THE FLATS – Led by 146 yards from scrimmage from Jamal Haynes, including the eighth 100-yard rushing game of his career, No. 18/19-ranked Georgia Tech averaged a whopping 9.8 yards per play in its 45-24 win over visiting Temple on Saturday evening at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field.
With the win, Georgia Tech moved to 4-0 for the first time since 2014 and only the fourth time in the last 55 seasons.
Additionally, the Yellow Jackets’ four-game winning streak is their longest since 2018 and matches their longest since 2014, and their eight-game winning streak at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field is their longest since 2016-17 and matches their longest since 1989-91.
Following last week’s emotional win over Clemson, Tech quickly squashed any thoughts of a possible letdown, as it scored touchdowns on each of its first three possessions and raced out to a commanding 21-0 first-quarter lead.
The Jackets hit a bit of an offensive skid in the middle of the game, as they went three-and-out on three-straight possessions to close the first half and fumbled on their first possession of the second half. But Tech found its footing to score four of the final five times it had the ball (a one-play possession to close out the game notwithstanding) and cruised to the 21-point win.
Tech rolled up 468 yards of offense on just 48 snaps, good for the incredible 9.8 yards per play average, the sixth-highest in Georgia Tech single-game history. Amazingly, it marks the second time in just three weeks that the Yellow Jackets have had a top-six yards-per-play average, as they amassed 11.9 yards per snap against Gardner-Webb on Sept. 6, which was the second-highest average in program history.
Leading the way was Haynes, who finished with 107 rushing yards on just 12 carries (8.9 avg.) and 39 receiving yards on four catches (9.8 avg.). The other member of Tech’s one-two punch at running back, Malachi Hosley, ran for 59 yards and two touchdowns on just five carries (11.8 avg.).
In all, the Yellow Jackets gained 10 or more yards on 15 of their 48 snaps, including six plays of 30-plus yards.
Quarterback Haynes King engineered the Jackets’ explosive offense with incredible efficiency, completing 13-of-18 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns while also running for a 17-yard score.
Defensively, Georgia Tech limited Temple to just 14 points through the first 54-and-a-half minutes of the game before the Owls put a field goal and a touchdown on the board on their final two possessions. Temple (2-2) managed just 4.0 yards per play against the Jackets’ swarming defense, with six tackles for loss, two sacks, five quarterback hurries and five pass breakups.
The Yellow Jackets return to Atlantic Coast Conference play next Saturday when they travel to Wake Forest (2-1, 0-1 ACC) for a noon matchup. The game will be televised, nationally, on ESPN.