Georgia Tech Football: Big Takeaways From Yellow Jackets Win Over NC State

Yellow Jackets hold off a late rally by NC State

EJ Lightsey Pick-Six / Photo Via Arvon Bacon (SI)

Georgia Tech improved to 7-4 on Thursday night and got contributions from all over. Bailey Stockton put together a great performance finishing with five catches for 54 yards and a key third down conversion on 3rd and 18. Although it wasn’t pretty, a win is a win at the end of the day. Here are some key takeaways from the win over the Wolfpack.

1. Georgia Tech finishes games- No it was not pretty on Thursday night but this team has a clutch gene to it. There have been a number of plays the team has made this season with the game on the line. Go back to the North Carolina win when Jamal Haynes finished the game with a walk-off 68-yard touchdown. In the upset win over then-No. 4 Miami, Romello Height gets the strip sack and Jordan Van De Berg recovers the fumble. Eric Singleton ends the game on a first down after receiving a touch pass to bleed out the clock. Against NC State after the Wolfpack took the lead, true freshman Aaron Philo marched his team down the field and capped off the drive with an 18-yard rushing touchdown with 22 seconds to go. Every time you look this team makes plays to clinch victory out of the jaws of defeat. 

2. Defense puts together an elite performance in the first half- The Yellow Jackets held NC State to just seven points at the half and only gave up an average of 4.8 yards per play. They also held CJ Bailey to 6-14 passing for 64 yards in the first half and forced two interceptions. They had the true freshman quarterback rattled. The ground game was also nonexistent at that point as the Wolfpack rushed for less than 50 yards. The defense also forced two three-and-outs and a turnover on downs. Sylvain Yondjouen had a big first half and made his presence felt with a tackle for loss and also a PBU on the 4th and 2 that halted NC State's drive in the game

3. Linebackers put on a show- Trenilyas Tatum recorded his first interception of his career when he jumped a route and read the quarterback perfectly right before the half. It doomed any chance NC State had at cutting into the lead. Tatum talked about how good it felt to get his first-ever interception on senior night. 

“It’s really unexplainable. I knew it was coming this game though. I woke up this morning and said I am getting one,” said Tatum 

EJ Lightsey also had the first interception and interception returned for a touchdown in his career. He gave the Yellow Jackets their opening score of the game. At first, it looked like a fumble but he timed it up perfectly by creating penetration in the backfield and making a play on the ball and returning it for the score. It came at a key point in the game giving the Yellow Jackets momentum and a lead early in the 1st half. 

LB Jackson Hamilton led the Yellow Jackets with five tackles in the first half. He finished second with the most tackles with six including three solo tackles. Throughout the first half, he was fitting in the gaps and stuffing the running backs in their tracks. It was an all-around good game for him and one of his best of the season. 

4. Offense struggles most of the night- It was a rough night throughout for the Yellow Jackets on offense. It seemed like every time they came up with a big play the offense would go backwards whether it was a negative play or a penalty. The offense really struggled in the first half averaging only 3.6 yards per play. Another alarming sight was the dropped passes the Yellow Jackets had on the night. The big plays were there but the Georgia Tech receivers couldn’t quite reel them in. Avery Boyd had a sure touchdown late in the third and Eric Singleton had the Yellow Jackets on the goalline in the first quarter but couldn’t quite control it when he came to the ground. However, they both made up for it later in the game. Georgia Tech also struggled on third down going just 5-14 on the night. The rushing attack was also limited as the Yellow Jackets had only 119 yards averaging 3.3 yards per carry. Philo led the team with 57 yards rushing on the night with 8.1 yards per carry. Even with the struggles, there is a silver lining. The team made plays when they needed to in the clutch. When you have that and a team that is battle-tested, you feel pretty good about where you are headed. 

5. Clayton Powell-Lee puts together a great performance- Powell-Lee had a signature performance on Thursday night against NC State. He finished with a team-high eight tackles on the night and was moved all around the field. Powell-Lee played in the slot covering Kevin Concepcion and shutting him down. Concepcion was limited to three catches for 21 yards. He also rotated to safety and was coming downhill and making plays in the run game on the opposing running backs and also being a last line of defense when the tailbacks squeezed through a hole preventing big gains. An area where Georgia Tech struggled in this game, especially in the fourth quarter was missed tackles. Powell-Lee was one of the best tacklers on the night. Throughout the game, Powell-Lee showed his versatility and was one of the best players on the field on Thursday night. He deserves kudos for his great performance and his constant ability to make plays.

Additional Links:

After Beating NC State, Georgia Tech Now Aims to Knock The Georgia Bulldogs Out of The Playoff Race

Georgia Tech Football: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly From Georgia Tech's Win Over NC State

Georgia Tech Football: Everything From Yellow Jackets Head Coach Brent Key After Wild Win vs NC State