Dublin Delivers: Florida State v Georgia Tech
The streets of Dublin were calm and quiet as I strolled through them in the early morning sun. My walk was soon speckled with the odd flash of garnet and a few sparkles of gold. Before long the streets were teeming with fans proudly bearing the colours of their beloved Florida State Seminoles or Georgia Tech Yellowjackets. Whilst there was a fair share of Irish and UK fans, the majority were die-hard FSU and GT fans from Tallahassee, Atlanta or the surrounding areas. This gave the atmosphere a more authentic vibe. Whereas the NFL games in feel more like a general celebration of football, with fans sporting jerseys of all thirty-two teams, this felt like a genuine clash between two passionate fanbases.
The College Gameday set loomed large on College Green, the production here for its first ever international broadcast. Hours before the start of the show the space behind the stage was filled with thousands of fans brandishing signs, mostly FSU fans expressing their frustration at being left out of last season’s College Football Playoff and their feelings towards Gameday host Kirk Herbstreit. A chorus of boos would echo around the streets whenever his face appeared on the screen.
Whilst there was clear rivalry between the two sets of fans, and they made their feelings known to one another, it never degenerated into animosity. Fans of both sides were happy to chat to us and give us their predictions on how much their team would win by (credit to Clay who accurately predicted his Yellowjackets would win 24-21 with a fourth quarter field goal). We were also lucky enough to speak to Georgia Tech president Angel Cabrera who praised how welcoming the Irish people had been, the opportunity to develop the sport internationally and the experience for the student-athletes and alumni stating ‘this will be an experience they will remember forever.’
After an afternoon of we were able to follow the Georgia Tech cheerleading squad and marching band a mile down the road to Aviva Stadium. The atmosphere of the day in Temple Bar didn’t disappoint and neither did the game itself, giving fans arguably the best matchup of the Aer Lingus College Classic series so far. Whilst most predicted a Seminoles blowout victory, it was clear from the outset that the Yellowjackets were up for the fight.
Expectations were high for Florida State QB DJ Uiagalelei, an offseason transfer after a strong season with Oregon State. Those expectations appeared justified when FSU marched down the field on the opening drive, capped off by a 28-yard touchdown run from Lawrance Toafili. The Noles were soon up 8-0 after head coach Mike Norvell decided to start aggressively with a 2-point attempt trick play that saw punter Alex Mastromanno line up on his own and snap the ball directly to Brian Courtny who ran it in behind his offensive lineman, arranged in a group to the left.
Geogia Tech responded in kind, punching their way down the field with a series of gutsy runs from QB Haynes King taking the Jackets down to the one-yard line, at which point head coach Brent Key subbed in backup QB Zach Pyron to smash his way over the line on a keeper. It was clear at this point we had a game on out hands.
What followed however, was an attritional battle in the trenches. Georgia Tech’s offensive line were the stars of the show as they continually held FSU’s vaunted defensive line in check, whilst the Jacket’s defensive line stifled the run and gave Uiagalelei much more pressure than he wanted. Norvell appeared conservative in his play calling, opting mostly for short passes and screens. Norvell didn’t seem to fully trust his experienced QB to hit it deep and when he did it was often overthrown. The conservative play calling was reflected in Uiagalelei’s final stat line, with thirteen of his nineteen attempts going for five yards or less and amazingly finishing the first half with negative air yards.
Georgia Tech was able to use the dominance on the line to establish a solid run game, opening holes for RB Jamal Haynes to attack. Haynes often bounced off the first defender or used his hesitation skills to exploit secondary gaps. This allowed the Jackets to take the lead with a one-yard score from Haynes and it appeared they would take the lead into the half. Fortunately for the Noles, the leg of kicker Ryan Fitzgerald was good for a career-high 59-yard field gold to square it up, 14-14.
A scoreless third quarter, characterised by punts, a missed field goal from GT and a turnover on downs by FSU, ended with an exhilarating 21-yard rush from King, who was stopped two yards from paydirt. Haynes ran it in on the first play of the fourth quarter, seeing GT up by a touchdown and making fans realise that an upset could really be on the cards. Florida State had to go for broke to preserve their reputation as conference favourites and that’s just what they did. Norvell decided that now would be a good time to trust his QB, going for it twice on fourth down for crucial short downs. Whilst both of these were short passes over the middle Ja’Khi Douglas and Malik Benson were able to take the catches for 20 and 19 yards respectively for crucial first downs. Roydell Williams punched it over the line and the scores were tied with six minutes remaining.
Georgia Tech had their fate in their own hands and did their best to drain the clock on a series of rushes. Their plans looked like that had come undone when King fumbled, fortunately recovering the ball himself but taking a ten-yard loss. Haynes kept his composure and hit Eric Singleton for a 12-yard gain. Not enough for the first down, but good enough to set up a potential game winning 44-yard attempt from Aidan Birr with five seconds remaining. Birr, who had already missed from 51-yards, kept his composure and completed the stunning victory, the War Chant falling silent as flames erupted behind the endzone and field was flooded by players wearing white and gold.
Mike Norvell was stoic in the ensuing press conference saying ‘I’ve got to be better in helping put our guys in position to go and make those plays in the moment’ referring to missed opportunities in the game. Brent Key, surrounded by crystal trophies, was grounded in his response to the victory, reiterating that their goal is ‘to go out and play every play as hard as we can possibly play’ and how this has become ingrained in the team. Coach Key will hope this mentality will be persistent throughout the upcoming season.
After this game, expectations are high for the 2025 Aer Lingus College Classic that will feature another in conference matchup, this time a Big 12 clash between Kanas State and Iowa State. However that game unfolds it’s sure to be another unforgettable day for fans, wherever they are from.