It was the battle of two former Texas high school football quarterbacks.
In one corner, #4 Miami, fronted by former Columbia graduate and Heisman candidate Cam Ward. In the other, unranked Georgia Tech, led by former Longview starter Haynes King.
The Yellow Jackets surprisingly upset the Hurricanes, handing Miami their first loss of the season and earning Georgia Tech their first victory over a top-five team in 15 years.
After enduring a two-game losing streak, King came into the contest after missing two games from a lingering shoulder injury. Unable to throw deep, King was conservative with the passing game, completing only six passes for 32 yards. However, his 93 yards rushing spurred a run game that outpaced the Hurricanes 271 yards to 88 yards, helping Georgia Tech become bowl-eligible.
Ward put up his typical video game numbers, accounting for 347 passing yards and three touchdowns, including surpassing the school record for touchdown passes in a Miami season, besting Steve Walsh’s mark set in 1988.
Still, it was King’s time management that dictated the game; the Jackets had the ball for 18:17 in the first half.
As a senior with Longview, King accounted went 123-for-213 for 1,926 passing yards and 20 touchdown, including 506 rushing yards for 10 additional scores on the ground. He played with Texas A&M for two seasons; he still has three seasons of eligibility after coming to Georgia Tech as a graduate transfer.
Ward played at Columbia as a mobile pocket passer under coach Brent Mascheck, accounting for over 1,000 yards during both his junior and senior campaigns. In his senior year, Ward helped his team become co-district champions, earning first team all-district honors as quarterback. After graduating, he spent two years local at Incarnate Word, then transferred for two seasons to Washington State. He is expected to be an early first round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
