Georgia Tech Upsets No. 12-Ranked Clemson to Continue Unbeaten Start

Georgia Tech Stuns No. 12 Clemson with Walk Off Field Goal

1-2 Start….

The No. 12-ranked Clemson Tigers faced off against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, coming off a close 27-16 win over the Troy Trojans.

Georgia Tech started strong, getting out to a quick 10-0 lead, but by halftime Clemson had closed the gap to 13-7. Out of the break, the Tigers took a 14-13 lead, and after touchdowns from both sides, the game was tied at 21 apiece late in the fourth quarter.

A walk off field goal from Aidan Birr gave the Yellow Jackets the 24-21 upset victory. Clemson falls to 1-2 on the year and 0-1 within the ACC, while Georgia Tech improves to 3-0 overall and 1-0 within conference play.

Clemson Gets Big Early Stop

On a drive where Georgia Tech was getting everything they wanted, strong gains on first down, easy completions, and big third down conversions, they were unable to get six points out of it.

Haynes King and the Yellow Jackets offense were driving on the Clemson defense, getting down to the 12-yard line in just four minutes. After two plays got them to the four, Clemson needed to find a way to get the Yellow Jackets off the field.

Pressure on third down led to King throwing the ball away and forcing a fourth down decision for Brent Key. Key, known for his aggressiveness, decided to go for it.

Ricardo Jones, after missing a big tackle on third down earlier in the drive, hit Jamal Haynes for a loss of four yards and forced a turnover on downs.

Klubnik Fumble Gives Georgia Tech Early Lead

Off the turnover on downs, Cade Klubnik came out fearless, taking two big hits on two rushing attempts. The second hit forced Klubnik to cough up the football at his own 30-yard line.

Tom Allen’s defense stood strong, forcing a quick three and out on the Yellow Jackets, but the great starting field position set up kicker Aidan Birr for a 40-yard attempt. Birr’s kick went straight through the uprights, giving Georgia Tech an early 3-0 lead in the first quarter.

Haynes Extends Georgia Tech’s Lead

After Nolan Hauser’s missed 52-yard field goal, Georgia Tech was once again set up with great field position. Clemson forced an early third and long against the Yellow Jackets, hoping to get their struggling offense back on the field.

A 42-yard dart from Haynes King into the arms of Eric Rivers got the Yellow Jackets down to the Clemson five-yard line in a flash to end the first quarter. The first play out of the break was a five-yard rushing touchdown from Jamal Haynes, giving Georgia Tech a 10-0 lead with 14:55 remaining in the first half.

After another stalled Clemson drive where the Tigers gained just seven yards, Georgia Tech got the ball back with a chance to add to their lead.

The Yellow Jackets did just that, marching down the field and giving Aidan Birr a 42-yard attempt. Birr nailed his second 40 plus yarder of the day to give Georgia Tech a 13-0 lead midway through the second quarter.

Clemson Finally Gets on the Board

Just before the end of the half, Clemson’s six-minute and 57-second drive finally got them on the scoreboard.

The Tigers were backed up early with a third and 22 handoff to Adam Randall looking like a concession to punt, but the converted wide receiver had other ideas. He took off for a 30-yard gain into enemy territory.

That play sparked the drive and got Clemson down to the one-yard line for a second and goal opportunity. It took the Tigers three plays, but Cade Klubnik’s fourth down leap over the top of the pile got him into the end zone and made it a 13-7 game heading into halftime.

Klubnik Picked Off in the Red Zone

Clemson started the second half exactly how they wanted, marching their way down the field and into the red zone.

Shortly after a huge 31-yard dime to Josh Sapp found the Tigers on the 11-yard line of Georgia Tech territory, Cade Klubnik was picked off by Omar Daniels and returned it to the Clemson 48-yard line.

Although Klubnik will get blamed for making that throw, Daniels made a heck of a play to jump up off the line of scrimmage and take it back to Clemson territory.

Luckily for the Tigers, Tom Allen’s defense came up big again, forcing a loss of 15 yards and a quick three and out for the Yellow Jackets.

Clemson Takes the Lead

The Tigers picked up right where they left off from the first drive of the second half. They were able to take their first lead of the day.

It only took two plays for Clemson to score their second touchdown of the day after a three-yard Adam Randall run set up a second and seven. Klubnik found his man Bryant Wesco Jr. at Clemson’s own 37-yard line, and Wesco took off.

He needed just one block from TJ Moore to take it to the house and give Clemson much needed life early in the third quarter with a 14-13 lead.

Georgia Tech Back in Front

An impressive 13-play, 90-yard drive from the Yellow Jackets gave them the lead once again early in the fourth quarter.

Georgia Tech methodically wore out Clemson’s defense as the drive went on. Haynes King then found Jamal Haynes for a gain of 27 yards all the way down to the Clemson 22-yard line.

Eventually they reached a third and goal at the one-yard line. King bullied his way past Ricardo Jones and into the end zone for a touchdown.

Brent Key continued to be aggressive, going for the two-point conversion. A perfect play call had Malik Rutherford find Dean Patterson in the back of the end zone on a reverse pass to give the Yellow Jackets a 21-14 lead.

Randall Ties It Up

Clemson needed a scoring drive after Georgia Tech took the lead with roughly 10 minutes to go. The Tigers delivered.

A methodical 13-play drive was just what the doctor ordered, with Cade Klubnik leading the way on five quarterback keepers to get the Tigers down to the goal line.

Ian Schieffelin made his first appearance of the season on third and goal from the two-yard line. Klubnik gave Schieffelin a jump ball in the end zone, but the former basketball star could not haul it in.

A pass interference penalty kept the drive alive, and one play later Adam Randall’s rush up the middle tied the game at 21 apiece.

Walk Off Field Goal for Georgia Tech

It was an outstanding finish to a terrific game, as the Yellow Jackets knocked off the Tigers at the buzzer.

Georgia Tech was given the ball back with three minutes and 26 seconds on the clock, needing just a field goal to win.

After a nine-play drive brought them down to the 37-yard line of Clemson territory with no timeouts, Georgia Tech had to execute a fire drill kick. The offense rushed off the field while the kicking team scrambled into position.

Birr’s 55-yard attempt was perfect, with enough distance to make it from at least 65 yards out, giving Georgia Tech a walk off 24-21 victory over the No.12-ranked Clemson Tigers.

Takeaways

Poor First Quarters. Once again the Tigers got off to a bad start in their third game of the season.

So far this year in the first quarter, Clemson has had eight offensive possessions, only 148 total yards of offense, three points, two fumbles, a missed field goal, and five punts.

For a team that was supposed to compete for a national championship before the season started, this is not good enough. Garrett Riley and Cade Klubnik have to be better to start football games.

Shades of 2021 and 2023. Another poor start to the season for Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers has fans feeling like it is 2021 or 2023 all over again.

After starting 4-3 in 2021 with losses to Georgia, NC State, and Pittsburgh, and starting 4-4 in 2023 with losses to Duke, Florida State, Miami, and NC State, it is hard not to see the resemblances between these three teams.

Just Not Good Enough. It may hurt to hear, but the Clemson Tigers are just not good enough anymore.

From 2015 through 2020, Clemson only had three conference losses. From 2021 to the present, Clemson has eight conference losses.

Whether that blame falls on roster construction, the coaching staff, or the players themselves is up to you to decide. But it goes without saying that Clemson has lost its edge. It seems that best is no longer the standard for Dabo Swinney and the Tigers.