Georgia Tech Football: 2014 Top 10 Plays - #5: Jamal Golden Flips the Script with a Pick-Six

For the next two weeks, From The Rumble Seat will be bringing you the top 10 plays of the 2014 season from the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team. There were plenty to choose from in such a spectacular season, but these are the ones we feel made the cut. Feel free to leave your opinions and let us know at the end if you feel some plays were left out, and maybe we can have an honorable mentions post.

#5 on our list for the top 10 plays from the 2014 season is an interception by Jamal Golden that completely changed the momentum of the game against the Clemson Tigers. The Georgia Tech offense had looked a bit lost so far against the exceptional Clemson defense, and the Tigers had been moving the ball effortlessly with Deshaun Watson at quarterback. Unfortunately for Watson, he suffered another brutal injury, and Cole Stoudt was called upon to handle duties under center. In a 3-0 game late in the 1st quarter, Golden made a play that ignited the Tech players and fans and began a dominating performance that led to a signature win for the Jackets in 2014.

The Play: On 3rd and 4, Clemson lines up in a set that Golden had apparently found was only used to throw a screen pass. Stoudt rolls out and lobs up the screen to the left side that Golden had anticipated, and he comes flying into the air to pick the ball off and return it all the way to the end zone for an 85-yard pick six to put the Jackets up 6-3. The play may not have looked all that spectacular, and most just assume it was a stupid play by Stoudt,  but it was a complete showcase of film study and field awareness by Golden to come running up to make a play like that from the safety position. If Golden guesses wrong, the secondary is wide open for an easy touchdown. If you remember it like I do, at that point in the game, the team had looked really bad, and there wasn't much optimism flying around about how the Jackets would be able to put up points against Clemson. This play completely shifted the momentum and changed the way everyone looked at the game. It's easily one of my favorite moments at Bobby Dodd in 2014.

Hopefully we'll see some more huge plays from the senior playmaking safety in 2015.

Here's two different angles of the play. The field view is great because of the excitement from the sideline during the return.

What do you think of this play? Is it ranked too high? Too low?