ATLANTA (AP) — Jack Plummer rallied his new team from a 15-point halftime deficit, throwing three touchdown passes to lead Louisville past Georgia Tech 39-34 Friday night in a winning debut for Cardinals coach Jeff Brohm.
Plummer, a transfer from Cal, hooked up with Jamari Thrash on a 20-yard scoring play with 8:08 remaining to put the Cardinals ahead at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and about two miles from the Georgia Tech campus.
Louisville sealed the opener between Atlantic Coast Conference rivals when Dezmond Tell forced a fumble to thwart a Georgia Tech drive, and Jawhar Jordan broke off a 74-yard touchdown run on the very next play.
The Cardinals took a while to get going in their first game under Brohm, who returned to his alma mater after coaching six years at Purdue. But they outscored the Yellow Jackets 26-6 in the second half.
It was a tough setback for Brent Key, beginning his first full season as Georgia Tech’s coach. His team erupted for four touchdowns in the second quarter and a 28-13 lead at halftime, but they couldn’t get anything going in the second half.
After their best drive of the final two quarters ended with Gavin Stewart missing a 33-yard field goal, Plummer guided the Cardinals 80 yards in seven plays for their first lead since early in the second period.
Plummer, who transferred to Louisville to reunite with Brohm after three seasons at Purdue and one year at Cal, completed 18 of 31 passes for 247 yards with one interception.
Georgia Tech's new quarterback, Texas A&M transfer Haynes King, threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns, while former Louisville running back Trey Cooley added a pair of TD runs against his old school.
It wasn't enough for the Yellow Jackets, who squandered a prime opportunity to go above .500 for the first time since a season-opening victory over Florida State in 2020.
Key took over as interim coach last season after a 1-3 start ended the dismal tenure of Geoff Collins, who went 10-28 over his three-plus seasons. Key posted a 4-4 mark the rest of the way and was rewarded with the full-time job.
This is not how he wanted to start out with his new title — especially after the Yellow Jackets scored their most points in a quarter against a top-division opponent since 2014.
Georgia Tech had touchdowns on four straight possessions, beginning with King's 2-yard touchdown pass to Brett Seither. Cooley scored on runs of 1 and 23 yards before King's short toss to Chase Lane resulted in a 48-yard TD down the sideline.
THE TAKEAWAY
Louisville: Plummer looked downright shaky in the first half, and even more so when he missed a wide-open receiver in the end zone early in the third to force another field goal in the red zone. But he was 10 of 14 for 157 yards over the final two periods. Thrash had seven catches for 88 yards and two TDs.
Georgia Tech: There's still plenty of work to do to put the Collins' era in the rearview mirror. Key talks boldly of turning the Yellow Jackets into a championship contender, but the offense largely disappeared in the second half amid conservative play-calling. The team showed some fight with a late touchdown, but not enough to pick up a much-needed win.
UP NEXT
Louisville: Hosts another Kentucky school, Murray State of the FCS Ohio Valley Conference, in the home opener Thursday night.
Georgia Tech: Returns to campus to face FCS school South Carolina State of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference next Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
