By Don Stone, GeorgiaTechExpress.com, FootballAtlanta.com
Georgia Tech staged one of its most dramatic rallies in recent memory on Saturday, storming back from a 17-point deficit to edge Wake Forest 30-29 at Allegacy Field. Down 20-3 midway through the third quarter, the Yellow Jackets came alive with a mix of grit and timely plays to outscore the Demon Deacons from that point forward 27-9, stunning the home crowd and leaving Winston-Salem with a pivotal ACC road victory. But, it took overtime to do it.
For much of the day, things looked bleak for Brent Key’s squad. Wake Forest controlled the first half, building a 17-3 halftime cushion behind a steady running game and opportunistic defense. When the Deacons struck early in the third quarter to extend the lead to 20-3, momentum seemed firmly against Georgia Tech.
Unlike last week, when Tech seemed lifeless in the third quarter, this time, nstead of folding, the Jackets responded. Quarterback Haynes King sparked the offense with a long touchdown drive, connecting on a pair of chunk passes before capping it with a short scoring run to cut the margin to 20-10. From there, the tone of the entire game shifted.
Georgia Tech scored 17 unanswered points across the third and early fourth quarters, closing the gap to 23-20. Wake briefly steadied itself with a touchdown to push the lead back to 27-20, but the Jackets refused to let their rally fizzle.
King again led a determined scoring drive, finding rhythm with quick completions and timely scrambles. Georgia Tech tied the game on another Aidan Birr field goal sending it to overtime.
The Jackets got the ball first and went ahead by a touchdown. Wake answered. But, instead of kicking the extra point to tie, Jake Dickert, probably thinking his team couldn’t keep up with Tech in multiple OTs, went for the win. But, on the 2 point conversion, Clayton Powell-Lee pulled down the game winning interception in the end zone.
It wasn’t pretty. But, 5-0 is. The Jackets get a much needed rest as they return to Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday, October 11 for another ACC matchup against the Virginia Tech Hokies.
