BOSTON (AP) — With a shot at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship possibly slipping away, Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King had one thought in mind when he stepped back onto the field late in the fourth quarter Saturday: “Whatever it takes.”
King’s determination paid off as the 14th-ranked Yellow Jackets rallied for a 36-34 victory over struggling Boston College, capped by Aidan Birr’s 23-yard field goal with just 11 seconds left.
The comeback kept Georgia Tech tied for first place in the ACC, setting up a crucial showdown at home next Saturday against No. 23 Pittsburgh. A win would punch their ticket to the league championship game.
“It’s good to come out with a win. Always happy to get a win no matter how the win occurs or who it’s against,” Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said. “We have a chance next week to play for a championship, to play in the game, and that’s all you can ask for.”
King completed 26 of 34 passes for 371 yards and a touchdown as the Yellow Jackets (9-1, 6-1, No. 16 CFP) stayed even with No. 20 Virginia (No. 19 CFP) atop the conference standings.
Boston College’s Dylan Lonergan went 26 of 40 for 362 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles (1-10, 0-7) extended their losing streak to 10 games.
With a solid chance at the ACC championship and potentially the College Football Playoff at stake, Georgia Tech fell behind early in the second half and trailed 28-17 late in the third quarter.
After briefly taking the lead, the Yellow Jackets fell behind again 34-33 when Turbo Richard scored on a 43-yard run up the middle with 2:05 remaining. However, Boston College failed on the 2-point conversion attempt.
King then orchestrated a clutch 69-yard drive in 13 plays, setting up Birr’s game-winning kick.
“We had to go down and win it,” King said. “We did the job and we executed plays. Got it on the perimeter a little bit and continued to move the ball when we needed to and convert on third down.”
The game ended dramatically when Lonergan’s Hail Mary was batted down near the goal line as time expired.
“It was a great effort,” Boston College coach Bill O’Brien said. “I’m very proud of these guys. Very proud of the team.”
Jordan Allen broke free down the left sideline for a 54-yard touchdown with just over six minutes left, moving the Yellow Jackets ahead 33-28. Georgia Tech had clawed back and cut it to 28-26 on Jamal Haynes’ 2-yard score with 7 1/2 minutes to play, but an unbalanced formation led to King being stopped short on the 2-point try.
Earlier in the second half, Jordan McDonald’s 14-yard touchdown run pushed Boston College ahead 21-14 on its first drive of the half. Birr’s 34-yard field goal cut the deficit to 21-17 before Lonergan engineered a 75-yard drive, finishing with an 18-yard touchdown catch by Reed Harris, who broke multiple tackles on the way to the end zone.
Coming off an upset loss at North Carolina State two weeks ago, the Yellow Jackets grabbed a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter when Malik Rutherford caught a short pass and burst free for a 71-yard touchdown.
### The Takeaway
**Georgia Tech:** There are suddenly some big cracks appearing in the defense—and at the worst possible time. The Yellow Jackets gave up 583 yards in their loss to N.C. State and 537 yards to Boston College.
“We’ve got some things we’ve got to correct and fix,” Key said. “Coming off the bye week, I expected us to play better.”
**Boston College:** Coach Bill O’Brien made the right move rotating his starting quarterbacks for the third straight game, turning back to Lonergan. Grayson James started the other two games.
Lonergan transferred to Boston College from Alabama, where O’Brien had recruited him while serving as offensive coordinator. Meanwhile, Eagles receiver Lewis Bond made eight catches in the game, becoming the school’s career leader with 206 receptions, surpassing Zay Flowers (200 receptions from 2019-22).
### Growing Up
“I think honestly last year I kind of went through a tough time and that kind of built me up for this,” Birr said about his game-winning kick. “If this was last year I probably would have been freaking out, to be honest.”
### Up Next
**Georgia Tech:** Will host Pittsburgh next Saturday in a game that could decide the ACC championship berth.
**Boston College:** Travels to Syracuse on Nov. 29 for its season finale.
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