Shorthanded Jackets come from behind to down Duke 31-27

DURHAM, NC- Georgia Tech started fast and closed fast at Duke with a come from behind 31-27 win that featured a game-winning touchdown toss with no timeouts and under a minute to play and a game-saving interception to seal the deal. The Jackets moved to 3-3 ahead of a vital bye week and 2-2 in ACC play while Duke fell to 3-3 and 0-2 in ACC play. It was the first time Tech won in Durham since 2013.

First time since 2013, we've won up here, not an easy place to play. That's a really good football team,” Tech head coach Geoff Collins said. “You watch the tape of their offense, and they're really good, but to see them in person and see the talent that they have, the tempo that they play with. That's a good football team. I thought our guys battled, they fought, and we were decimated at certain positions and it didn't matter. We just kept rolling guys through to find a way to get the win. I’m just really proud of the way they stuck together through the good times, there were some really good moments, and then when some things got hairy, they didn't fall apart, they stayed together, they kept battling, played really good situational football.”

Quarterback Jeff Sims hit Jahmyr Gibbs on the third play from scrimmage for the Jackets for a 77-yard touchdown and followed that with another touchdown drive to make it 14-0, but Duke battled back hanging around in the game. Sims had a couple of key interceptions in the first half, but he ended the day with 297 yards passing three touchdown tosses, two interceptions and 55 yards rushing and another touchdown.

“Jeff is a big-time player and obviously we want to eliminate those early turnovers moving forward but he is a big-time player,” Collins said of Sims. “His composure, the guys have faith in him and he did a really nice job of settling back in and they were playing a lot of press coverage and bringing blitzes from all-angles and hats off to them.”

Duke could not convert in the red zone or the plus-territory and that was big late as Atlanta native Charlie Ham missed a 42-yard and 31-yard field goal and Tech held Duke to four field goals on drives deep into the Jackets’ side of the field.

Ham hit a late field goal to give the Blue Devils a 27-24 lead with 5:52 left. Tech got the ball back with 1:53 left on the clock and Sims drove them 88 yards on six plays culminating in a 36-yard touchdown pass to Adonicas Sanders to give Tech the lead for good. Duke was flagged for holding on the play as well on Sanders at the start of the play.

“When I got the play call from the play callers on the sideline and I saw what defense Duke was in, I knew for a fact that ball was coming to me because that is the look we saw in practice all week and I just made a play on the ball when it came my way,” Sanders said. “I knew on my release I beat him off the ball and he started holding and Jeff saw me and I knew I had to do whatever it takes to come down with the football and that is what I did. I wasn’t worried about the holding call, I just knew I had to make a play.”

Sanders had two catches for 73 yards including the game-winner.

Sims said he refocused on the sideline prior to the final series of the game to get his mind in the right place to lead the game-winning drive.

“I really just had to clear my head and I told myself to forget about everything that happened earlier just clutch it up for the team. Go out and trust the guys, the O-line and receivers will get up. Coach (Dave Patenaude) called the plays and I knew Dono beat him and he went and got it,” Sims said. “We worked on that plenty of times, just was going out there and executing it.”

Duke had the ball with two timeouts and 51 seconds left, but Juanyeh Thomas picked off Gunnar Holmberg for the only turnover of the game for Duke.

“Honestly the play before that his eyes were really looking downfield I was thinking he was going to come back that way and on the snap, I saw the eyes go and I thought I’m going to lean this way and it was great coverage by Jaylon King who helped me get the pick and a great pass rush by our D-linemen, one of our D-linemen almost got a sack. As soon as he threw it, he overthrew it to the tight end and I got it and slid,” Juanyeh said.

The Jackets had 440 yards of offense and was three-for-three in the red zone but struggled on third down converting just four of 13 attempts. Part of the offensive issues stemmed from injuries on the offensive line as the Jackets lost starting right tackle Jordan Williams mid-game and had to slide right guard Ryan Johnson to right tackle and play William Lay at right guard because Nick Pendley the backup right guard and right tackle did not travel and the other backup veteran tackle, Kenneth Kirby did not travel either both due to injuries.

Tech’s defense wasn’t spared by injuries either with Charlie Thomas and Juanyeh Thomas both leaving the game at times with injuries and several defensive linemen trying to gut it out through ailments. Several younger players played major snaps in the game with injuries to key players as well including Miles Brooks, Jalen Huff, Kaleb Edwards and Trenilyas Tatum due to injuries.

“The way we run this program everyone thinks of themselves as a key contributor in the game and thinks of themselves as starters and when they have to play 80-percent of the game, they can do it. We saw that today with Miles Brooks, We saw that today with Jalen Huff who got a ton of burn and Tre Swilling played nickel for a dominant part of the game and Wesley Walker played strong safety for a dominant part of the game when he hasn’t done that before. Position flexibility and staying ready so you don’t have to get ready, all of those things our guys buy in to and believe in it and you see it in a game like this when we are down a whole bunch of O-linemen or DBs or receivers, our guys step up and win the game for us,” Collins said. “It is awesome.”

Stat standouts including Gibbs who had three catches for 82 yards including the touchdown plus 40 yards rushing and 59 yards on kick returns. Kyric McGowan had three catches for 39 yards including an 18-yard touchdown and Malachi Carter hauled in two balls for 78 yards.

On the defensive side, Ayinde Eley had 13 tackles and 0.5 TFLs in the game, Juanyeh Thomas had 11 tackles and Quez Jackson had 12 tackles and two TFLs.

Georgia Tech’s defense opened the game with a three-and-out. Jeff Sims hit Jahmyr Gibbs for a 77-yard touchdown on the third play of the next series to give the Jackets a 7-0 lead.

Duke picked up a first down on the next drive, but a holding call on first down put them behind the sticks and Djimon Brooks had a TFL on third down. Duke failed to convert on third and long and had to punt.

Tech moved the ball on a few chunk runs before Sims hit Malachi Carter for a 40-yard game to set up first and goal. Sims dropped the snap on second and goal at the one, but recovered for a touchdown to put the Jackets up 14-0.

Duke continued to try and pound the ball driving to the GT37 when Gunnar Holmberg hit Jake Bobo for a 37-yard touchdown. That cut the lead 14-7. Sims threw a pick on third down on the next possession to give the Blue Devils the ball at the Tech 29. Duke went for it on fourth and one from the GT20 short by one link of the chain.

Tech went three and out on the next possession. Duke was held to a three-and-out thanks to TFLs by Quez Jackson and a combined TFL by Jordan Domineck and Ayinde Eley. Azende Rey took the ensuing punt back 35-yards to give the Jackets the ball on the plus side of the field at the Duke 49.

Duke was called for a facemask on Gibbs on the first play of the ensuing possession to give the Jackets the ball at the Duke 28. Duke had an offsides penalty and then Sims ran for a first down. The Jackets couldn’t convert on third down and Brent Cimaglia came on to kick a 25-yd field goal to extend the lead to 17-7 over Duke.

Duke marched down the field with ease on the next drive scoring in 12 plays covering 68 yards in just under four minutes of game time. Duke cut the Tech lead to 17-14 after kicking three different PATs after a false start moved back the first attempt, Tech was offsides on the second that Duke missed and hitting the third.

Tech picked up a first down but was forced to punt on the next drive. David Shanahan misfired on the punt, but the Jacket defense held Duke to a three and out. The Jackets managed to get out of their own end zone with some deft passing from Jeff Sims who converted to Kyric McGowan and Kalani Norris for gains. The Jackets got down to the Duke 36, but Dontae Smith got tackled in the backfield for a seven-yard loss on second down to put them behind the sticks. Sims threw a pick on third down and Duke’s Leonard Johnson returned it to the Tech 34.

Tech’s defense held Duke to fourth and one at the Tech 25 and Duke missed a 43-yard FG attempt.

The Jackets picked up a quick first down but were forced to punt near midfield. Duke got to the Tech 17, but couldn’t convert on third and medium, but hit a short field goal to tie the game at 17.

Sims hit Malachi Carter for a 39-yard gain and then Kyric McGowan 18-yard touchdown in the end zone to put Tech up 24-17.

Duke drove to midfield before stalling out, but a facemask on Jordan Domineck extended the drive giving Duke a fresh set of down at the Tech 29. Duke missed a 30-yard field goal after the Tech defense got a key stop on third down.

The Jackets could not move the sticks, but had to punt, Duke muffed the punt and recovered it at their own one, but the refs ruled it a touchback. Duke hit a big pass to Jalon Calhoun for 36-yards to get across midfield. The Blue Devils scored on the drive on a fourth-down pass to Nicky Dalmolin to make it 24 all.

Tech went three and out on the next drive and Shanahan hit a booming punt to give the Blue Devils the ball at their own 16. Duke drove down to the GT 35. Durant converted on fourth down. Tre Swilling got flagged for pass interference on the next play to move Duke down to the GT16. Duke converted another fourth down on the drive and a pass to Calhoun on third down gave them first and goal. Ace Eley forced an errant throw on third down. Charlie Ham hit a short field goal to give Duke a 27-24 lead with 5:06 left.

On the next possession, Sims overshot Billy Ward on second down for a big gain. Sims got sacked on third down and GT had to punt. Duke picked up a first down on the next drive but a holding call erased a second first down and GT was able to force a punt.

Jahmyr Gibbs fumbled on a screen pass and the ball managed to bounce out of bounds keeping the drive alive. Sims hit Adonicas Sanders for a big gain of 37-yards to put Tech at the Duke 40. Adonicas Sanders hauled in a 36-yard touchdown pass. Tech regained the lead 31-27 with 51 seconds left.

Holmberg hit tight end Jake Marwede twice for short gains and converted a key third-down throw to Jalon Calhoun, but the Jackets defense flexed at the right moment as Juanyeh Thomas picked off a ball at the 20-yard line to seal the victory for Tech.