ATLANTA — Georgia Tech pride is nothing new for Brent Key, the former offensive lineman and assistant coach for the Yellow Jackets who has been the head man at his alma mater since 2022.
Now, though, Key’s team has given him a new reason to be proud.
Aidan Birr made a 55-yard field goal as time expired, and the Yellow Jackets upset No. 12 Clemson 24-21 on Saturday afternoon at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
With no timeouts left and the clock running with less than 20 seconds to play, Georgia Tech’s kicking unit sprinted onto the field and lined up. And on fourth-and-3, Birr connected to send the ball through the uprights — tying for the longest field goal in program history — and the home crowd rushed the field to eventually take down the goalpost.
“We worked that situation a lot throughout camp and practice,” the redshirt junior said. “Seeing the offense and the defense play so well, I didn’t want to let them down.”
In taking down reigning Atlantic Coast Conference champion Clemson in the league opener for both teams, Georgia Tech improved to 7-1 against ranked ACC opponents in Key’s 37 games as head coach.
Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King — who led the team to a 27-20 road win against Big 12 member Colorado in the season opener — returned to action a week after a lower-body injury kept him out of a home victory against Gardner-Webb of the lower-tier Football Championship Subdivision.
King was 19-of-27 passing for 216 yards against Clemson (1-2), and he added 25 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown on a 1-yard quarterback sneak in the fourth quarter for the Yellow Jackets (3-0). King’s score and the 2-point conversion pass from Malik Rutherford to Dean Patterson put the hosts up 21-14.
“Georgia Tech is a special place,” Key said. “To see the student body, the way they’ve come out and supported us this year and get behind this team, that’s what it’s all about.”
Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, the preseason ACC player of the year, had an uneven performance in which he turned the ball over twice with a fumble and an interception.
Klubnik was 15-of-26 passing for 207 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown to Bryant Wesco early in the second half to give the Tigers a 14-13 advantage that was their only lead of the game. Klubnik added 62 yards and one touchdown on the ground.
For the second straight week, Clemson had to overcome a slow start and a halftime deficit. Unlike their 27-16 home win against Troy, the Tigers couldn’t put together the second-half onslaught that had prevented the Trojans from pulling off the upset.
On the game’s final drive, Georgia Tech took possession at its 25-yard line with 3:26 remaining and two timeouts. The Yellow Jackets drove downfield, led by King, before Birr’s decisive kick.
“Early in that drive, Haynes came to the sideline and said, ‘Put the ball in my hand, and we’ll win this thing,'” Key said. “And we did.”
Georgia Tech ended a nine-game losing streak in a series Clemson still leads 51-36-2. The Yellow Jackets beat the Tigers — who were ranked in the top 10 for all of their wins in the recent series run except one — for the first time since a 28-16 win in Atlanta on Nov. 15, 2014. The teams did not play last year as ACC expansion changed the frequency of how often some league members will meet.
Clemson’s offense continued its trend of slow first-half starts with its first two possessions ending on Klubnik’s fumble and a 52-yard field-goal attempt that was missed. The Tigers finally showed some life on their final drive of the first half, moving the ball downfield and scoring with 49 seconds left on Klubnik’s fourth-down sneak at the goal line.
Clemson seemed poised to mount another comeback, driving to open the second half, but the possession ended abruptly when Klubnik’s pass was intercepted at the Georgia Tech 7 by Omar Daniels.
“Georgia Tech is for real, but now it’s next-game mentality,” Daniels said. “We’re going to go out and celebrate this win, but it doesn’t stop here.”
When the new rankings are released Sunday afternoon, Georgia Tech could enter the AP Top 25 for the first time since Sept. 9, 2024, when the Yellow Jackets were ranked No. 23 after starting 2-0.
The Tigers were No. 4 in the preseason AP Top 25, but they have lost ground every week since opening with a 17-10 home loss to Southeastern Conference member LSU, which was ranked ninth at the time and is currently third. The only question now is whether their slide will take them all the way out of the poll.