The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets overcame an early two-touchdown deficit to beat UCF 30-17 in the Gasparilla Bowl.
The Knights offense came out firing to open the game, with quarterback John Rhys Plumlee throwing two touchdown passes in the first nine minutes. The senior quarterback may not have thrown another touchdown after the first quarter, but he ended the game with 198 passing yards and his third game of the 2023 season with multiple touchdown passes and no interceptions.
Despite Plumlee’s good start, UCF couldn’t stop Georgia Tech once the Yellow Jackets got going on the ground. Georgia Tech only threw 13 passes for the game but still outscored the Knights 30-3 in the final three quarters. The Yellow Jackets ran for 284 yards, averaging 5.4 yards per carry as a team.
Running back Jamal Haynes led the Georgia Tech charge. The sophomore didn’t reach the end zone, but he had 128 yards on 18 carries. Quarterback Haynes King and senior Dontae Smith added 154 combined yards on 28 carries, each scoring a touchdown.
The Yellow Jackets scored for the final time with less than five minutes remaining, a field goal to extend the lead to 13. After a turnover on downs and an interception from backup quarterback Timmy McClain on the Knights’ final two drives, the win was sealed.
Here are the best photos from the Georgia Tech victory.