Miracle in Miami, GT comes back and downs the Canes 23-20

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla- Georgia Tech was dead in the water trailing 20-17 with 1:09 left and Miami had the ball and just needed to take a pair of knees and maybe turn the ball over on downs with a few seconds left. Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal had other plans and he ran Donald Chaney Jr. for the 24th time on the day and as he was being tackled by a gang of Yellow Jackets after a short gain, Paul Moala stripped the ball and Kyle Kennard pounced it giving the Jackets one shot with 26 seconds left to win the game with no timeouts.

Cristobal who now joins some dubious coaching lists with his blunder said he was just trying to get a first down instead of working the clock.

"I told my guys put two hands on the ball and we should've just taken two knees and made them drive 75 yards with two plays, but we didn't," Cristobal said. "There is no excuse."

Key had faith in his team to make the play and he said he did not want them to quit.

"I told the team there is only one thing that really matters and that is just playing for 60 minutes. That is the type of team we were capable of being and we've shown we can be at times but we haven't put it all together yet. We spent every second on the clock and played the way you are supposed to play," Key said.

On the game-winning drive, Tech quarterback Haynes King misfired on first down but hit Miami native receiver Malik Rutherford for a 30-yard gain on the next play. After spiking the ball with 10 seconds left at the UM44, King rolled out and found Orlando native receiver Christian Leary who slipped behind the Canes defense and scored on a 44-yard touchdown on his only catch of the day.

"My mindset was let's go. I looked everybody in their eyes and everybody seemed confident in me and believed in me and each other. Everbody had the same mindset and you've got to commit and invest in it. Everybody believed we were going to win that game. We had the last chance and we were going to move that ball down the field," King said.

Leary said the play he scored on was a four-vertical call and he broke off his route when he saw King scramble.

"Usually at the end of practice, we go through a scramble drill, not too much, but enough to know what you go to do," Leary said. "We had the four-verts and I looked back and I saw Haynes roll right and that is when I flipped my hips and went to the back pylon and the ball was already in the air. I knew I had to catch this one. It felt like a movie."

Leary said the mood in the huddle was very upbeat despite the long odds on the final drive.

"It felt like a movie. We all just looked at each other and were like let's do this," he said. "Nobody really had their head down and was like it was over. We wanted to play until the last tick and that is what we did."

Tech coach Brent Key opted to take a knee to avoid a penalty on the PAT giving Tech a 23-20 lead with one second left. The Jackets onside kick bounced out of bounds and Miami tried to lateral the ball a bunch of times but it didn’t work and K.J. Wallace forced a fumble to end the game at midfield to complete one of the most improbable comebacks in ACC history.

"I can't tell you how proud I am of these kids and this coaching staff. We talked about resilience and these guys just kept plugging away," Key said. "That really started at the beginning of this past week so it is kind of fitting almost at midnight right now."

Key moved to 3-0 against ranked ACC teams in his brief tenure as head coach while delivering Miami their first loss of the season.

It was Tech’s much-maligned defense that carried the game for much of the day. They had a lot of bends but didn’t break turning over Tyler Van Dyke three times and forcing five total turnovers on the day. It was the first game for new defensive coordinator Kevin Sherrer after Key decided to demote Andrew Thacker from defensive playcaller after the loss to Bowling Green.

"Kevin talked all week and we spent a lot of time on situational football all week and Kevin told the defense this game will come down to a fourth and one and a play like that," Key said. "Credit to the defensive staff and they rallied around Kevin. He taught it as one voice and it was going to go one way and we wanted to put the guys in a position to do well and have success."

The Jackets held Miami to just three points in the first half and the Jackets did not score on offense until 3:19 was left in the third quarter after trailing 10-0.

Safety LaMiles Brooks picked off Van Dyke in the end zone, safety Jaylon King had an interception that he returned 64 yards to set up a field goal by Birr in the fourth quarter and cornerback Ahmari Harvey also joined in with a key interception to end another Miami drive.

"The secondary really showed their preparation and showed their ability to anticipate things that were going to happen and be in the right position to make plays. Outside of the (three) interceptions I was proud of the way those guys tackled tonight. We are tackling pretty hard on the edge tonight," Key said.

King’s interception return was the longest since October 5, 2018 when Juanyeh Thomas had a 95-yard touchdown return on an interception at Louisville.

Linebacker Paul Moala had a key sack in the game following a Haynes King interception that kept Miami out of the end zone with just 6:23 left and then he had the strip at the end of the game. He had seven tackles and 1.5 TFLs to go with those two big plays.

On his key forced fumble, Moala said he knew they were going to run the ball and he had one job on the play.

"We knew they were going to run the ball and they were trying to look for the first down so they could knee it. All that was going through my mind was we had to get that ball out. We have a lot of faith in the offense throughout the week so all that was on our mind (as a defense) was we have to get the ball back to the offense and they are going to make it happen," Moala said.

Moala had been outspoken after the loss to Bowling Green about how the team was not up for the challenge that day and he said that Key challenged them and told them they were the fragile team and they had to change that narrative with their play.

"Coach Key challenged us throughout the week and told us we are now looked at as a fragile team and people are going to sleep on us and not expect much out of us. So going into the week we knew that we were going to have to set the tone and create the identity that we wanted. Coming off last week and into this week, the mindset was just let's change everybody's thoughts on campus on this field," he said.

Brooks had an interception and two PBUs while his fellow safeties Clayton Powell-Lee and Jaylon King led the team with 16 combined tackles including a TFL for King to go with his interception his third of the season.

Cornerback Myles Sims had eight tackles including several key tackles on screen passes that were the Achilles Heel of the Jackets’ defense in the Bowling Green game the week before.

Tech’s defense gave up 453 yards, but it took Miami 83 plays to get those yards and for the most part Tech limited explosives and was okay on third down stopping Miami 8 of 16 times and stonewalling them on a fourth down as well in the first half.

Offensively it was not King’s best day at quarterback. He threw for 151 yards a season-low on 12-25 passing with two interceptions and one touchdown in the air. He did ran 10 times for 46 net yards and a touchdown.

"It is not an individual game, it is a team game and it is three phases, offense, defense and special teams and everybody played a helluva game. It wasn't everybody's best, but oh my God the grit and the fight that we had at the end it is just amazing. That is the thing that you want to be a part of, just teams that keep fighting until the end and never give up. We are always going to have a chance if everybody believes in each other," King said.

Jamal Haynes ran seven times for 33 yards to lead the ground game including an impressive 4-yard touchdown where he carried two Hurricane defenders into the end zone.

Rutherford led the team with three catches for 33 yards most coming on one 30-yard catch on the final drive.

Receiver Eric Singleton had his five straight games with a touchdown streak ended, but he had two catches for 20 yards.

Punter David Shanahan did a great job of flipping the field other than one punt under pressure after a bad snap. He ended the day with a 45.2 punt average despite one short punt. Aidan Birr hit a 27-yard field goal and all his PATs including a long one after a penalty following an early touchdown in the third quarter.

Miami won the toss and deferred. Tech after a touchback went three and out with a broken screen play on first down, a run by Jamal Haynes for one yard and a pass play where Dominick Blaylock fell down and the ball was nearly intercepted. David Shanahan’s punt was fair caught at the Miami 25 after a 49-yard punt.

Miami picked up a first down on a quick pass and then a run, but an illegal block out of bounds by Akheem Mesidor backed the Canes up to their own 25. Miami moved the ball with two passes and a run to covert on third down across midfield. Paul Moala stuffed Miami on a 4th and 3 for a shot loss forcing a turnover on downs.

After the turnover on downs, King hit Rutherford for three yards and King lost three yards on second down on a QB keeper and Singleton caught a pass short of the sticks for seven yards. Shanahan’s punt was almost downed at the one, but it was a touchback.

On second down, Don Chaney Jr. picked up a first down with a long run to the UM38. Chaney ran for five yards and then Colbie Young caught a first down near midfield. Tech’s defense held at midfield and forced two incompletions by Van Dyke and a Miami punt. Blaylock fair caught the punt at the GT10.

Tech picked up 15 yards on a facemask penalty on Miami to the GT25 on first down. King ran for a yard on first down and hit Luke Benson for six yards on second down. A screen to Rutherford was smoked out by Miami for no gain and Shanahan punted the ball 38 yards to the UM30.

Chaney picked up five yards on first down on the ground and nine yards on second down for a first down to the UM44. Miami picked up just five yards on the next two plays to set up third and five at midfield. LaMiles Brooks broke up a pass to Riley Williams to force a punt. An Illegal block in the back put Tech at their own 4 on the punt that was fair caught at the GT9.

An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Corey Flagg Jr. moved the ball to the GT19. King ran for three yards on first down and Cooley picked two yards on second down. King picked up the third down on the run to the GT30. Key called a timeout before the next play. King misfired on first down and then hit Abdul Janneh for eight yards on second down. Jamal Haynes picked up the first down to the GT42. King ran for another first down on the next play on a 13 yard run to the UM45. Haynes ran for three yards on first down and Boyd caught a screen for one yard on the next play to the UM41. Weston Franklin had a false start out of the timeout. King threw an interception to Francisco Maigoa at the UM33 and he returned it to the UM35.

Chaney ran for eight yards on first down and two more on second down for a first down to the UM45. Chaney ran for three yards Ajay Allen ran for six yards on the next play to set up third and one at the GT46 and he converted with a short run to the GT43. Van Dyke hit Jacolby George for 25 yards on the next play to the GT18. Anez Cooper was called for a hold on second down to back the Canes up to 2nd and 17 at the GT25. Parrish ran for four on the next play to the GT21 to set up 3rd and 13. LaMiles Brooks intercepted the Van Dyke pass in the end zone and returned it to the GT25.

Trey Cooley ran for four yards on first down and one yard on second down. Ethan Mackenny was called for a false start to move them back to the GT25. Cooley ran for three yards and Miami called their first timeout of the half. Shanahan’s punt rolled dead at the UM23 for a 49-yard punt with 1:22 left in the half.

Van Dyke hit Restrepo for 15 yards on first down to the GT38. On third and short, Van Dyke hit Restrepo for 11 yards and then hit Tyler Harrell for 10 yards to the GT40. After a PBU by Myles Sims, Parrish ran for a first down to the GT25. Smith picked nine on second down after a Brooks PBU on first down. Parrish ran for four yards to the GT12 and Miami burned the second timeout of the half with nine seconds left. Clayton Powell-Lee broke up a pass in the end zone to force a 30-yard field goal to give Miami a 3-0 lead at the half.

Out of the half, Miami returned the kickoff 24 yards to the UM24. Horace Lockett had a TFL on first down. Right tackle Francis Mauigoa was injured on the play. Restrepo picked up 20 yards on the next play to the UM42. Tech held Miami to a yard on each of the next two plays a run and pass. Restrepo picked up just six yards on the next play and Miami punted and Blaylock fair caught it at the GT13.

On first down Dylan Leonard was called for a hold. Haynes ran for seven yards on first down. Haynes lost a yard on third down after King misfired to Blaylock on second down and David Shanahan punted the ball 28 yards after a bad snap, but a hold on Miami moved the ball to the 50.

Chaney ran the ball two times for four yards to the GT46. Paul Moala left the game with an injury on the tackle on Chaney on second down. Restrepo picked up the first down on an exactly six-yard route. Chaney ran two more times for first down and then two more runs to the GT22 to set up third and three. Riley Williams scored on the next play on a 22-yard touchdown on a broken play to make it 10-0 Miami with 6:37 left in the third quarter.

After a touchback, Tech lost three yards on a pass to Benson on first down. King scrambled for five yards on second down to the GT29. King hits Blaylock on third down for a 34-yard gain to the UM37. King threw away the first down pass, on second down, Miami was called for roughing the passer to set Tech up with first and ten at the UM22. King ran for 14 yards on the next play to set up first and goal at the UM8. King hit Benson for seven yards on first down to the UM1. The first attempt on third down hit the ref and was called a no-play. Mackenny picked up a false start on the next play and then King ran it in from six yards out to make it 10-6 Miami with 3:19 left in the third quarter. Birr hit the PAT, but a hold wiped that out and Tech had to try again. Birr hit the PAT to make it 10-7.

Following a Gavin Stewart touchback, Miami started at their own 25. On second down, Ahmari Harvey picked off Van Dyke and returned the ball to the UM26. It was the first career interception for Harvey.

Jamal Haynes ran for 16 yards on first down to the UM9 to set up first and goal. King couldn’t connect on second down on a rollout for Haynes. Haynes scored on the next play carrying two Miami defenders into the end zone.

A short return by Smith put the Canes at their own 22 to start the next drive. Parrish ran for three yards on first down and then Van Dyke finally connected on a deep shot to Restrepo for 47 yards to the GT28. A quick pass to George was broken up by Kenan Johnson to end the third quarter. Makius Scott stuffed Parrish on second down for a short gain and that made it third and seven and Jaylon King picked off Van Dyke and returned it 66 yards to the UM15.

Scaglione had a false start out of the medical timeout and Trey Cooley picked up 13 yards on the next play to set up second and two. Zach Pyron came in and ran for a loss of four. Cooley picked up two yards and GT kicked a 27-yard field goal to extend the lead to 17-10 with 12:11 left in the game.

After a touchback on the kickoff, Miami started at their own 25. Parrish ran for one yard on first down. George caught a 10-yard pass to the UM36. Chaney ran for one yard on first down and Colbie Young caught a 57-yard pass that was called a touchdown, but it was reversed on replay to make it first and goal at the GT3. Parrish punched it in on the next play to tie the game after the Andres Borregales PAT 17 all with 9:55 left. Tech blocked the PAT on the first attempt, but Biggers was called for running into the snapper and Miami was able to retry.

Tech started the next drive at their own 25 after a touchback on the kickoff. King threw away the first down pass under pressure. Singleton hauled in a tough catch on second down for 14 yards to the GT39. Cooley lost a yard on first down. King threw into double coverage and safety James Williams returned it to the GT13, 45 yards.

Parrish ran twice for two yards and Mario Cristobal called his first timeout with 7:08 left. Moala sacked Van Dyke for a nine-yard loss to force a 39-yard field attempt. Borreagales hit the 39-yard field goal to make it 20-17 with 6:23 left in the game.

After the touchback Tech started at their own 25 and with an empty set. King was sacked on first down. Bounced his second down pass and couldn’t connect with Rutherford on third down. Shanahan boomed a 58-yard punt to pin Miami at their own 22.

Chaney ran two times to the UM29 to set up third and four. Van Dyke escaped a sack attempt by Kyle Kennard and picked up the first down to the UM34. Andre White was called for a facemask on second down to push the ball to the GT43. Chaney ran for five yards on first down to the GT38 and Key burned his first timeout of the half. Chaney picked up the first down on the next play to the GT33 but the play was overturned on replay to make it third and one. Key burned his second timeout with 2:01 left. Chaney picked up four on the next play and cost Tech a timeout. Chaney lost two yards on the next play. Chaney ran for two yards to kill the clock. Paul Moala stripped Chaney on third down with 26 seconds left and Kyle Kennard recovered the ball at the GT26.

After misfiring on first down, King hit Rutherford for a 30-yard pass to the UM 45. After a spike to stop the clock with 10 seconds left, Christian Leary hauled in a 45-yard touchdown with one second left. GT took a knee to avoid the blocked PAT to make it 23-20 Georgia Tech with 1 second left.

The onside kick went out of bounds at the Miami 38 giving the Canes one play. After a lateral drill, K.J. Wallace forced a fumble to end the game.