Georgia Tech scores 14 points in the fourth quarter to pull away from Duke and make it 4-2

It wasn't pretty, but Georgia Tech found a way to end Duke's undefeated season, get a win and move to 4-2. The running game and especially the defense led Georgia Tech to a big home win.

The Yellow Jackets had two weeks to prepare for this game and try to bounce back from their loss to Duke, and it took a rebounding performance from Jamal Haynes and the best defensive performance of the year to do it. After struggling to run the ball in its last two games against Power Four opponents, Georgia Tech ran for 246 yards on 48 carries and averaged over five yards per rush. Haynes led the way with 128 yards on 19 carries, averaging 6.7 yards per carry and catching a touchdown. Chad Alexander ran for 59 yards on 10 carries and was a good complement to Haynes tonight.

The passing game wasn't spectacular, but Malik Rutherford and Eric Singleton Jr continued to lead the way. The duo combined for 14 catches and 118 yards, including the touchdown that put the Yellow Jackets ahead by two points.

The defense was great most of the night. They held the Blue Devils to 279 yards of offense and allowed just 5.5 yards per play. Aside from a big 65-yard touchdown play in the second half, the Yellow Jackets didn't let the Duke offense do much for much of the game and even sealed it with their first interception of the year. This wasn't a pretty win for Georgia Tech either, but they played a perfect fourth quarter and picked up their fourth win of the season.

Now Georgia Tech will look to follow up its win tonight with a win against North Carolina, which is currently reeling and lost its third straight game today when it lost to Pitt. It's going to be a tough game, but a win tonight was paramount for Georgia Tech and they used a strong 4th quarter to get it done.

Let's recap today's game.

Georgia Tech got the ball early in the game and after a good kick return from Eric Singleton Jr., the Yellow Jackets offense immediately went to work. Whether running or passing, Georgia Tech drove the ball 60 yards in 12 plays and the drive ended with quarterback Zach Pyron, the Yellow Jackets' best goal-line weapon, knocking the ball in from one yard out to give the Yellow Jackets a 7-0 lead lead.

It was an uneventful first possession for the Blue Devils offense. Aside from a pass interference call against Rodney Shelley, the Blue Devils couldn't do anything offensively and had to put the ball away. It was a good punt that pinned Georgia Tech at its own nine-yard line, and that's where the offense had to start its second drive.

Jamal Haynes struggled a lot early in this game, but he had a 39-yard run for the Yellow Jackets on the second drive of the game and things were looking up for the Georgia Tech offense. However, they fell behind in midfield and had to admit defeat to Duke.

After forcing a three-pointer, Georgia Tech went back to work on offense. King found Bailey Stockton for a big third down conversion and then the Yellow Jackets had to go for a fourth down conversion to keep the drive alive. Malik Rutherford had a big 24-yard gain to put Georgia Tech in scoring position, but the drive fell apart due to some errors on offense. Haynes dropped what could have been a touchdown, and then Haynes King fumbled in the end zone, missing a wide-open Chase Lane. They had to settle for a 23-yard field goal and Aidan Birr scored to make the score 10-0. Still, mistakes on the last two plays of the drive kept them from reaching the end zone.

Duke had been unable to move the ball on its first two possessions, but Murphy found Eli Pancol for a big 26-yard gain that was nearly intercepted by Georgia Tech. However, the Yellow Jackets defense found a way to stop the ball on the drive and it was actually the pass rush that came through as Jordan van den Berg sacked Murphy to end the nine-play drive.

With time flying by in the first half, Georgia Tech had to make another attack into its own end zone and it ended with a three-pointer. They had to throw the ball back to the Blue Devils with little time left in the first half.

It looked like Duke would have another three and out, but a questionable penalty on fourth down gave Duke enough room to go for it and Murphy scored on a pass to give their offense a 1st down. Then it looked like Georgia Tech DB Syeed Gibbs had the defense's first interception of the year, but a really questionable holding call against him gave Duke a first down at the 20, and then Murphy found Pancol on a cross- route for a touchdown with 26 seconds left in the first half. Georgia Tech ran out of time and went into the locker room down 10-7.

At halftime, Georgia Tech outscored Duke 199-75 and outscored the Blue Devils 107-13. Georgia Tech was better than Duke, but missed opportunities prevented the Yellow Jackets from gaining another lead. The questionable penalties at the end of the half didn't help them.

A great kick return early in the second half gave Duke great field possession and they had a great chance to put points on the board. However, similar to the first half, they struggled to move the ball and suffered a big fourth down. It looked like they had it done, but a pass interference call on offense brought it back and they had to send out the punt team and Georgia Tech took over.

The first drive of the second half went much like the first half drive for Georgia Tech. The drive lasted nine plays for 49 yards and ended with a punt. Since the game's first drive, which resulted in a touchdown, the offense has struggled to get anything going, aside from Jamal Haynes running the ball.

On the next possession, Duke took its first lead of the game. Georgia Tech sent the house on a blitz, but Murphy found an open receiver for a 65-yard touchdown. The Yellow Jackets' defense had been burned by blitzing in recent games and this led to a high score for Duke. Georgia Tech was behind for the first time in the game and had a big drive in front of it.

The Yellow Jackets responded. After King was sacked on the first play of the drive, he found Singleton with a 16-yard gain for a big first down, and then on third-and-short, Chad Alexander came into the play and ran to the Yellow for a 17-yard gain Jackets overtook midfield. That was the end of the 3rd quarter and Georgia Tech would start the 4th quarter down 14-10.

Georgia Tech faced a big 4th down on the drive and King found his favorite target, Malik Rutherford, and then the Yellow Jackets reached the 11-yard line. After two unsuccessful plays, King found Haynes in the flat for a touchdown and Georgia Tech regained the lead 17-14.

The defense stood tall most of the game and continued to do so on the next drive. They forced a three-pointer and got the ball back for the offense with almost ten minutes left. A goal score would be huge and that's exactly what the offense achieved.

Leading by three points, Georgia Tech got the ball back and managed 70 yards in seven plays. The drive ended with an Eric Singleton Jr. touchdown with almost six minutes left and it felt like Georgia Tech had finally gained some distance.

Duke drove down the field on the next drive and got within scoring range. The Yellow Jackets got a big stop on third down, and with 4:04 left, Duke head coach Manny Diaz went for a field goal to tie the game at one point, but he missed it. The Yellow Jackets ran out the clock from that point on and won the game. They are now 4-2 (2-2 in the ACC).

Next up, Georgia Tech travels to Chapel Hill to take on the Tar Heels. The game will kick off next Saturday at 12:00 p.m. and will be televised on the CW Network.