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Georgia Tech Keeps Undefeated Season Alive With Dramatic OT Interception at Goal Line

The Yellow Jackets are 5–0, but needed a bad missed call, overtime and a clutch defensive play to get there.

Dan Lyons

Georgia Tech's Clayton Powell-Lee sealed a win for the Yellow Jackets with an interception on Wake Forest's attempt at a game-winning two-point conversion.
Georgia Tech's Clayton Powell-Lee sealed a win for the Yellow Jackets with an interception on Wake Forest's attempt at a game-winning two-point conversion. / Via ESPN
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Georgia Tech's Week 3 win over Clemson opened the door for Georgia Tech to ride some serious momentum—and a light ACC schedule—to a conference championship trip. Saturday's trip to a rebuilding Wake Forest program wasn't a real trap game for the Yellow Jackets, on paper at least.

That's why they play the games.

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The Demon Deacons led by as much as 17 late in the third quarter, with Demond Claiborne and quarterback Robby Ashford leading an impressive rushing attack that rolled for 210 yards and three touchdowns on 40 carries. Georgia Tech chipped away, and, with the help of a big missed offsides call that could have allowed Wake to run the clock out if flagged, tied the game at 23 on a last-second field goal.

Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King punched in a score to begin overtime, pushing the score to 30–23. The Deacs responded quickly with a 25-yard score for Claiborne, who was banged up on the play. Rather than get into a potential shootout with King—someone with a lot of good overtime experience—coach Jake Dickert opted to go for two and the win.

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Ashford was flushed to his right, and while avoiding three Georgia Tech defenders barreling down on him, tried to fit a ball in to Sterling Berkhalter at the goal line. Unfortunately for Wake, Clayton Powell-Lee read the play and was waiting a step in front of Berkhalter and the goal line for an easy interception to seal the win.

Brent Key's Ramblin' Wreck move to 5–0 (2–0) with the win, but it comes with a stark lesson. No college football Saturdays, especially those on the road in conference, are an automatic win. Georgia Tech was a 13.5-point road favorite entering Saturday, and needed some luck with a bad missed call to escape from Winston-Salem unscathed.

The Yellow Jackets will look to put together a more impressive outing after a buy, when they host Virginia Tech on October 11. The Demon Deacons (2–2, 0–2) hope to take something positive away from this huge near-upset, and will also face the Hokies next, on the road next Saturday.

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Dan Lyons
DAN LYONS

Dan Lyons is a staff writer and editor on Sports Illustrated's Breaking and Trending News team. He joined SI for his second stint in November 2024 after a stint as a senior college football writer at Athlon Sports, and a previous run with SI spanning multiple years as a writer and editor. Outside of sports, you can find Dan at an indie concert venue or movie theater.

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