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Georgia Tech wins: Aidan Birr makes 44-yard field goal as time expires, stunning No. 10 Florida State

Published  August 24, 2024 4:44pm EDT
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Associated Press

Georgia Tech big Dublin win against Florida State

Georgia Tech fans are celebrating after the Yellow Jackets pulled off a major upset in Dublin, Ireland. They beat the Florida State Seminoles on a last second field goal.

DUBLIN - Aidan Birr made a 44-yard field goal as time expired and Georgia Tech upset No. 10 Florida State 24-21 on Saturday in the first major college football game of the season.

Coming off an undefeated regular season, but with a remade roster, the Seminoles tied the game at 21 with 6:33 left in the fourth quarter on a 15-play touchdown drive that included two fourth-down conversions by DJ Uiagalelei.

Florida State (0-1, 0-1 ACC) never touched the ball again, and Birr came on with five seconds left on the clock to drill the winner.

Dublin , Ireland - 24 August 2024; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets kicker Aidan Birr kicks the match winning field goal after the 2024 Aer Lingus College Football Classic match between Florida State and Georgia Tech at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. (Photo By

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Jamal Haynes ran for 75 yards and two touchdowns for Georgia Tech, and Haynes King threw for 146 yards and ran for 54 as the Yellow Jackets (1-0, 1-0) were able to control the line of scrimmage and accumulate 190 rushing yards and 5.3 yards per carry.

Uiagalelei completed 19 of 27 passes for 193 yards in his Florida State debut.

Ryan Fitzgerald made a 59-yard field goal, a career long and the second longest in school history, just before halftime to tie the game at 14. Fitzgerald had a 52-yarder earlier in the game.

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Dublin , Ireland - 24 August 2024; Georgia Tech players celebrate after the 2024 Aer Lingus College Football Classic match between Florida State and Georgia Tech at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. (Photo By Ben McShane/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

The teams had just seven drives apiece. Georgia Tech’s final two drives were among the best, an 11-play, 89-yard touchdown drive and then the 12-play, 49-yard drive to set up Birr’s kick.

Florida State fans packed Aviva Stadium for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, the third straight Week 0 opener in Dublin.

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DUBLIN, IRELAND - AUGUST 24: The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets celebrate with the trophy after defeating the Florida State Seminoles inthe Aer Lingus College Football Classic game at Aviva Stadium on August 24, 2024 in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

TAKEAWAYS

Florida State: The Seminoles’ defensive line was viewed as one of the ACC’s best but did not record a sack and allowed Tech to run at will.

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets averaged 203 rushing yards per game (13th in the FBS) in 2023 and picked up right where they left off.

Georgia's Own Credit Union celebrates the Yellow Jackets big win in Ireland against Florida State with a "STING 'EM" message on its 60-yard-long, 450-foot-high sign in Downtown Atlanta. (Credit: Georgia's Own Credit Union)

UP NEXT

Florida State plays host to Boston College on Sept. 2.

Georgia Tech plays host to Georgia State on Aug. 31.