Duke Loses Unbeaten Start as Georgia Tech Wins 28-25 on Late Touchdown and Missed Field Goal

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke’s unbeaten start to the 2026 football season ended in painful fashion Saturday when Georgia Tech scored the go-ahead touchdown with 54 seconds left and then watched the Blue Devils miss a potential tying field goal. The Yellow Jackets prevailed 28-25 in Atlanta, handing No. 23 Duke its first defeat and snapping an eight-game winning streak that extended into last season.

Duke appeared positioned for a comeback victory after scoring 15 consecutive points to erase a 21-10 deficit. Running back Nate Sheppard helped drive the turnaround, and the Blue Devils moved ahead 25-21 with 2:40 remaining. That advantage proved short-lived. Georgia Tech began its decisive possession at its own 39 following a 39-yard kickoff return and moved 61 yards in eight plays.

Yellow Jackets quarterback Alberto Mendoza kept the winning drive alive with throws of 20 and 14 yards to Jordan Allen. Trelain Maddox finished it with a one-yard touchdown run, his third rushing score of the afternoon. Georgia Tech took a three-point lead, leaving Duke less than a minute to answer.

The Blue Devils moved quickly into scoring range, reaching the Georgia Tech 16-yard line. A third-down pass breakup by linebacker E.J. Lightsey set up a 33-yard field-goal attempt by freshman kicker Gavin Strange. The kick went wide left, and Georgia Tech escaped with the victory. Duke finished 4-1 overall and 1-1 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

Maddox had also scored from five yards in the second quarter and broken loose for a 60-yard touchdown in the third. He finished with a career-high 81 rushing yards, and Georgia Tech totaled 165 yards on the ground against a Duke defense that entered the game among the nation’s strongest against the run. The Yellow Jackets gained 383 total yards and did not turn the ball over.

Duke’s defense had entered the game allowing an average of just 11 points and fewer than 262 yards per contest, according to Georgia Tech’s postgame notes. That context makes the result especially frustrating for a Blue Devils team that had built its undefeated record on consistent defensive performances. Sheppard rushed for 99 yards, a substantial total but well below his 161-yard average entering the matchup.

Georgia Tech improved to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the ACC. Under coach Brent Key, the Yellow Jackets are now 8-1 against ranked ACC opponents, according to the school. The loss gives Duke an immediate opportunity to examine late-game execution, especially the defense of the final touchdown drive and the special-teams miss, before returning to conference competition.