Georgia Tech returned to the win column Saturday with a 24-14 triumph over Duke at Bobby Dodd Stadium in front of 37,287 fans.
Tech, after losing to Louisville on Sept. 21, and coming off a bye week, scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to hand the Blue Devils (5-1, 1-1 ACC) their first loss of the season. The Yellow Jackets moved to 4-2 overall and 2-2 in league play.
After falling behind 14-10 on a 65-yard touchdown pass from Maalik Murphy to Sahmir Hagans with 2:53 left in the third quarter, Tech’s defense then held Duke to a punt and a missed field goal before ending the game with an interception. Offensively, the Jackets scored two touchdowns in the final period, the result of drives that combined to total 21 plays and 155 yards.
Here are a few more takeaways from Tech’s victory Saturday, its third straight at home:
No more black jersey
It’s protocol during Tech practice for players who have minor injuries, but who are still willing and able to play, to wear a black jersey. The color signals to the player’s teammates to be cautious of any contact that might hinder the rehabilitation progress.
Tech running back Jamal Haynes has worn one of those black jerseys virtually the entire season (and much of the preseason) while dealing with a nagging injury. But earlier this week, it was time for that black jersey to go away.
“I took that black jersey off him before the last period in practice,” Tech coach Brent Key said, “and went and threw it the garbage can.”
Key, who added he celebrated Haynes’ day by giving the back a big postgame hug, likened the removal of Haynes’ black practice jersey to Clark Kent unveiling his Superman costume under his suit. Haynes went out Saturday and rushed for 128 yards on 19 carries, by far a season high for the junior.
The 128 yards rushing for Haynes matched his career high set in Tech’s bowl win over Central Florida in December. He averaged 6.9 yards per carry. And with 10:40 left in the fourth quarter, Haynes caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Haynes King to give the Jackets a 17-14 lead, a lead they never lost.
Haynes, a former wide receiver celebrating his birthday Saturday, couldn’t help but surmise the removal of the black jersey had some symbolic affect.
“I feel like it gives me my mojo back,” Haynes said. “Just being in the black jersey, I feel like I was getting a little soft, not getting touched at practice as much, not really finishing, on certain drills certain people not touching me. I feel like I just needed to get that mojo back — and it’s back baby.”
Before Saturday, Haynes had yet to break the 100-yard barrier in five games this season. The previous two outings he had only been able to total 44 yards on 19 carries.
Haynes now has 366 yards rushing on 77 attempts this season.
Getting it done on defense
Tech’s defense, especially its line, turned in another stellar performance and bounced back from a somewhat tough day at Louisville two weeks ago.
Duke was held to 279 yards of offense, only 74 of which came on the ground. That latter number was significant given the Blue Devils had rushed for more than 100 yards in three straight games, including posting a season-high 185 in a win over North Carolina the week prior.
Tech has now held its opposition to less than 100 yards in four games this season and in three straight. Teams have averaged 47.7 rushing yards per game against Tech’s defense in the last three games.
“Everyone on this defense took it really serious — last year (we were) one of the worst in the conference and the nation (stopping the run),” Tech defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg said. “When you really attack that every day and think about that and have that really play into you, it’s not a good feeling. Our job is to stop the run. So, everyone is just committed and just trusts the process and bought into it and we knew if we keep believing and keep trying and keep pushing eventually we’ll get better. Now you can see how, by everyone buying in, how good we’ve become.”
In 2023, Tech ranked 131st nationally in stopping the run — only two teams were worse. Halfway through this season, Tech has the nation’s 11th-best rush defense in allowing just 87.5 yards per game.
“I can’t say enough about (Tech defensive line coach) Jess Simpson and the job he does coaching technique on the defensive line. He understands the big picture on defense, and he understands the big picture on offense. He’s a great teacher,” Key said. “All those years as a head high school coach and a teacher, that shows. Those guys, they’ve become very football smart. They understand how to play different blocks, different schemes.
“I’ve been very proud of the progression of the run defense, and I hope it continues to get better and better because we have a big challenge coming up next week.”
Avoiding the losing streak
Tech, under Key, continued its run of good play following a loss.
Since Key took over the Jackets in October of 2022, Tech is now 10-1 following a loss and has won eight straight games in such opportunities. Tech has only had one losing streak under Key, a short two-game skid in at the end of October in 2022.
Conversely, however, the Jackets are just 3-10 after a win under Key, including 1-2 this season.
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