Sanders’ late TD catch helps Georgia Tech beat Duke 31-27

Adonicas Sanders caught a 36-yard touchdown propulsion from Jeff Sims with 51 seconds near to assistance Georgia Tech rally past Duke 31-27 connected Saturday.

The Yellow Jackets (3-3, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) were coming disconnected an disfigured location nonaccomplishment to Pittsburgh. But they responded by earning their archetypal triumph present since 2013.

“I thought our guys battled,” Georgia Tech manager Geoff Collins said. “They fought. We were decimated astatine definite positions. And it didn’t matter. We conscionable kept rolling guys done to find a mode to get the win.”

Trailing 27-24, Georgia Tech got the shot with 1:42 near and nary timeouts astatine their ain 12-yard line. But Sims targeted Sanders for the 2 large plays connected the go-ahead drive, archetypal erstwhile got escaped connected the close broadside for a 37-yard summation against Jeremiah Lewis — who had been pressed into a bigger relation aft cornerback Leonard Johnson exited with a lower-body wounded connected a first-half interception return.

Then came Sanders goal-line drawback connected a heavy shot contempt Lewis committing a pass-interference penalty.

“When I got the playcall… and I had seen what defence Duke was in, I conscionable knew for a information that shot was coming to maine due to the fact that that’s the look we saw successful signifier each week,” said Sanders, whose lone 2 catches came connected that last drive.

The Blue Devils (3-3, 0-2) had a last thrust that crossed midfield, but Juanyeh Thomas intercepted Gunnar Holmberg’s overthrown shot with 15 seconds near to seal this one.

Mataeo Durant handled a record-setting workload to pb Duke. He ran 43 times for 152 yards and a touchdown, breaking a programme single-game people for astir carries that had stood for astir 51 years.

But Duke squandered chances, from 2 missed tract goals from Charlie Ham to being stuffed connected fourth-and-short astatine the Georgia Tech 20-yard enactment successful the archetypal quarter.

“No magic look to this,” Duke manager David Cutcliffe said. “Getting what you privation retired of your squad consistently falls connected me. I bash cognize what a well-coached shot squad looks like. We person to bash the things to get determination oregon we’re going to person this aforesaid communicative that everybody’s getting bushed of, including me, clip and clip again.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets routed a ranked North Carolina squad that was the preseason Coastal Division favourite 2 weeks ago, lone to endure the blowout location nonaccomplishment to the Panthers. But they regrouped to lucifer their triumph full from each of the past 2 seasons.

Duke: The Blue Devils had won 3 straight, with 2 against power-conference opponents Northwestern and Kansas, earlier past weekend’s 38-7 nonaccomplishment astatine rival North Carolina. They fell abbreviated contempt having an effectual tally crippled (62 times for 197 yards) to power the timepiece portion Holmberg’s precocious prime was their lone turnover.

DURANT’S WORK

Durant, ranked successful the apical 5 of the Bowl Subdivision ranks successful rushing, shook disconnected substitutions to enactment successful the crippled aggregate times. He broke the erstwhile Duke single-game grounds of 42 carries, acceptable by Art Bosetti against South Carolina successful November 1970.

It marked the 2nd clip this twelvemonth Durant has acceptable a grounds successful a losing effort, going backmost to his program-record output of 255 yards rushing successful the play opener astatine Charlotte.

“The stats are chill but I’d alternatively person a triumph than conscionable a idiosyncratic stat immoderate time,” Durant said.

SIMS’ DAY

Sims threw for 297 yards and 3 touchdowns with 2 interceptions, which recovered itself successful a choky decorativeness contempt scoring the archetypal 14 points.

“I truly conscionable had to wide my head,” Sims said of the go-ahead drive, “and I told myself: ‘Just hide astir everything that happened earlier. Just spell retired determination and clutch it up for the team.’”

One of his scoring throws was a 77-yarder to Jahmyr Gibbs – who was near wholly uncovered retired of the backfield for an casual catch-and-run connected the near broadside connected the Yellow Jackets’ archetypal possession.

UP NEXT

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets person an unfastened play followed by a travel to Virginia connected Oct. 23 successful a part matchup.

Duke: The Blue Devils enactment successful the part with a travel to Virginia adjacent Saturday.