Georgia Tech Stun FSU in Dublin
College football returned to the Aviva Stadium on Saturday afternoon, and the sun was shining brightly as ACC rivals Georgia Tech and Florida State squared off in a game that was almost written off before it even began. Despite being the de facto home team, Tech fans were vastly outnumbered in the stands by the maroon and gold of the Noles, who had largely been enjoying the pregame festivities in the city center, particularly College GameDay’s live broadcast from outside Trinity College. And despite the lack of the same tangible atmosphere of last year’s game, this fixture proved to be a much closer and exciting spectacle on the field.
Florida State began with the ball first, and DJ Uiagalelei moved the FSU offense well, a mix of strong runs and passes picking up first downs. The Noles drew first blood after 5 minutes of play as the talented Lawrence Toafili scooted into the endzone on a 28 yard run. What followed was one of the most innovative and unusual 2 point conversion attempts I have ever seen, as the entire offense bar the center and kicker lined up on the left in what seems to be termed the swinging gate formation. The snapper, who was in fact punter Alex Mastramanno then spun around and lateralled the ball backwards to one of his teammates who used a wall of blockers on his way into the endzone. It was a stroke of absolute genius, and left many, including the opposing defense scratching their heads in wonderment.
Georgia Tech to their credit did not roll over, responding well on their opening possession with several massive gains. Haynes King connected with Malik Rutherford on a 30 yard pass to set them up in the red zone, before QB Zach Pyron scrambled in from 5 yards out to pull a score back. The first half of play was very much a back and forth affair, and a far cry from the blowout that many, yours truly included, predicted in the days leading up. We even got to witness our own David Shanahan boot a few balls, which is something we had all been eagerly anticipating! The Yellow Jackets defense then started to swarm, forcing FSU to attempt a long field goal attempt: 52 yards and drained by #88 Ryan Fitzgerald. Jamal Haynes proceeded to put the Jackets ahead by 3 right on the stroke of halftime, bursting into the endzone from a yard out and aided over the line by a push from his teammates. Florida State though were able to sink another field goal as time wound out; this time around Fitzgerald was good from 59 and we suddenly had an absolute classic on our hands.
After a bit of a lull in the 3rd quarter where both teams traded 3 and outs, Haynes King was able to drive down to the 1 yard line of FSU and was poised to score at the start of the fourth. As predicted, King ran it in for a 2 yard touchdown to begin the final period, and Georgia Tech were back on top. DJ wasn’t quite done yet though, converting crucial fourth downs and keeping his side alive with a pass to Malik Benson, who got down to the 1 yard line before Toafili scored again. Fitzgerald converted and we were once more tied, 21 points a piece with less than 9 minutes left on the clock.
It was going to come down to the wire in Dublin, with whoever had the ball last likely to emerge as the victors. Georgia Tech received the possession next, and Haynes King began to drive down the field with numerous first downs, targeting Jamal Haynes repeatedly to move into scoring position with under two minutes to go. A dramatic ending was in store as the Jackets allowed the clock to wind down, before sending their kicking team out to finish the job. And that they did, with aplomb. A last second field goal to seal the win in Ireland, knocking off the outright favorites in the process. Their sideline erupted as the kick sailed through the uprights; a perfect conclusion to one of the most competitive games of college football I have ever witnessed.
With college football set to continue in Ireland for the foreseeable future and the prospect of an NFL game here on the horizon, how this game played out is only bound to help grow the excitement and interest around American football. As for David and his Georgia Tech teammates, I certainly hope they can build on this victory and achieve every success this season!