Georgia Tech hands No. 4 Miami its first loss of the season

ATLANTA – Georgia Tech coaches believed the best way to beat Cam Ward and No. 4 Miami was to keep the ball away from the quarterback.

Despite losing their two best running backs and their starting quarterback operating primarily as a runner, the Yellow Jackets’ game plan was successful.

Ward and Miami finally ran out of second-half comebacks as Haynes King led Georgia Tech to a 28-23 victory over the previously unbeaten Hurricanes on Saturday, marking the Yellow Jackets’ first victory over a top-five team in 15 years years meant.

After the game, fans stormed the field and toppled both goal posts.

Miami (9-1, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 4 College Football Playoff seed) was denied its first 10-0 start since 2017. Georgia Tech (6-4, 4-3) became bowl eligible and ended a two-game losing streak.

“We just didn’t play Miami football,” safety Mishael Powell said. “We didn’t do a good job of losing the ball today.”

King rushed for 93 yards, ran and passed for touchdowns as Georgia Tech held the ball for nearly 10 minutes longer than Miami. The Yellow Jackets held the Hurricanes to a season-low in points — less than half their peak average of 47.4 per game.

King threw just six passes in his return, all for just 32 yards, after missing two games with a right shoulder injury. The Yellow Jackets outrebounded the Hurricanes 271-88.

“The way they played the football, knowing they were banged up at quarterback, they did a better job than we did,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said.

“Extremely, extremely disappointing. I think, as you can imagine, the whole locker room is really sad, dejected, disappointed. You have to own that.”

The Yellow Jackets passed for 347 yards and three touchdown passes from Ward, a Heisman Trophy contender.

“Good football game if you believe in running the ball and stopping the run and time of possession,” Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said. “Things like this still work.”

The Yellow Jackets held the ball for 17 plays in a monster 75-yard touchdown drive capped by King’s 5-yard screen to Malik Rutherford in the second quarter. The drive gave Tech a 14-10 lead with 10 minutes, 45 seconds left.

Ward’s 38-yard scoring pass to Xavier Restrepo cut the lead to 28-23 in the fourth quarter. Miami’s final possession began on the 19th with 1:52 left. Ward fumbled when sacked by Romello Height, and Jordan Van Den Berg recovered for Georgia Tech.

“Our guys played,” Key said. “They didn’t bat an eyelid. They didn’t bat an eyelid.”

Georgia Tech’s Jamal Haynes broke through Miami’s defensive front with a 65-yard run on the game’s second play and added a 16-yard scoring run two plays later as the Yellow Jackets took a 7-0 lead.

Ward responded with a record-setting 74-yard scoring pass to Elijah Arroyo. It was Ward’s school-record 30th touchdown pass of the season. Ward was tied with Steve Walsh, who threw 29 goal passes in 1988.

Running back injuries

Haynes left the game after a big hit by safety Jaden Harris in the first quarter and did not return. Chad Alexander, Haynes’ substitute, suffered an apparent left leg injury late in the first half.

Another backup running back, Trey Cooley, lost his helmet late in the third quarter from a hit by Miami defensive tackle Ahmad Moten Sr.. Moten was flagged for targeting and ejected from the game.

The comeback magic ends

Miami’s unbeaten streak in its first nine games included three second-half comebacks. Miami beat Duke 53-31 last week after the Blue Devils led 28-17 in the third quarter. Against Georgia Tech, the Hurricanes had just a 10-7 lead and trailed after the Yellow Jackets took a 14-10 lead in the second quarter.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.