DURHAM, N.C. — Georgia Tech safety Omar Daniels returned a fumble a program-record 95 yards for a touchdown, and the 12th-ranked Yellow Jackets pieced together enough offense late in the game to beat Duke 27-18 on Saturday and continue their best start to a football season in more than a half-century.
Haynes King threw for 205 yards and rushed for 120 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown with 2:10 left.
Georgia Tech has won its first seven games for the first time since 1966, and the Yellow Jackets are 4-0 in ACC play for the first time in 27 years.
“Nobody really panics,” King said. “Toward the end of the game, everybody almost kind of has that same goal, that same mentality that we’re going to will ourselves to win.”
Virginia (6-1, 3-0) is the only other ACC team still without a league loss.
Duke (4-3, 3-1), bidding to hold first place midway through its conference schedule, had its three-game winning streak ended. Darian Mensah was 32-of-44 passing for 373 yards with two touchdowns for the Blue Devils, who took their second loss in four home games.
Georgia Tech didn’t have a touchdown drive until a 72-yard march in the fourth quarter, building a 20-10 lead on Malachi Hosley’s 10-yard run with 4:57 remaining. King threw for 38 yards with three completions on the drive, and his touchdown run at the 2:10 mark extended the margin.
“I think by the fourth quarter, our guys had worn them down,” Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said.
After Duke moved 96 yards in the first quarter, Daniels returned a first-quarter fumble 95 yards for the game’s first points. It was the Yellow Jackets’ first touchdown on a fumble return in almost four years.
“I want to thank my teammates — they made the play,” Daniels said. “… I heard everybody cheering. I kept running. I knew I had to get in the end zone.”
Duke was marred by red-zone mistakes: a fumble, a botched attempt on a field goal and a fourth-down penalty. The Blue Devils covered 159 yards on their first two possessions combined and didn’t score, and they held a 238-110 advantage in total yards in the first half.
“When they responded, they were able to take game control,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said of the Yellow Jackets, who executed almost flawlessly on their final two full possessions and more than doubled their point total across the game’s last five minutes.
King slowed down on his touchdown run, looking toward the sideline to see if he should fall to the turf so the Yellow Jackets would keep possession or continue to the end zone.
“When I broke it, I just wanted that second opinion to see if I needed go down or not,” King said.
King, who has rushed for at least one touchdown in every game this season, said that situation hadn’t been rehearsed.
Key acknowledged the heady play, and said if there had been less than two minutes remaining it might have been a good option, but he was happy to pad what was a 20-10 lead.
“Nah, go score,” Key said.
Georgia Tech will host Syracuse (3-4, 1-3) at noon next Saturday.