ATLANTA — Cam Ward and the No. 4 Miami Hurricanes saw their streak of second-half victories come to an end on Saturday as Haynes King spearheaded the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to a 28-23 triumph. This marked a significant achievement for Georgia Tech, as it was their first victory against a top-five opponent in 15 years.
In a spirited celebration, fans stormed the field, bringing down both goalposts postgame. King showcased his dual-threat capabilities by rushing for 93 yards and scoring a touchdown, along with throwing a touchdown pass. The Yellow Jackets successfully countered the impressive offensive performance of Ward, who amassed 347 passing yards and tossed three touchdown passes.
With this loss, Miami (9-1, 5-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) missed the opportunity to achieve a perfect 10-0 start for the first time since 2017. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech (6-4, 4-3) secured bowl eligibility and snapped a two-game losing streak, during which King had been sidelined due to a right shoulder issue.
During their unbeaten run of the first nine games, Miami demonstrated resilience with three successful comebacks in the second half. Just last week, they overcame a 28-17 third-quarter deficit to defeat Duke 53-31. However, against Georgia Tech, Miami’s only brief lead came at 10-7, as they found themselves trailing after the Yellow Jackets took a 14-10 advantage in the second quarter.
The pivotal moment of the game was King’s 5-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, extending Georgia Tech’s lead to 28-16. Although Ward connected with Xavier Restrepo for a 38-yard touchdown pass, narrowing the margin to 28-23, the Hurricanes’ last chance began at their 19-yard line with just under two minutes remaining. Unfortunately, Ward fumbled when pressured by Romello Height, allowing Jordan Van Den Berg to recover for Georgia Tech, sealing the victory.
Jamal Haynes started the game strong for the Yellow Jackets, bursting through Miami’s defense for a 65-yard run on the second play and following it up with a 16-yard scoring run just two plays later, putting Georgia Tech ahead 7-0.
Ward quickly responded with a historic 74-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Arroyo, setting a new school record for his 30th touchdown pass of the season, breaking the previous mark of 29 held by Steve Walsh since 1988.
However, Haynes exited the game after a hard hit from safety Jaden Harris and did not return.
The critical point of the game for Miami was three failed fourth-down attempts, which proved detrimental to their offensive efforts. Ward could not complete a pass on fourth-and-3 from the Georgia Tech 23 in the second quarter and later struggled again, resulting in an incompletion on fourth-and-1 on the first drive of the second half. His final fourth-down attempt came early in the fourth quarter when he was sacked on fourth-and-16 from the 22 after a penalty had annulled what could have been a scoring play.
For Georgia Tech, this victory was not only significant in the moment but historically, marking their first win against a top-five team since overcoming No. 4 Virginia 28-23 in 2009. The Yellow Jackets displayed strong offensive strategy, capitalizing on Kings’ flexibility and the contribution from wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. to manage the injuries impacting Haynes and Alexander, while backup quarterback Aaron Philo added an essential touchdown pass.
As a result of their first defeat, Miami’s position in the AP Top 25 and the College Football Playoff rankings will likely be affected, marking a significant shift as they fall out of a shared first-place position with SMU in the ACC standings.
Looking ahead, Miami is set for a break before hosting Wake Forest on November 23. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech will have a week off before facing North Carolina State in a home game on Thursday, November 21.
