Jackets Face North Carolina State On A Thursday Night Matchup in Atlanta
Tech Hopes To Maintain Momentum After Giving Miami A U-turn In A Dramatic 28-23 Homecoming Upset
Nobody thought Georgia Tech could hang with Miami, what with Tech's QB Haynes King nursing a three -week old shoulder injury. But theYellow Jackets showed up and showed out and further enhanced Brent Keys rep as a giant killer.
The recipe for the win , per Chef Key was simple--
"Run the ball", said Tech's head coach.
Miami couldn't have been surprised. Could they? Haynes King was not going to be tossing the pigskin deep to anyone. On the several occasions where even mid-range throws might be needed, in came freshman Aaron Philo– who had pretty decent success, as in five complete on 10 throws, for a touchdown and no interceptions.
King, meanwhile, was productive as usual with his piece of the rushing attack, going for 93 yards on 20 carries. His teammate , RB Jamal Haynes gathered a quick 83 yards on just three carries before leaving the game early with an undisclosed injury.
By hook or crook, Tech scored 28 points and held off Miami in the 4th quarter. With that big win, Tech has earned bowl eligibility with their 6-4 record. Now they go for victory number seven against the Wolfpack– which would be the first time since 2018 ( under Paul Johnson) that they have gotten to seven wins in the regular season.
NC State comes in with a 5-5 record. They share two common opponents with Georgia Tech. Syracuse beat both Tech and the Wolfpack. NC State also fell to Duke, whom Tech beat on October 5.
NC State's loss to Duke came in their most recent game, the same day Tech whipped Miami.
And now what? In the past few years, the Jackets have had difficulty building momentum after a big win. Last year and so far in 2024, Tech has been able to win two consecutive games only a few times.
Brent Key has great respect for Dave Doeren's team from Raleigh, a program he sees with some similarities to his own.
That includes their quarteback , CJ Bailey, a 6'6 freshman who has been coming on of late. Against Duke he was 16 of 39 for 184 yards, with one score and one interception. He also ran for 36 yards on 10 carries.
Meanwhile, Georgia Tech's offensive effectiveness has hinged squarely on the run game– which in turn, depends heavily on the play of QB Haynes King.
If King and Jamal Haynes can run effectively against NC State, Tech will prevail. If not, though, it could be the Wolfpack celebrating on a brisk November evening in Atlanta.
A win for Tech would assure a seven win regular season and yield a chance to take the team higher on Brent Key's second full year at the helm.
A crisp clear night is forecast for this prime ACC contest on Thursday night at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Tech's downtown Atlanta campus.
Patrick Conarro
RamblinSports.com