ACC fines Georgia Tech $50,000 for storming field after upsetting Clemson

The ACC announced it has fined Georgia Tech $50,000 for a first violation of the league’s new event security policy after its fans stormed the field following Saturday’s 24-21 upset win over No. 12 Clemson. Per the new policy, all fines accrued will go to the ACC’s Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholarship Fun.

Georgia Tech scored the first 13 points of the game before Clemson stormed back to take a 14-13 lead in the third quarter. The game was eventually tied at 21 and without any timeouts in the final seconds of regulation, head coach Brent Key timed Georgia Tech’s fire drill perfectly to upset the Tigers inside Bobby Dodd Stadium.

“Georgia Tech is a special place,” Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key said after the game. “It’s a special place You know to see the student body the way they’ve come out and supported it’s now for you know, this being the third year and to be to be behind this team. That’s part of what all is wrapped up inside of me right now.”

During the matchup, Georgia Tech’s veteran QB Haynes King led the charge with both his arm and his legs to help Georgia Tech pull off the upset. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 211 yards in the air while leading the Yellow Jackets with 25 carries, 101 yards and a touchdown on the ground. As a group, Georgia Tech ran for 147 yards.

Clemson, meanwhile, put up 381 yards of offense – including 174 rushing yards. However, the Tigers lost the turnover battle as Cade Klubnik threw an interception and lost a fumble. Klubnik completed 15 of 26 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown, while also adding 62 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.

According to the ACC’s new policy, the fine structure for fan-storming starts at $50,000 for the first offense, then $100,000 for the second. From there, it goes to $200,000 for any subsequent offenses over a rolling two-year period.

This is the second fine that the ACC has handed out this season. The first came during Florida State‘s 31-17 win over Alabama during Week 1. The Seminoles were slapped with the $50,000 fine in the following days.

For Clemson, Saturday’s loss marks a second loss in the first three weeks of the season after falling to LSU in the opener. The preseason favorite in the ACC now faces questions heading into Week 4 against Syracuse.

As for Georgia Tech, it’s another grind-it-out victory after the Yellow Jackets took down Colorado in Week 1. Brent Key’s group is now 3-0 with Temple awaiting in Week 4, and the rushing attack is once again leading the charge.

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.