King, Haynes help Georgia Tech overcome 14-point deficit to beat UCF 30-17 in Gasparilla Bowl

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Dontae Smith punches it in to pad Georgia Tech's lead

Dontae Smith forces his way past the goal line to give the Yellow Jackets a 27-17 lead.

Dec 26, 2023, 10:25 am

TAMPA, Fla. -- Haynes King threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score and Georgia Tech overcame a 14-point deficit to beat UCF 30-17 in the Gasparilla Bowl on Friday night.

King, who went 7 for 13 for 87 yards and ran for 89 yards on 12 carries, said the team gathered as a group after falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter.

"It was pretty much everybody," King said. "We all came up in that huddle and we looked at each other. It was like we've been here before. We're not going to press. Stick to the game plan. Trust each other. Everything else is going to take care of itself,."

Jamal Haynes had 128 yards on 18 rushes to help Georgia Tech (7-6) to its first winning season since 2018. He became the Yellow Jackets' first 1,000-yard runner since 2017.

Haynes, the game MVP, was moved from wide receiver to running back this year.

UCF's John Rhys Plumlee completed 16 of 29 passes for 198 and two touchdowns. Timmy McClain replaced Plumlee, who was playing in his last collegiate game, with 4 minutes to play.

Plumlee missed three games because a leg injury and said he "felt something uncomfortable there" on a running play.

RJ Harvey picked up 120 yards on 15 carries as the Knights finished their first season in the Big 12 at 6-7.

"We didn't play good enough to win, really the bottom line," UCF coach Gus Malzahn said. "It was a tough night."

Aidan Birr's 29-yard field goal gave Georgia Tech its first lead, at 20-17, on the second-half's first drive. Dontae Smith scored from the 1 on fourth down to make it 27-17 with 13:37 left in the fourth.

King's five-yard TD run and 41-yard scoring toss to Malik Rutherford during the final 4 1/2 minutes of the first half tied it at 17.

UCF took a 7-0 lead just 1:23 into the game when Plumlee connected on a 23-yard touchdown pass to Jarrad Baker. He had a 17-yard TD strike to Kobe Hudson that made it 14-0 midway through the first quarter.

Baker had nine receptions for 173 yards.

TAKEAWAYS

Georgia Tech: King, a red-shirt sophomore, LSU Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels and Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter are the only players with at least 2,700 yards passing, 600 yards rushing, 25 touchdown passes and five TD runs this season.

UCF: Has to replace Plumlee but got good news with Harvey deciding to return for his fifth season next year. This was Harvey's seventh 100-yard game of the season.

FLIPPING

Referee Cravonne Barrett mistakenly called the coin toss tails before correcting himself,

FUTURE PLANS

Plumlee, a two-sport standout, said he will make a decision on whether he will play baseball with UCF this upcoming season in a couple weeks.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football