ORLANDO, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 27: Haynes King #10 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets drops back to throw a pass in the first half against the BYU Cougars during the 2025 Pop-Tarts Bowl at Camping World Stadium on December 27, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. …
ORLANDO, Fla. - Georgia Tech lost to BYU in Pop-Tarts Bowl. Jovesa Damuni scored on a 4-yard run with two minutes remaining, and No. 12 BYU rallied from an 11-point deficit in the second half for a 25-21 win.
BYU beats Georgia Tech
What we know:
Georgia Tech (9-4) had a chance to tie the game when senior quarterback Haynes King found Eric Rivers down the sideline with a 66-yard pass on fourth-and-15 to the BYU 18-yard line with 35 seconds to play. Facing fourth down, King threw to the end zone for Jamal Haynes, but BYU’s Evan Johnson intercepted the pass in the end zone to secure the victory.
King was 23-for-41 passing for 254 yards, two touchdowns and the game-ending interception.
"To me, it is almost like a little bit of I didn’t get the job done," King said. "I didn’t find a way to help my teammates win more of the last four out of five. That’s how it ended. It doesn’t feel good."
Georgia Tech took a 14-10 lead on a King pass to Rivers with 5:28 to play in the first half. Cody Hagen muffed the ensuing kickoff, and the Yellow Jackets recovered the fumble. One play later, King found tight end J.T. Byrne for a 6-yard TD pass.
Haynes King records
Dig deeper:
With a throw late in the second quarter, King set a Georgia Tech record for completions in a career. King finished his career with 676 completions in three seasons with the Yellow Jackets, passing Reggie Ball’s mark of 662 completions.
King also became the second player in Yellow Jackets history with 10,000 total yards, joining Joe Hamilton, who played at Georgia Tech from 1996 to 1999 and tallied 10,640 yards.
"The way he affects others around him is unlike anything I’ve ever seen," Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said. "He is infectious the way he does things. He affects every single person on the football team. Those people come around once every 20-30 years."
King finished his career with 10,184 yards of total offense.
What's next:
Georgia Tech will open its 2026 season at home against Colorado on Sept. 5.
The Source: Information in this article came from the Associated Press.