The Yellow Jackets were 10.5-point underdogs coming into the game, but didn't play like it for a second and led the majority of the game.
Haynes King had moved Georgia Tech into field goal range on the game-winning drive before a calamitous botched shotgun snap pushed the Yellow Jackets back to the FSU 38-yard line. But on third-and-long, he found Eric Singleton for an 11-yard gain to put them back into field goal range for Birr's winning kick.
King finished 11-for-16 for 146 passing yards to go along with 54 rushing yards. RB Jamal Haynes rushed 11 times for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
Playing in his FSU debut, D.J. Uiagalelei was 19-for-27 with 193 passing yards and made two clutch fourth-down completions on the drive that tied the game midway through the fourth quarter. But he wouldn't see the field again as King and Co. bled the final 6:33 off the clock on their game-winning drive.
Saturday’s slate includes four games involving six FBS teams. Here’s a look at what’s on tap for the rest of the day.
SMU gets the stop on 4th down and kneels it out and that completes the 11-point comeback! As a 27.5-point favorite, Mustangs avoid a massive upset to open the season.
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SMU takes the lead!
Touchdown Mustangs! Preston Stone drops a 35-yard dime to RJ Maryland for the go-ahead score. After a failed 2-point try, SMU now leads 29-24 with 1:18 to play.
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) August 25, 2024
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SMU is driving and has the ball into Nevada territory, still trailing 24-23, as we hit the 2-minute timeout in Reno. Another fun finish on the way!
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Nevada 24, SMU 23
It's a safety for the SMU defense! Anthony Booker Jr. stops Nevada's Savion Red in his own end zone after the Wolf Pack botched the kick return and started on their own 1. Disaster for Nevada. Life for SMU with 7:19 to play.
Here was the strange kick return that set up the safety:
There's never a good time to drop a kickoff. But this was a REALLY bad time to do it. pic.twitter.com/chZb6VKyna
SMU caps an impressive and fast-paced 98-yard drive with a 4-yard TD run by Brashard Smith. The successful 2-point try cuts the Wolf Pack lead to a field goal. 8:01 to play.
Savion Red takes a direct snap for a 1-yard TD run and the Wolf Pack extend their lead! The drive was kept alive by a big unsportsmanlike penalty on SMU when Nevada was punting. Mustangs have a big problem here.
3Q - 3:23 | TOUCHDOWN WOLF PACK 🙌
Red gets the student section rocking with a 1-yard rush TD!
We're very much on upset watch in Reno. Wolf Pack (27.5-point underdog) score the go-ahead TD on Brendon Lewis' 10-yard pass to Cortez Braham Jr. just before halftime. SMU has work to do coming out of the break.
2Q - 0:09 | ANOTHER ONE😤
Lewis pass is complete to Cortez Braham Jr. for a Nevada TD 🙌
Hard to imagine there could be bad blood between two teams that haven't faced off since 2009, but we've got some early fireworks after the whistle in Reno.
The Bobcats rally from 17 down in the 4th quarter to stun New Mexico in Albuquerque. We have our first FCS over FBS victory of the season!
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Montana State takes the lead!
MSU marches down and Scottre Humphrey punches it in from 4 yards out to take a 35-31 edge over New Mexico with 10 seconds left! What a rally by the Bobcats.
MONTANA STATE TAKES THE LEAD WITH TEN SECONDS LEFT 😱😱
Aidan Birr makes the game-winner to start the season off with a bang!
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Eric Singleton makes a move in the flat and gets GT back into field goal range with 21 seconds left. It'll be a 44-yarder to win it.
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Oh my goodness! Haynes King fumbles the shotgun snap and the Yellow Jackets went backwards to the FSU 39.
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GT facing 2nd-and-7 at FSU 28 as the Seminoles call a timeout.
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Now 1:11 left to play. Georgia Tech is on the edge of field goal range.
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Just 2 minutes left in this one and Tech has the ball at the FSU 39-yard line.
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The Yellow Jackets are on the move and past midfield with just four minutes left in the game. Haynes King has made some clutch plays throughout this one, including a third-down conversion to keep GT's drive alive.
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Touchdown Noles!
The Seminoles are in the end zone on a one-yard plunge from Roydell Williams. That was a 15-play, 84-yard drive that included two clutch fourth-down throws from DJ Uiagalelei. We have a ballgame in Ireland folks.
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The Seminoles are cobbling together a decent drive of their own here. They just went for it on fourth down and got it, moving the ball inside GT's red zone.
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Touchdown Georgia Tech!
It's Jamal Haynes again, jumping over bodies at the goal line to give Tech the lead to start the fourth quarter.
Haynes gets into the end zone for the second time of the afternoon and Georgia Tech leads #10 FSU 21-14 early in the fourth quarter. 👀 #CFB pic.twitter.com/5bGzct0oW7
GT's Haynes King rips off a 21-yard run on a draw and gets the ball all the way down to the FSU 1-yard line to end the quarter.
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The Yellow Jackets are moving the ball at will with chunk plays through the air. They're inside FSU's red zone now.
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FSU's last punt may have delivered the highlight of the game though. GT's Rodney Shelley decided to catch it without waving for a fair catch and got blasted by FSU's Edwin Joseph.
They're trading punts now. Both offenses have slowed to a crawl as the third quarter hits the midway point.
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The Seminoles moved the ball into GT territory but were forced to punt. Tech will have the ball back at its own 20.
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The drive stalls out at the FSU 34 though, and GT's Aidan Barr misses the 51-yard FG attempt. We're still tied up at 14.
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We are back for the second half and Georgia Tech's Jamal Haynes just broke one outside for 36 yards to start things off.
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D.J. Uiagalelei has been efficient so far in his FSU debut (12-14, 96 yards), but he hasn't thrown the ball downfield much. The Seminoles may need to open up the playbook in the second half because the Yellow Jackets have been feisty.
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Halftime: Georgia Tech 14, Florida State 14
FSU's Ryan Fitzgerald drills a 59-yard field goal to tie the game up! What a kick.
FSU kicker Ryan Fitzgerald good from 52 and 59 already today.
Georgia Tech just bailed out FSU with a facemask penalty on third down and now the Seminoles are in GT territory.
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Georgia Tech can't do anything with the possession and punts it back to FSU.
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FSU goes for it on fourth down in GT territory and DOES NOT GET IT! What a stop by the Yellow Jackets. They'll have the ball at their own 34-yard line.
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Touchdown Georgia Tech!
Zach Pyron hammers into the end zone to cap off a 6-play, 79-yard drive. Game on!
Georgia Tech has marched right down the field in response. Haynes King passed to Malik Rutherford for a 42-yard chunk play, but the Yellow Jackets are moving the ball with ease.
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Florida State 8, Georgia Tech 0
The Seminoles tried a swinging gate play on the two-point conversion and they get it! That's one way to start the season.
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