In the NC State football team’s first opportunity to gain bowl eligibility at home, the Wolfpack fell to No. 24 Georgia Tech by a lopsided score of 56-23 Saturday.
State had a promising start. After the Yellow Jackets (8-2, 5-2 ACC) struck first off of a 15-yard rush by redshirt sophomore quarterback Justin Thomas, the Pack (5-5, 1-5 ACC) responded with two unanswered scoring drives.
The Wolfpack’s first touchdown was highlighted by an agile scramble made by redshirt junior quarterback Jacoby Brissett. With the ball 15 yards from the end zone, Brissett flushed out of the pocket and dodged his way to the goal line. In an incredible display of athleticism, Brissett took flight at the one-yard line and was clipped by two Jackets defenders, who sent the quarterback spinning across the scoring plane. Senior Niklas Sade’s extra point was blocked, making the score 7-6 in favor of Georgia Tech.
On the ensuing Georgia Tech possession, Wolfpack true freshman Airius Moore came up with a huge play after stripping redshirt senior running back Synjyn Days. Redshirt junior Mike Rose recovered the fumble, giving Brissett and company the ball at the State 29-yard line.
Brissett again marched the Pack down to the Georgia Tech red zone before sophomore Matt Dayes flashed out of the backfield and scored a 17-yard touchdown run.
Just before the end of the first quarter, Georgia Tech’s triple-option offense struck again off a 53-yard blast up the middle for a touchdown by Days, giving the Jackets the lead once again at 14-13.
On the first drive of the second quarter, Carter-Finley Stadium witnessed perhaps the strangest sequence of events in the stadium’s 300-game history.
The Wolfpack offense started the drive by continuing the rhythm it had established in the first. On 2nd and Goal from 5-yard line, Brissett targeted redshirt senior receiver Bryan Underwood. The ball trailed behind the slanting Underwood, and was deflected off the heel of Underwood’s defender, redshirt junior Chris Milton. The ball then floated right into the hands of Georgia Tech’s redshirt senior linebacker Quayshawn Nealy. Nealy took off with the ball and raced 71 yards before Wolfpack freshman running back Jaylen Samuels tackled Nealy from behind and stripped him of the ball. Samuels recovered the fumble, giving the Pack the ball at its own 28-yard line. The wild play which featured two turnovers essentially made for a 67-yard loss for the NC State offense.
“I knew I would catch up to him eventually because [Nealy] was trying to juke and everything,” Samuels said. “I knew it was a big play. I just thought it was going to give us momentum after we recovered the fumble.”
After the bizarre recovery, Brissett threw a second interception. This time though, the Jackets would take the distance, making the score 21-13 Georgia Tech.
On the following drive, the Pack fell prey to the Georgia Tech turnover machine yet again. On 3rd and 5 at the NC State 26-yard line, redshirt junior linebacker Tyler Marcordes blew past the State offensive line untouched. Brissett, who noticed the attacking Marcordes, attempted to roll to the right and make something out of the broken play. Marcordes tackled Brissett from behind and caused the fumble that would result in the 43-yard scoop and score by Nealy.
“Within a minute and a half, there was a 14-point swing in the game with their defense scoring for them,” head coach Dave Doeren said. “That’s crazy right there, and obviously you don’t expect those types of things to happen.”
After another Georgia Tech touchdown late in the first half and a second field goal by Sade, the score was 35-16 in favor of the Yellow Jackets as the two sides entered the locker rooms.
The second half would prove to be even more disheartening, as NC State defense simply could not make a stop. The Jackets capped two unanswered scoring drives in the third quarter thanks to their efficient running game that consistently gained first downs. Georgia Tech added a third touchdown early in the fourth quarter, making the score 56-16.
The Pack added one last touchdown on its final drive of the game off of a 19-yard reception by redshirt sophomore David Grinnage. State’s touchdown would give the game its final score of 56-23.
Brissett was 18 for 35, throwing for 213 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Brissett also led the team in rushing, scrambling for 88 yards in nine attempts with one touchdown. Freshman wide receiver Bo Hines led the team in receiving, hauling in six catches for 70 yards. Georgia Tech’s Synjyn Days led his team in rushing, with 157 yards in 19 attempts with one touchdown. The Yellow Jackets as a whole rushed for 489 yards.
NC State will face off against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium at 3 p.m.
