which is the Yellow Jackets’ longest winning streak in the series since they won 10 in a row over the Blue Devils from 2004-13.
  • Duke’s 68 rushing yards the fewest that Georgia Tech has allowed this season (prev.: 117 vs. Gardner-Webb – Sept. 6) and were a season low for the Blue Devils (prev.: 82 vs. Illinois – Sept. 6).
  • After managing just 110 yards and averaging 4.6 yards per play in the first half, Georgia Tech’s offense had 266 yards and averaged 8.1 yards in the second half.
  • Georgia Tech’s touchdown on Omar Daniels’ 95-yard fumble return in the first quarter was the Yellow Jackets’ first score on a fumble return since Jaylon King’s 40-yard touchdown at Miami (Fla.) on Nov. 6, 2021.

Individual Notes

  • r-Sr. DB Omar Daniels’ 95-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the first quarter is the longest official fumble return in Georgia Tech history (fumble returns became an official NCAA statistic in 1992). Daniels’ 95-yard return broke the previous school record of 93 (Zamari Walton vs. Notre Dame – Oct. 31, 2020) and was only Tech’s third official return of 90 or more yards (the third being Kofi Smith vs. Wake Forest – Nov. 21, 1998).
  • Daniels’ 95-yard fumble return is also tied for the fourth-longest in ACC history, and the longest by an ACC player since Boston College’s Brandon Sebastian’s 97-yard return vs. Clemson on Oct. 31, 2020.
  • r-Sr. QB Haynes King threw for 205 yards and ran for 120, marking the third time this season and seventh time in his career, as a Yellow Jacket, that he’s had at least 100 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in a game. The seven 100-yard passing/100-yard rushing games extends his school record (he has two more than any other Yellow Jacket, all-time).
  • With his 205 passing yards, King upped his career passing total at Georgia Tech to 6,132 yards. He is only the fifth player in Tech history to throw for 6,000 yards as a Yellow Jacket (prev: Joe Hamilton – 8,882, 1996-99; Shawn Jones – 8,441, 1989-92; Reggie Ball – 8,128, 2003-06 and George Godsey – 6,167 – 1998-2001) and the first to do it over only three seasons at Tech.
  • King’s 28-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was his 10th of the year. He is only the fourth NCAA Division I FBS quarterback since 2015 with at double-digit rushing touchdowns in three-straight seasons, and the first ACC signal-caller to do it since Louisville Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson from 2015-17.
  • r-Sr. RB Jamal Haynes moved into a tie for ninth in Georgia Tech history with 2,412 career rushing yards, matching QB Justin Thomas, who rushed for 2,412 yards from 2013-16.
  • r-Sr. Josh Beetham’s 49-yard reception in the third quarter was a career long, breaking his previous career long of 31 that he set last Saturday vs. Virginia Tech.
  • Beetham’s last two receptions have totaled 80 yards. Before last week, he had four receptions for 46 yards in his career.
  • r-Jr. DB Jy Gilmore’s 11 tackles shattered his previous high as a Yellow Jacket (prev.: 7 at Wake Forest – Sept. 27).
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Georgia Tech’s defense held Duke to a season-low 68 rushing yards in Saturday’s win over the Blue Devils (Keith Lucas photo)

 

Multimedia

Head Coach Brent Key Postgame Press Conference (Video)

Head Coach Brent Key Postgame Press Conference (Audio)

Head Coach Brent Key ACC Huddle Postgame Interview (Video)

Student-Athletes Postgame Press Conference (Video)

Haynes King ESPN Radio College Gameday Postgame Interview (Audio)

ACC Digital Network Highlights

ACC Digital Network Condensed Game

ACC Digital Network Full Game Replay

Around Social Media

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 24% 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 two home games at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field in 2025.

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.

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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