While most of the focus on Miami’s meltdown on Saturday has been placed on head coach Mario Cristobal and the disappointment of the Hurricanes fanbase, on the other side of the field was a Georgia Tech team celebrating an improbable comeback victory.
That excitement was apparent on the Georgia Tech Sports Network, as play-by-play man Andy Demetra called Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King’s game-winning touchdown pass to Christian Leary with one second remaining in the game.
“What did we just witness?!” Demetra exclaimed after the 44-yard touchdown pass. “I see it and I still don’t believe it!”
"WHAT DID WE JUST WITNESS…I SEE IT AND I STILL DON'T BELIEVE IT."
Georgia Tech radio team calls the winning touchdown of the improbable win over Miami. pic.twitter.com/3tCIDmke3V
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 8, 2023
Demetra obviously wasn’t the only one in disbelief.
Miami had possession of the ball with less than a minute remaining in the game and was holding a 20-17 lead with Georgia Tech out of timeouts. Yet for some reason, rather than having his quarterback kneel down and secure a victory, Cristobal opted to call for multiple running plays, with running back Don Chaney Jr. fumbling the ball to the Yellow Jackets with 25 seconds remaining in the game.
Georgia Tech proceeded to move the ball 74 yards in 24 seconds — 44 yards of which came on the game-winning touchdown pass. Understandably, the call on the ACC Network’s television broadcast of the game took on a different tone than Demetra’s, with analyst Tim Hasselbeck criticizing Cristobal’s decision to not take a knee in real time.
“I’m going to say it, it needs to be said: that’s one of the biggest coaching mistakes at this level that I have ever seen in my lifetime,” the former NFL quarterback said. “You should not be running the football. You run the football, fumble and give up a score. That is devastating for a 4-0 Miami team to get their first loss of the season on a sequence like that.”
Part 2: Georgia Tech receiver Christian Leary gets behind the Miami defense. Quarterback Haynes King finds him for a 44-yard touchdown pass pic.twitter.com/QCMPoHEQ5C
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) October 8, 2023
