DUBLIN – At a school that produces astronauts and engineers with breathtaking efficiency, spontaneous moments of joy are clearly the result of careful preparation.

And that’s why the hearty hugs, fierce fist bumps and relentless enthusiasm Georgia Tech unleashed at Aviva Stadium after defeating No. 10 Florida State 24-21 in Ireland on Saturday night was both a cause for celebration and a climax.

With its first win over a top-10 team since 2015, Georgia Tech kicked off the 2024 season with a spectacular upset victory capped by a 44-yard walk-off field goal by Aidan Birr, marking the empirical turning point for Tech’s growing ambitions.

For Yellow Jackets coach Brent Key, a proud graduate and staunch believer in Tech’s competitive identity, all of those exuberant moments of spontaneity were byproducts of a demanding plan for both the game and the program that was precisely executed.

“More than anything, it’s seeing or knowing that so many people are watching Georgia Tech now and the brand of football that we play and it’s not gimmicky football,” Key told ESPN in a quiet moment after the game. “It’s real. It’s tough. We’re going to build at the line of scrimmage. That’s where games are won.”

Key’s decisive victory in his second year as Tech’s full-time coach was a former offensive lineman’s fever dream. It was won with a determination that would have made George O’Leary smile, with enough quarterback runs that would have made Paul Johnson wink, and conjured the familiar hallmarks of a big game that recalled Bobby Ross’ glory days.

Victory at the Aer Lingus Classic on a foggy Saturday came courtesy of a deft execution of a game plan that allowed for 190 rushing yards, a game clock that ran like a podcast at 1.5x speed, and a pressure cooker that required each possession to be treated like a Fabergé egg.

There was star quarterback Haynes King, who hunched his shoulder to gain yards so often that he ran the ball (15 times) almost as often as he threw it (16).

There was fiery tailback Jamal Haynes, who scored two touchdowns, rushed for 75 yards and finished as the contest leader in the accumulation of grass stains and end zone paint on his uniform – fitting badges of honor for a game of this tenor.

And there was leading tackler Kyle Efford (10 tackles and a half-tackle for loss) filling gaps and pushing back piles.

“This means a lot to me,” Key said of the moment. “I love this place and I put everything I have into this program to make sure these kids have everything they need to be successful on and off the field. To see how successful they were tonight is awesome.”

Tech went into the matchup with a classic underdog plan: run the ball, run out the clock, and shorten the game. The quarterback running game has long been the sport’s great equalizer, and the more things change in sports, the more that will resonate as an eternal truth.

Tech made the second quarter virtually disappear with a 14-play masterpiece that lasted just under eight minutes. It would be framed and hung on a wall in the Georgia Tech facility if Key could find a way to turn it into a fresco.

Yellow Jackets offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner delivered a masterful play-calling performance, with a delightful series of pre- and post-snap transitions and moves. Florida State’s talented defense was caught off guard and confused for much of the evening. But that innovative facade should not disguise the collective confusion of the Tech offense, which completely overwhelmed a Seminoles defensive line that stood with its hands on its hips for much of the game.

Tech’s determination and power neutralized FSU’s individual defensive talent, which included two 2023 All-ACC linemen. FSU’s starting D-line recorded neither a sack nor a TFL and had just one hurry.

On defense, Tech brought in seven new starters and a new playmaker in coordinator Tyler Santucci. They often wanted to change the picture before the snap to unsettle FSU quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, force him to consistently make long throws and limit big plays. The Seminoles finished the game with seven possessions, 291 total yards and just 3.2 yards per carry.

“We are building this program carefully,” Key said. “We are laying a strong foundation so that it will last for a long time.”

That’s a drastic difference from the Tech team that ranked 128th in rushing defense last season. Anyone who watched Tech closely last year saw the potential of King, the determination of Haynes and the way Faulkner could outsmart a defense. But without a defense that could play complementary football, it resulted in a team that was a little unappealing, that beat North Carolina, lost by a point to top-ranked Georgia and took advantage of Mario Cristobal’s epic time management mistake to beat Miami.

However, they also lost to Bowling Green and allowed 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter of their loss to Boston College because consistency was not possible without answers in defense.

“First we learned how not to lose. Then we talked about how to win,” Key said. “The next step in this journey is learning how to win consistently.”

The long hug between Key and Santucci after the game Saturday showed what is possible when you combine Faulkner’s innovative offense and Key’s ethos of toughness with a strong defense. (Key has 16 former linemen on his team, a striking reminder of the program’s commitment to the line of scrimmage.)

“That hug was just a confirmation of what I already knew about Tyler,” Key said. “He said, ‘Thanks for bringing me here.’ And I said, ‘Thanks for saying yes.’ It’s going to be a really good game.”

As for FSU, it’s difficult to draw too many conclusions after the loss due to limited resources and the multitude of new faces.

“The importance of every single snap in this game was monumental,” said Norvell, visibly frustrated by the limited possessions and short game.

The scary thing in the long run has been FSU’s lack of explosiveness at the skill positions, that has to change. Perhaps the smooth turf, Tech’s superior strategies and the Seminoles’ adjustment to a new identity took their toll and are problems they can overcome.

But as Georgia Tech moved the chains and stayed conscious of its identity, it was obvious which team had the better quarterback. That was King, who drove the play with his legs but also executed with his arm when he needed to. On Tech’s other masterpiece of the night – an 11-play, 89-yard run that gave it a 21-14 lead early in the fourth quarter – King completed all five of his passes. (That included a 15-yard pass on third-and-12 to leading receiver Malik Rutherford that helped Tech turn a likely punt into a touchdown run.)

“Haynes is hands down the best quarterback in this league and I think he has a chance to be the best quarterback in the country this year,” Key told ESPN. “The cool thing about him is it doesn’t necessarily have to be about throwing the ball. It doesn’t necessarily have to be about running. He can do both and he’s such a selfless kid and player that he puts the team first and does whatever it takes to win.”

King did just that, bailing Tech out on a disastrous fumble snap on a motion play with a minute left. The 10-yard loss put Tech out of field goal range and threatened to be the kind of self-defeating play that could derail a nearly perfect game plan through the first 59 minutes. But King kept his cool and found star receiver Eric Singleton on third-and-17 for 12 yards on the next play.

“You can’t just say all week that you have confidence in (the players) and then get scared that they won’t do their job when the games come around,” Key said.

And that’s exactly what Tech did, providing a stark reminder of how wild college football can be in 2024. And it also provides a glimpse into Tech’s plans under Key.

“This is a big step forward for our program,” Tech athletic director J Batt said after the game, “but this is really where we belong.”