Georgia Tech was becoming famous for its comebacks under quarterback Haynes King in 2023.
This time, though, on Friday night, there was no last-minute comeback needed.
King and his teammates did trail 14-0 earlier in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl before dealing Central Florida a 30-17 defeat in Raymond James Stadium in Tampa (King, Haynes help Georgia Tech overcome 14-point deficit to beat UCF 30-17 in Gasparilla Bowl).
King, who famously beat Miami on a Hail Mary earlier this year (Haynes King Game Winning 44 Yard Touchdown Pass to Christian Leary | Georgia Tech vs #17 Miami – YouTube), threw a touchdown and ran for one to get the Yellow Jackets in front, something he’s been doing all season.
The Longview, Texas native – who won a state title in high school, then transferred from Texas A&M to Tech before this year – wasn’t spectacular, but did enough to win the game again. He went 7-of-13 for 87 yards and the score, then ran for 89 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
“It was pretty much everybody,” King said. “We all came up in that huddle and we looked at each other. It was like we’ve been here before. We’re not going to press. Stick to the game plan. Trust each other. Everything else is going to take care of itself,.”
Running back Jamal Haynes, named the game’s most valuable player, had 128 yards on 18 carries and became the first Georgia Tech player to go over 1,000 yards in a season since 2017 – and Tech had its first winning season since 2018. Haynes was converted from wide receiver to running back before the season.
UCF running back John Rhys Plumlee finished the game, and his career, 16-of-29 for 198 yards and two scores. UCF completed its first season as a member of the Big 12 Conference with a 6-7 overall record.
