FSU vs. Georgia Tech: Score, Highlights and Twitter Reaction

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3-5) snapped their five-game losing streak in epic fashion Saturday night after blocking Florida State's potential game-winning kick and returning it 78 yards to down the nation's No. 9 team, 22-16.

ESPN provided footage of Lance Austin's block and game-winning score: 

Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo hadn't missed a fourth-quarter field-goal attempt in his collegiate career prior to the last-second disaster at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Furthermore, the loss was the first for Florida State (6-1) in the regular season in 35 months, according to ESPN.com's Field Yates. 

Fox Sports' Stewart Mandel and ESPN.com's Matt Fortuna noted Alabama and Florida State have now experienced similar heartbreaks:

Florida State's offense struggled all night. The Seminoles managed just 280 yards of total offense as quarterback Everett Golson completed 20 of 30 passes for a modest 210 yards, no touchdowns and his first interception of the season. Golson's pick was the first turnover by the Seminoles in 439 snaps, according to Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman.

Golson's interception seemed to sink Florida State. Driving with a chance to go up by 10 points, the quarterback dropped back on third down with just over eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and was picked off in the end zone following a Georgia Tech tip drill.

The Seminoles received solid contributions from running back Dalvin Cook, who toted the rock 17 times for 82 yards and Florida State's lone touchdown. Cook's biggest impact came on Florida State's final drive, when a couple of clutch runs and a reception put Aguayo in position to kick the potential game-winner.

Tomahawk Nation's Bud Elliott put Florida State's inconsistent effort into perspective:

As always, Georgia Tech did its damage on the ground. Quarterback Justin Thomas led the Yellow Jackets with 13 carries for 88 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown, as illustrated by ESPN College Football on Twitter:

Running back Marcus Marshall tacked on 16 carries for 69 yards. As a team, Georgia Tech posted 261 of its 328 total yards on the ground and nabbed the upset victory despite Thomas throwing two interceptions and completing just four of 10 passes for 67 yards. 

The fashion in which Florida State lost was stunning, but the result wasn't terribly surprising, given how fallible the Seminoles have appeared throughout the season. They beat Wake Forest by only eight points a week after putting up a meager 14 points on Boston College, and they needed nine fourth-quarter points to hold off Miami at home on Oct. 10.

They should be able to rebound at home next week against Syracuse, but a Nov. 7 road date with No. 6 Clemson looms. The Tigers have emerged as the class of the ACC over the past few weeks, and Florida State should be the underdog for that tilt, barring unforeseen developments. 

For Georgia Tech, Saturday was a major confidence booster. Head coach Paul Johnson's squad hadn't tallied a win since thrashing Tulane on Sept. 12, and defeating a Top 10 team should provide the Yellow Jackets with extra fire as the regular season winds down.

Postgame Reaction

Johnson kept things short and sweet in summarizing the win, according to ESPN PR: 

Thomas, who helped keep Georgia Tech competitive throughout, explained how he turned interceptions into motivation, per the program’s official Twitter account:

Georgia Tech also received congratulatory Tweets from some famous alumni:  

Conversely, Florida State wasn’t in the mood to discuss the outcome after its 28-game ACC winning streak was snapped: 

"It was our turn," Johnson said, per ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy. "We’ve had so many that have gone the other way."