Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech 2025 Recap: Yellow Jackets Win OT Thriller

A back-and-forth affair between Georgia Tech and Wake Forest broke out on Saturday, with the Yellow Jackets ultimately prevailing 30-29. Georgia Tech trailed by as much as 17 points in the third quarter, but stormed back to win in OT. Wake Forest showed great improvement against a ranked team after a bye week. Georgia Tech’s early game struggles were prevalent again on Saturday. Yet with all that in mind, let’s break down this Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech 2025 game recap.

Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech 2025 Game Recap

A Tail of Two Halves

Georgia Tech has struggled early in games this season, and Saturday was no different. The Yellow Jackets found themselves down by 14 at halftime and 17 early in the third quarter. Yet after a momentum-changing play (which we’ll discuss later), Georgia Tech finally woke up.

Georgia Tech outscored Wake Forest 27-9 after the Deacs kicked a field goal with 10:36 left in the third quarter. Haynes King put the team on his back and led a furious comeback that ended with an overtime win.

On the flip side, Wake Forest got out to a hot start just as they did against NC State Week 3, where they led the Wolfpack by 10 at halftime. Unfortunately for the Deacs, Saturday had the same result. It was a great start, followed by stagnant offense and not great defense in the second half.

Going forward, both teams need to figure out how to play a complete four-quarter game if they want to have success this season.

Quarterback Play

In our pregame article, we talked about how Haynes King is the heart and soul of the Georgia Tech football team. And on Saturday, it was no different. After being held in check in the first half, King exploded in the second half.

King finished with 243 passing yards and a touchdown. He is, as always, most effective with the ground game. King had 21 attempts for 106 yards and two touchdowns, with one being in overtime. King’s ability to run the ball is always important for the Yellow Jackets’ offense, but it was especially important on Saturday. That’s because star running back Jamal Haynes was hobbled from the beginning and only finished with 21 yards.

King took over the game in the fourth quarter and put the team on his back. And, Tech’s best offense is letting King run QB-ISO or QB Power. Yet going forward, Georgia Tech will need to figure out other ways to generate explosive plays and a better offense. King can’t continue to run the ball 20-30 times a game, as that’s just a recipe for disaster from a health standpoint.

On the other side, Robby Ashford finished 13-of-28 for 219 yards. He also added 82 yards on the ground with a touchdown. Those numbers may seem pedestrian, but Ashford had a great game. He was a little inconsistent to begin the game, but settled in fairly nicely.

Saturday was the first time this year that we really saw Ashford use his legs. There were numerous quarterback runs called. And, when the pocket broke down, he was able to use his athleticism to scramble for first downs. Ashford made all the throws and plays necessary for Wake to win this game.

Yet as we highlighted early in the article, there was a play that changed the course of the game. With 13:23 left in the third quarter, Ashford scrambled for 29 yards after a poor snap from the center. He was tackled from behind and landed awkwardly. Ashford had to leave the game, and Wake settled for a field goal on the possession in which they were driving on. He also missed the next possession, and Wake seemed to lose a lot of their momentum when he missed that time.

When Ashford did return, his mobility wasn’t what it was in the first half, and it turned him more into a pocket passer. With all that being said, Ashford played quite well on Saturday and showed vast improvement from earlier in the year.

Talent and Speed

On paper, it appears that Georgia Tech should have been the much more talented and physical team. Tech is ranked in the top-20 and was favored by two touchdowns. However, that wasn’t really the case.

The Deacs held their own and looked like the better team for most of the game. They have a dynamic running back in Demond Claiborne, and speed on the outside with wide receiver Chris Barnes. They are physical and tackled quite well until the later stages of the game. Many wondered how Wake Forest would respond after the loss in Week 3. The bye week certainly helped the development of the team, and first-year coach Jake Dickert has this team believing.

If it wasn’t for a missed offside call late in the game, or a failed two-point attempt in OT, Wake wins this game.

On the other side, Georgia Tech prides itself on being physical. They wore down the Deacs in the fourth quarter and took over the game. However, going forward, they will need to generate more explosive plays and figure out how to get the receivers more involved. Both the offensive and defensive lines got pushed around at times and need to be cleaned up going forward.

Besides Haynes King’s performance, receiver Eric Rivers had a huge game for the Yellow Jackets. He finished with eight catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. If Rivers can continue to show promise and play good football, he will join receiver Isiah Canion on the outside.

Final Thoughts and Looking Ahead

Saturday was a hard-fought game from both sides, where both teams will have plenty to look at on film. Looking ahead, Wake Forest travels to Virginia Tech in Week 6 for a noon matchup.

Georgia Tech has a bye week before welcoming Virginia Tech to Atlanta in Week 7.