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RALEIGH, N.C. – Missing 10 players from its “Above The Line” chart, Georgia Tech football outgained NC State by a 412-397 margin but couldn’t overcome a slow start in a 23-13 loss to the eight-win Wolfpack on Saturday night at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Georgia Tech (3-6, 3-5 ACC) was outgained 91-26 in the first quarter and fell behind 10-0 just one play into the second period. The Yellow Jackets went on to outgain the Wolfpack, 386-286, the rest of the way and pulled within one score twice — first at 10-3 on true freshman quarterback Jeff Sims’ career-long 34-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, then at 20-13 on the second of true freshman place kicker Gavin Stewart’s first two field goals of his career in the fourth quarter — but fell short of knocking off NC State (8-3, 7-3 ACC), which concluded its regular season with four-straight wins and finished 5-1 at home.
Junior wide receiver Adonicas Sanders headlined Tech’s 412-yard offensive effort with seven catches for 105 yards, both career highs. Junior running back Jordan Mason just missed registering his second-straight 100-yard game with 99 yards on the ground. Sims finished with 244 yards of total offense (151 passing and 93 rushing).
Senior linebacker David Curry led the Jackets’ depleted defense with a game-high 12 tackles, including two for loss. Making his first-career start, end Kyle Kennard had 1.5 sacks.
Georgia Tech’s 10 unavailable players from this week’s Above The Line chart included its leading rusher and receiver, freshman running back Jahmyr Gibbs, three defensive ends — defending ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week Jordan Domineck, Chico Bennett Jr. and Curtis Ryans — and two key cogs in its secondary in safety Kaleb Oliver and cornerback Tre Swilling.
Despite only having three ATL defensive ends and four safeties/nickel backs available for the contest, Tech held NC State to nearly nine points below its season average of 31.9 per game.
Georgia Tech has a short turnaround to its final home game of the season, Thursday night versus Pitt. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Bobby Dodd Stadium (TICKETS).
David Curry had 12 tackles to lead a depleted Georgia Tech defense that held NC State to 23 points, nearly nine below its season average of 31.9 (Jeff Sochko photo).
Team
- Georgia Tech fell to 3-6 on the season and 3-5 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
- Georgia Tech outgained NC State, 412-397, for the game. The Yellow Jackets outgained the Wolfpack, 386-306, over the final three quarters and 177-135 in the second half.
- Georgia Tech did not commit a turnover offensively for the second time this season (prev.: Oct. 9 vs. Louisville).
- Georgia Tech’s 10 third-down conversions were a season high (prev. 9 – last Saturday vs. Duke).
- Georgia Tech made two field goals, marking the first time that the Yellow Jackets have made multiple field goals in a game since they made four in a 30-27 OT win vs. Virginia on Nov. 17, 2018.
- Ten student-athletes on Georgia Tech’s Above The Line chart were unavailable for Saturday’s game – OL Kenny Cooper, TE Billy Ward, WR Marquez Ezzard, QB Tucker Gleason, RB Jahmyr Gibbs, DE Chico Bennett Jr., DE Jordan Domineck, DE Curtis Ryans, S Kaleb Oliver and CB Tre Swilling.
- Without those 10 student-athletes and the opt-out of Sr. DE Antonneous Clayton earlier this week, Georgia Tech was left with just three defensive ends available for Saturday’s game – true freshmen Jared Ivey and Kyle Kennard and senior Antwan Owens.
- Georgia Tech also only had four student-athletes available for three safety/nickel positions – senior Tariq Carpenter, junior Juanyeh Thomas and redshirt freshmen Derrik Allen and Wesley Walker.
Individual Notes
- Georgia Tech Jr. WR Adonicas Sanders caught seven passes for 105 yards, both career highs (prev. 5 receptions at Virginia, Nov. 9, 2019; 69 yards at Duke, Oct. 12 2019).
- Sanders is the first Yellow Jacket with 100 receiving yards in a game since A-back Clinton Lynch had 111 yards at USF on Sept. 8, 2018 and the first Tech wide receiver to accomplish the feat since Ricky Jeune had 103 yards at Virginia on Oct. 31, 2015.
- Georgia Tech Fr. QB Jeff Sims’ 34-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was the longest run of his career (prev.: 28 vs. Duke – last Saturday).
- Georgia Tech Fr. Gavin Stewart’s 26- and 22-yard field goals in the second half were the first field goals of his career.
- Georgia Tech Sr. LB David Curry had 12 tackles, marking the second-straight game and sixth time in his career that he has recorded double-digit tackles.
- Georgia Tech Fr. DE Kyle Kennard, who had no sacks coming into the game, recorded 1.5 sacks.
Jordan Mason ran for 99 yards, falling just short of his second-straight 100-yard game (Jeff Sochko photo).
Multimedia
Georgia Tech Postgame Press Conference
ACC Digital Network Highlights (Video)
Around Social Media
.@GeorgiaTechFB's @JeffSims_10 took OFF 💨 pic.twitter.com/c1WCuS53gF
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) December 5, 2020
Jeff Sims turned on the jets! ✈️@JeffSims_10 | @GeorgiaTechFB
📺: https://t.co/raKjsTXR4p pic.twitter.com/xc1rqxlNCI
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) December 5, 2020
