Georgia Tech remains unbeaten, downs Virginia Tech in Atlanta

Staff Reports, photos by Kameron Taylor

THE FLATS – Led by 20-of-24 passing from Haynes King and 129 rushing yards from Malachi Hosley, No. 13 Georgia Tech remained unbeaten and became bowl eligible with a 35-20 win over visiting Virginia Tech on Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field.

With the victory, Georgia Tech (6-0, 3-0 ACC) moved to 6-0 for the first time since 2011 and only the second time in the past 59 seasons (1967-), while clinching bowl eligibility on the second-earliest date in school history (only three days later than when the 2011 squad became bowl eligible on Oct. 8).

King accounted for 273 yards of offense (213 passing, 60 rushing) and three touchdowns (two on the ground, one through the air) while Hosley needed just 11 carries to amass his 129 yards (11.7), which included a 15-yard touchdown run of his own.

King’s 20-of-24 passing performance (.833) was the second-most efficient in Georgia Tech history (min. 20 attempts). In just two-and-a-half seasons as a Yellow Jacket, King now holds two of the top three single-game completion percentages in Tech history by a passer with a minimum of 20 attempts, and four of the top five in school history by a signal-caller that threw at least 30 times.

Hosley’s 129 rushing yards were his most as a Yellow Jacket. The 100-yard game was his second at Tech and the 12^th of his collegiate career, including the 10 he had in two seasons at Penn (2023-24).

Paced by King and Hosley, the Yellow Jackets roared out of the gate, scoring on each of their first three possessions to race to an 18-0 lead.

The game was effectively over early when the Jackets grabbed the 18-point lead, as the Hokies didn’t get closer than a touchdown the rest of the way. Even when VT (2-5, 1-2 ACC) pulled within a touchdown at 21-14 early in the third quarter, the single-digit deficit barely lasted three minutes, as Georgia Tech responded with a touchdown on its next possession. Two series later, the Yellow Jackets scored again to take their biggest lead of the day at 35-14.

While Georgia Tech’s offense racked up 481 total yards, its defense had perhaps the most notable stat of the day, as it held Virginia Tech to 0-for-8 on third down, marking only the second time in program history – and the first time since 1988 – that the Yellow Jackets didn’t allow a third-down conversion. The Jackets’ defense sacked Virginia Tech QB Kyron Drones four times, GT’s most sacks against an NCAA Division I FBS opponent since they had eight at Wake Forest in 2023.

Linebacker Kyle Efford led the way for the Jackets’ defensively with seven tackles, including a sack, and a pass breakup. Defensive linemen A.J. Hoffler and Jordan van den Berg also had solo sacks, while Brayden Manley and Matthew Alexander teamed up for the fourth. Rodney Shelley’s first-career interception accounted for the lone turnover of the game.

Georgia Tech takes its unbeaten record on the road next week for an ACC showdown at Duke. Kickoff is set for noon on ESPN.