A pair of teams vying to put a stamp on overachieving campaigns will meet as Georgia Tech squares off with Vanderbilt in the Birmingham Bowl on Friday in Birmingham, Ala.
Georgia Tech (7-5) is appearing in back-to-back bowl games for the first time since an 18-year run from 1997-2014, and a win would give the Yellow Jackets consecutive bowl wins for the first time in 20 years. For a Georgia Tech program that endured a 14-32 stretch from 2019-22, this season has given Yellow Jacket fans a reason to believe a resurgence is near.
After knocking off No. 10 Florida State in the season opener, Georgia Tech climbed into the AP Poll for the first time in nine years. Although it was a short stay in the rankings, head coach Brent Key’s team piqued the nation’s interest again in November, when it took down undefeated No. 4 Miami, 28-23.
The Yellow Jackets had another chance to shake up the college football landscape against then-No. 7 Georgia, but blew a late 14-point lead en route to an eight-overtime defeat.
Now with one more opportunity against the Southeastern Conference, Key thinks the bowl organizers nailed this one on the head.
“We’re excited to go over to Birmingham and play a really good opponent,” Key said. “I think this is a really good matchup. When you look at bowl games, that’s what you look for, the matchups. And I think they got this one right.”
Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King’s 1,910 passing yards and 22 total touchdowns (11 passing, 11 rushing) have steadied the offense throughout the year, but the Yellow Jackets will be without their leading receiver, Eric Singleton Jr., who entered the transfer portal after the regular season and signed with Auburn on Monday.
Starting defensive lineman Romello Height also transferred, meaning a next-man-up mentality will be in order for Key’s squad.
“One person is not going to make a difference as far as rotational depth,” Key said. “We’re going to continue to coach the guys that are here, and prepare them not only for this game but for the rest of their careers here at Georgia Tech.”
Singleton paced Georgia Tech with 754 receiving yards to go along with four total touchdowns, while Height tallied 2 1/2 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles.
It wouldn’t have surprised many college football pundits had Vanderbilt missed the postseason for a sixth straight year. The Commodores (6-6) were predicted last by a wide margin in the SEC preseason poll coming off last year’s winless conference slate.
However, the program’s historic season can now be punctuated with its first bowl win in 11 years, thanks to a shocking Oct. 5 victory over No. 1 Alabama, along with its first win all-time at Auburn.
Led by head coach Clark Lea, the revamped Commodores see a similar program on Friday in Birmingham.
“Georgia Tech is a team I’ve taken notes on as Brent has built that program up,” Lea said. “What an incredible transformation they’ve had; so much respect for them. … This is our 10th bowl game in 134 years, it’s a chance for our first winning season since 2013. You’re going to have two teams that play a physical brand of football, two head coaches that care deeply about the institutions we represent.
“These are two teams that are going to fight for a win and I don’t think it gets better than that.”
The Commodores are led by quarterback Diego Pavia, who had 2,133 passing yards and 17 touchdowns in the air, paired with 716 rushing yards and six scores on the ground. Pavia, a transfer from New Mexico State — and New Mexico Military Institute at the juco level — won a court ruling last week that granted him a seventh year of eligibility in 2025.
