The biggest storyline in Week 3 of the college football season may be Georgia Tech’s upset of No. 11 Clemson on a 55-yard, walk-off field goal from Aidan Birr.
It not only was the Tigers’ second loss through three weeks of the season, but also was a win that Yellow Jackets fans didn’t hesitate to celebrate.
That began with Georgia Tech fans storming the field after time expired on the clock at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, before the goalposts were brought down. Fans then carried it out of the stadium to the nearby pool at the university president’s mansion on campus.
‘This ain’t our first time doing this now,’ Georgia Tech coach Brent Key told ESPN’s Kris Budden after the game on the Yellow Jacket’s signature win against Clemson.
For its postgame celebrations immediately on the field, Georgia Tech violated the ACC’s newly updated event security policy. The Yellow Jackets will now have to pay $50,000 fine to the ACC’s Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholarship account as a first-time violator of the conference’s policy.
It’s a fine that Georgia Tech will perhaps be willing to pay, given that the win vs. Clemson snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Tigers. Here’s another look at the goalpost being carried from the field and out of the stadium by a swarm of Yellow Jacket fans:
As noted by ESPN’s Kevin Negandhi on the Georgia-Tennessee halftime show on ABC, Georgia Tech’s win against Clemson was its 11th win as an underdog — the most wins as an underdog by a single Division I FBS in that span. The Yellow Jackets entered the day as a three-point underdog, according to odds on BetMGM.
That wasn’t the only notable statistic to come out of Saturday’s 24-21 win for Georgia Tech. Birr’s field-goal is the longest walk-off field goal in Yellow Jackets history, and the sixth ever walk-off field goal ever by a Georgia Tech kicker.
Birr’s field goal, which came in a ‘fire drill’ situation as the Yellow Jackets had no remaining timeouts by the 20-second mark of the fourth quarter, additionally moved Georgia Tech to 7-1 against nationally ranked ACC opponents under Key.
Up next for Georgia Tech is Temple on Saturday, Sept. 20 at home for a 4:30 p.m. ET kickoff.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
