After trailing by two scores at halftime, the Cardinal unleashed a three-touchdown blitz behind Warren's 396-yard clinic to stun the shorthanded Yellow Jackets in a historic clash.
Down 20-10 at halftime, Stanford scored on three straight second-half drives to beat Georgia Tech 34-27 and win the first regular-season meeting between the teams.
Trailing by 10 points at the break isn't where Stanford wanted to be Saturday night against Georgia Tech. It's not where the Cardinal stayed, either.
Davis Warren threw for a career-high 396 yards and three touchdowns, completing 22-of-36 passes, and Stanford scored touchdowns on three consecutive drives after halftime to turn a 20-10 deficit into a 34-27 win at Stanford Stadium.
Georgia Tech running back Justice Haynes made an impact, particularly in the first half, finishing with 18 carries for 107 yards on the ground. It was Trelain Maddox who found the end zone twice, catching a touchdown pass from quarterback Alberto Mendoza in the first quarter, then breaking off a 20-yard rushing score in the second to put the Yellow Jackets ahead.
It marked the third straight game Maddox had produced both a rushing and a receiving touchdown, a first in Georgia Tech's 134-season history.
Stanford's response came in waves in the second half. Warren connected with wide receiver Caden High for a 49-yard score to tie the game at 20 early in the third quarter, then engineered a 12-play, 68-yard drive that ate more than five minutes off the clock before he hit Nico Brown for a 33-yard touchdown on fourth-and-11, putting the Cardinal ahead 27-20.
Warren found High again for a 7-yard score early in the fourth quarter.
Georgia Tech answered late, with Mendoza finding Jaiven Plummer for a touchdown to cut the deficit to seven, but Stanford's lead held from there.
There was context working against Georgia Tech beyond the scoreboard. The Yellow Jackets entered the game missing eight starters and 18 players total to injury, and their 431 total yards and 163 rushing yards were both season highs, despite the shorthanded roster.
Twelve penalties for 106 yards didn't help matters, with Georgia Tech's most flags in a game since a September win at Wake Forest.
The result also carries some history. It was the first regular-season meeting ever between the two programs, and Georgia Tech's previous edge in the all-time series, built on two bowl-game upsets, is now down to 2-1.
The loss dropped Georgia Tech to 1-3 for the first time since 2022 and cost the Yellow Jackets their ACC opener for the first time since 2023. Stanford, meanwhile, improves to 2-2 overall and 1-2 in ACC play, snapping its own two-game losing streak in a game that came down almost entirely to which team could finish drives after the break.
Warren's night was also a sharp turnaround from the 214 passing yards he managed without a touchdown in last week's loss at Duke, and it's the kind of performance the Cardinal will need to lean on again as ACC play continues.
