No. 12 BYU saved its best football for the final minutes, rallying from an 11-point second-half deficit to defeat No. 24 Georgia Tech 25-21 on Saturday in a thrilling Pop-Tarts Bowl finish.
Jovesa Damuni capped a dramatic comeback by scoring on a 4-yard run with just under two minutes remaining, finishing off a nine-play, 70-yard drive that showcased the poise of freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier. Bachmeier completed several key throws on the march, accounting for 57 passing yards on the decisive drive as the Cougars improved to 12-2 on the season.
BYU’s offense was steady throughout the night, piling up 426 total yards behind Bachmeier’s arm. The freshman was 27-of-38 passing for 325 yards with one touchdown and one interception, marking his third 300-yard passing performance of the season.
Georgia Tech (9-4) wasn’t finished quietly. Senior quarterback Haynes King gave the Yellow Jackets one final surge, converting a desperate fourth-and-15 with a 66-yard strike to Eric Rivers down the sideline to the BYU 18-yard line with 35 seconds left. But on the Jackets’ next fourth-down play, King’s pass intended for Jamal Haynes in the end zone was intercepted by Evan Johnson, sealing the Cougars’ victory.
King finished 23-of-41 for 254 yards, two touchdowns and the game-ending interception.
The Yellow Jackets built their 11-point advantage in stunning fashion late in the first half. After taking a 14-10 lead on a 5-yard touchdown pass from King to Rivers with 5:28 remaining in the second quarter, Georgia Tech struck again just 10 seconds later. BYU’s Cody Hagen muffed the ensuing kickoff, and the Jackets recovered. One play later, King connected with tight end J.T. Byrne for a 6-yard touchdown, pushing the lead to 21-10.
Red zone miscues ultimately defined the game for both teams. BYU’s opening drive stalled at the 1-yard line when Enoch Nawahine was stopped on fourth-and-one, and the Cougars later threw an interception in the end zone in the third quarter. BYU finished 4-for-6 in the red zone.
Georgia Tech, meanwhile, squandered multiple chances. The Yellow Jackets ended the night just 3-for-6 in the red zone, fumbled after a short catch at the BYU 11-yard line in the third quarter, and had a 35-yard field goal attempt by Aiden Birr blocked late in the period.
Despite the loss, the night marked a milestone for King. His late second-quarter completion set a Georgia Tech career record with 676 completions, surpassing Reggie Ball’s previous mark of 662. King also became just the second player in program history to surpass 10,000 total yards, joining Joe Hamilton. King finished his Yellow Jackets career with 10,184 yards of total offense.
In the end, BYU’s resilience and late-game execution proved decisive, as the Cougars closed their season with a statement bowl victory and another comeback to remember.
