It took no less than 30 minutes for the first bad beat of the 2024 college football season. Florida State kicked a lengthy field goal as time expired in the second quarter that completely shifted a significant sports betting outcome.
We are SO back!
The Seminoles jumped out to an early 8-0 lead on the first drive of the game. Georgia Tech answered with a touchdown on its first offensive possession. Neither team scored again during the first quarter.
Here is where fifth-year senior kicker Ryan Fitzgerald comes into the equation. He banged a 52-yarder to put Florida State up by four with 11 minutes left in the half, but the Yellow Jackets went 75 yards on 14 plays in seven minutes and 53 seconds to take back the lead— by three.
A back-and-forth battle continued on the next possession. D.J. Uiagalelei struggled to get anything going, again, and Florida State’s offense stalled out around midfield right before halftime.
Now that you’re all caught up on the low-scoring college football affair, let’s get into the bad beat…
Sportsbooks set the point total for the first half in Ireland at O/U 27.5. 25 points were already on the board when Fitzgerald trotted out with exactly one second on the clock and lined up for a 59-yard field goal. A miss cashed the ‘1H Under.’ A make cashed the ‘1H Over.’
Fitzgerald ripped it right down the middle to tie the game at 14!
Sports bettors who took the Over were thrilled. Those who took the Under were sick.
Fitzgerald’s kick would’ve been good from at least 63. It was a no-doubter.
All he cared about was putting his team in the best position to win. A kicker was just doing his job. Little did he know, the college football gambling folk at home were collectively sweating out the kick because of the point total!