OXFORD, Miss. – Georgia Tech rallied from a 21-point, third-quarter deficit to pull within a score early in the final period, but No. 17/19 Ole Miss pulled away over the final eight minutes of the game and defeated the Yellow Jackets, 48-23, on Saturday night at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Georgia Tech (1-2) committed no penalties (for only the eighth time in school history), had no turnovers, completed 28 passes (tied for the fifth-most in school history), converted 11 third downs (tied for the 16th-most in school history), possessed the ball for 39 minutes and 17 seconds and held Ole Miss’s explosive passing attack to 148 yards below its season average through the air. But the Rebels ran for 299 yards and averaged 9.8 yards per play in the win.
After Tech trailed just 10-3 at halftime, Ole Miss scored two touchdowns in a four-minute span midway through the third quarter to take a 24-3 lead. However, the Yellow Jackets responded with two quick touchdowns of their own on a 1-yard run by quarterback Haynes King and a 15-yard pass from King to true freshman Eric Singleton Jr. to pull back within a score at 24-17 with 10:31 to go in the ballgame.
The Jackets held Ole Miss to a field goal on the ensuing series to keep the deficit at just 10 points, but the Rebels went on to score touchdowns on their next two possessions to make it 41-17. The teams swapped touchdowns in the final minute-and-a-half to account for the final margin.
King finished 28-of-41 for 307 yards and two touchdowns through the air to go along with 42 yards and a score on 14 carries. His 28 completions are tied for fourth in Georgia Tech single-game history, while the 28 completions without an interception are tied for the third-most ever by a Tech passer. His 307 passing yards are the 26th-most by an individual in Tech history. Of the 30 300-yard performances ever by Yellow Jackets passer, two have come in King’s first three games in the White and Gold.
Singleton, who has caught a touchdown pass in every game of his young career, set career highs with five receptions and 97 receiving yards. Running back Jamal Haynes totaled 100 yards from scrimmage (72 rushing, 28 receiving).
Defensively, LaMiles Brooks led Tech with a career-high-tying nine tackles, while D’Quan Douse added a career-best eight stops.
Georgia Tech returns to Atlantic Coast Conference play next Saturday when it travels to Wake Forest (3-0). Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be televised across the nation on The CW.