ATLANTA- It took every second of Georgia Tech’s final home game against NC State, but the Jackets pulled out a 30-29 win behind a game-winning touchdown drive by freshman quarterback Aaron Philo and a missed 59-yard field goal by Collin Smith attempt at the end of regulation to pull out the win. The Jackets finished the season undefeated in Bobby Dodd Stadium for the first time since 1999.
Philo played the majority of the game after Haynes King started it. He threw for 265 yards on 19-33 passing with one interception and no passing touchdowns. Philo had the game-winning touchdown run on the final offensive drive of the game. That touchdown came after NC State took the lead on a CJ Bailey touchdown run and two-point conversion 29-23 with 1:30 left in the game.
“We had 90 seconds with a timeout and my message was let’s go play. The thing with Aaron is he is a very focused young man, when it is time to go he says let’s go, they played two-man and they turned their back to the QB and he was able to pick up two big runs,” Key said. “I’m proud of him and he gave it up on the last one.”
Philo’s final drive was capped by two 18-yard runs including the winning touchdown run that put the Jackets over 100 yards rushing on the day.
“It kind of takes me back to childhood and you have the basketball goal and practice the game-winning shot. It was a moment I dreamt of and to finally be in that moment was something I have dreamed of,” Philo said. “It was cover-two man- coverage with two high safeties and everyone else was in man and they didn’t have anyone for me and I just ran it.”
Receiver Eric Singleton Jr. had five catches for 106 yards to led the receivers for the Jackets. Bailey Stockton, Philo’s high school teammate hauled in five catches for 54 yards as well including key catches on the final drives of the game.
“It was a good win, all wins are good wins. We kept fighting and scrapping and we found a way at the end to get what we needed. Bailey had some big catches as did Eric and defensively we played pretty well, but we gave up some explosives. We created some turnovers and scored on one. Aidan knocked in some field goals from the spot that has been a tough area for him on the right in the 32-33-yard area. You look through the stats, what matters is we came out with the win for our seniors. We won every game at home and I’m proud of our seniors and glad we could send them out like that,” Key said.
King said the comeback win is a sign of how tough Georgia Tech is especially after three second half drives yielded a pair of punts and a Philo interception in the end zone after the Jackets started on a short field in the fourth quarter.
“It shows the kind of grit we have. We were up and stalling out on offense and not converting in the red zone and the grit and maturity of the team showed and we got a touchdown when we needed it the most,” King said.
The Wolfpack bottled up Tech’s run game holding the Jackets’ duo of Jamal Haynes and Chad Alexander to a combined 16 carries for 45 yards and no touchdowns. King was ineffective as well running 18 yards on nine carries.
The Jackets’ defense carried things in the first three quarters giving the Jackets a short field on an interception by Romello Height that was returned to the three to set up King’s touchdown run and a pick-six by linebacker E.J. Lightsey.
Tech's defense held NC State to 197 yards on 40 plays before giving up 203 yards in the final quarter.
“The last three or four games he has really gotten into a groove and played the pass rush well,” Key said. “He has been in the system for a year and he has had the same coaching and Kyle Pope is a heck of a coach. When you rep something for three weeks you won’t be as good as three months. He has a couple of different pass rush moves and not everything is a sack and you have to set things up. He is relentless with how he plays.”
On senior night, linebacker Trenilyas Tatum was fired up in the game and had two solo tackles and his first career interception.
“This is a night I’ve been manifesting since the season started and going out with all wins at home was something I was looking forward to all year,” Tatum said. “It was unexplainable and I knew it was coming in this game and I felt it.
Transfer linebacker Lightsey's pick-six in the first quarter to give the Jackets their first lead of the game.
Bailey threw for 147 yards and three interceptions but did most of his damage on the ground rushing for three touchdowns on nine carries for 83 yards.
The Wolfpack did their damage on the ground with 253 yards rushing on 29 rushes. Running backs Hollywood Smothers and Kendrick Raphael combined for 16 rushes for 162 yards and one touchdown.
Birr was three-for-three on field goals from 44, 41, and 45 yards out. Key said that Birr turned the corner a few weeks ago after a rough start to the season.
“The last four weeks he came out of his slump. He said it, he was struggling and in a slump and it is not one of those things you don’t talk to him. He isn’t a pitcher throwing a no-hitter. We had the whole team circle around him in a practice a few weeks ago and he missed a couple and then started hitting them and that got him going. His confidence is back and it kept popping at the 32-yard line at the right hash that was his Achilles heel and he kept knocking them back,” Key said.
Punter David Shanahan put two of his five punts inside the 20 and gave up zero return yardage in the game.
DRIVE BY DRIVE
NC State won the toss and deferred and the opening kickoff was a touchback. Malik Rutherford took a screen pass five yards on first down and Jamal Haynes ran for two yards on second down setting up a Haynes King QB draw for a first down. Eric Singleton Jr. caught a screen and advanced to the LOS. Haynes ran for a few years and then NC State was called for a facemask to move the ball to the NCST43. King threw a short pass to Chad Alexander on the next play for two yards to the NCST41. Aaron Philo threw a deep shot for Singleton that was ruled an incomplete pass. Malik Rutherford was thrown to the ground on pass to him from behind with no flag to force fourth and 8 at the NCST41. David Shanahan after a Tech delay of game had his punt fair caught at the NST16.
Sylvain Yondjouen stuffed Hollywood Smothers on first down and CJ Bailey couldn’t connect with Noah Rogers on second down setting up third and long. Smothers was stopped after eight yards on a screen to set up a punt. Bailey Stockton fair caught the 40-yard punt at the GT36.
Singleton lost three yards on a long handoff on first down. Bailey Stockton caught a deflected pass for five yards to set up third and 8 for the Jackets. An illegal snap penalty on Weston Franklin moved the Jackets back to their own 33. Philo hit Avery Boyd for six yards and the Jackets went three and out. Shanahan’s punt was downed at the NCST27.
Lightsey had a pick six on the first play of the drive when he blew up the mesh, pressure CJ Bailey and forced an errant pass that he returned 21 yards for a touchdown. Aidan Birr hit the PAT to put Georgia Tech up 7-0 on NC State.
After a touchback, Bailey was pressured on first down by JJ van den Berg and Joshua Robinson deflected his pass. His second down pass to KC Concepcion went for six yards. A third down pass for Dacari Collins resulted in a pass interference on LaMiles Brooks giving the Wolfpack a first down at the NCST46. Tah’j Butler chased down Kendrick Raphael for no gain on first down. A screen to Justin Joly yielded just three yards to near midfield and Bailey converted on third down with a 14-yard pass to Collins to the GT37. Smothers picked up a first down on the next play with a 15-yard rush to the GT22. A double reverse to Concepcion picked up three yards to the GT19. Jordan Waters ran for three yards to the GT16 to set up third and four at the GT16. That tied the game at 7 after a PAT with 2:27 left in the half.
Following a touchback, Philo couldn’t connect with Singleton on first down. A 35-yard screen pass to Jackson Hawes got mostly wiped out by a penalty the Jackets had a first down at the GT35, changing it to a 20-yard pass and 15-yard penalty. Haynes picked up three yards on first down to the GT38. King ran for 16 yards on the next play to the NCST46. Haynes ran for one yard on the next play to end the first quarter. Haynes took the first play of the second quarter 12 yards to the NCST33. A reverse to Singleton lost two yards on first down. Haynes got it back to the LOS and then Philo ran for seven yards on a QB draw on third down to set up a field goal attempt from 44 yards out. Birr hit the field goal to make it 10-7 Georgia Tech with 12:29 left in the half.
Smothers ran for seven yards on first down, but Powell-Lee broke up the second down pass for Keenan Jackson and on third down, Trenilyas Tatum on a free blitz batted down Bailey’s pass to force a punt. Bailey Stockton fielded the 37-yard punt at the GT31 and returned it two yards to the GT33.
Philo hit Avery Boyd for four yards on first down to the GT37. Alexander on second down ran for a short gain, but an illegal hands to the face gave Tech 15 yards to the NCST42. King ran for four yards and Philo hit Bailey Stockon on a quick pass for three yards to set up third and 3 at the NCST39. Philo picked up the first down on a QB draw to the NCST36. Haynes lost one yard on the next play. Boyd caught a nine-yard pass and run on the next play on a crossing route. Haynes ran for three yards to the NCST22 on first down. King was sacked on third down for a six-yard loss. Birr hit a 41-yard field goal to put the Jackets up 13-7 with 5:15 remaining in the half.
After a 22-yard kickoff return by DK Kaufman the Pack started at their own 22. After a good tackle by Powell-Lee on first down on Waters, Waters picked up 24 yards on a pass out of the backfield for a first down. Ahmari Harvey defended a deep shot to Wesley Grimes on the next play. Rodney Shelley stopped a pass to Kendrick Raphael after six yards setting up another third down. Harvey stuck Bailey on the sideline short of the first down to set up fourth and three. State used their first timeout with 2:20 left in the half. Yondjouen broke up the third down pass jumping up and deflecting the ball into the ground for a turnover on downs.
Taking over at the GT46, Haynes ran for one yard on first down taking it to the two-minute timoout. Philo hit Stockton for 12 yards and a first down at the NCST41. Haynes was bottled up for no gain on the next play. A check down to Haynes by Philo picked up seven yards. Philo ran for one yard on a QB keeper to set up fourth and two a the NCST33. The Wolfpack used their second timeout with 58 seconds left. Philo’s pass was batted down for a turnover on downs.
Bailey scrambled for three yards on first down and then Bailey hit Waters for a first down on a seven yards pass. Tatum jumped the first down pass and intercepted it the ball returning it to the GT45.
Philo overthrew Boyd on first down and then his Hail Mary went out of bounds to end the half.
Birr’s second half kickoff sailed through the end zone for a touchback. Joly caught a short pass for five yards on first down, but a screen to Rogers yielded a loss on a TFL by Thomas Gore. The third down screen to Collins was stuffed by Brooks for no gain to force a three and out and punt. Stockton fair caught the 41-yard punt at the GT30.
Haynes ran for one yard on first down and Philo hit Singleton for a first down at the GT43 on a 12-yard pass. Haynes picked up just one yard on first down and Philo threw away the second down pass on the run. Haynes was called for a false start on third down to make it 3rd and 14. Philo couldn’t connect with Singleton on third down to force a punt. Shanahan’s punt was fair caught at the NCST15.
Waters ran for six yards on first down. Makius Scott batted the second down pass down. Waters picked up the first down on the next play to the NCST21, 12-yard pass from Bailey. Bailey hit Grimes for a short gain on first down for four yards. Bailey was sacked on the next play by Kyle Efford. Efford chased down Jackson on third down to force a punt after a six yard gain. Stockton fair caught the punt at the GT12 on a 46-yard punt.
Haynes King returned at quarterback for the next drive. Stockton picked up four yards on a jet-sweep on first down. King ran for three yards to set up third and three and Philo returned for the next play. Philo hit Singleton on a 49-yard pass to the NCST32. Haynes ran for no gain on first down. Philo ran for four yards on second down sliding early and then threw a pass too hard for Hawes on third down to force a 45-yard field goal by Birr to put the Jackets up 16-7.
Birr’s kickoff sailed through the end zone for a touchback to put the Pack at their own 25. Bailey hit Concepcion for nine yards on the first play of the drive. Hamilton and van den Berg dropped Raphael on second down but he converted on third down to the NCST44 on a 10-yard run. Bailey sidestepped on a sack on the next play and picked up three yards to the NCST47. Raphael ran for 19 yards on the next play sidestepping a blitzing safety. Raphael picked up six yards on the next run to end the third quarter. Bailey ran for a 28-yard touchdown to open the fourth quarter to make it 16-14 Georgia Tech.
After a touchback, the Jackets started at their own 25 with Philo at quarterback. Philo hit Boyd for 23 yards on first down to the GT48. King came into the game and fumbled the snap for an eight yard loss. Philo had to throw the ball away under pressure on the next play to set up third and 18. Philo hit Stockton for 19 yards to give the Jackets a first down after a review reversed a bad spot on the field. Haynes ran for three yards on the next play to the NCST39. After a GT timeout, Philo took a deep shot for Boyd in the end zone that he couldn’t haul in on second down. Philo couldn’t connect with Chase Lane and GT was forced to punt. Shanahan’s punt was a line drive that rolled into the end zone for a touchback.
State started at their own 20 with 11:25 left in the game. LaMiles Brooks had a four-yard TFL on first down. Tech sniffed out the screen on second down and van den Berg broke up the pass in the backfield. Bailey was chased out of the backfield for no gain and Tech declined a hold on the Pack to force a punt. Stockton fair caught the 53-yard punt at the GT30.
Philo hit Stockton for 16 yards on the first down pass to the GT46. Alexander ran to midfield on the next play. Philo hit Singleton on a 38-yard pass to the NCST12. Alexander ran for three yards on the next play to the NCST9. Philo was intercepted in the end zone by Bishop Fitzgerald who returned the ball to the NCST18.
Tatum tackled Joly after a short gain on first down. Bailey overthrew his receiver on second down on a vertical shot into double coverage. Romello Height intercepted the third down pass and returned it to the NCST3.
King scored on the first touch of the drive to make it 23-14 Georgia Tech with 6:40 left in the game after the Birr PAT.
State after a Birr touchback started at their own 25. Concepcion picked up six yards on first down. Raphael ran for 13 yards and Kyle Efford was called for targeting but it was overruled by the ACC office and State had the ball at their own 44. Bailey ran for 31 yards on the next play on a scramble to the GT25. Raphael lost one yard on first down and then ran for 25 yards on the next play to the GT1. Tech had to burn a timeout as they had the wrong personnel on the field. Bailey scored on first down with 4:07 left in the game.
Tech started the next drive at the GT25 after a touchback. King ran for no gain on first down. Philo hit Singleton for seven yards on second down to set up third and 3 form the GT32. Philo underthrew Lane on third down under pressure for a three and out. Shanahan’s punt rolled dead at the NCST28 with 2:30 left in the game.
Bailey hit Rogers for 11 yards and a first down. Smothers ran for five yards to the NCST45 to send the game to the two-minute timeout. Smothers ran for two yards and then Smothers scored on the next play on a 53-yard touchdown run. Bailey scored on a two-point conversion to make it 29-23 NC State.
The ensuing kickoff was a touchback. Philo hit Lane for six yards and then Haynes for two yards to set up third and two at the GT33. Philo ran for the first down to the GT39. Haynes caught a pass for 17 yards to the NCST45 and then one for eight yards to the NCST38. Philo scrambled for 18 yards to the NCST18 and the Wolfpack called a defensive timeout. Philo ran for 18 yards and a touchdown with 22 seconds left to put the Jackets back on top after a PAT 30-29.
Birr’s squib kick was returned to the NCST31 with 17 seconds left. Collins caught a 28 yard pass on first down to the GT41. The pass to Rogers was broken up by Harvey to set up the final play of the game at the GT41. The Wolfpack lined up for a 59-yard field goal and Key called a timeout. The field goal was no good.
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