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Jackets Earn Primetime Win Over NC State

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Final Stats (.html) | Final Stats (.pdf) | Postgame Notes | Postgame Quotes | Multimedia | Photo Gallery

THE FLATS — Sophomore Jordan Mason matched a career high with 141 rushing yards, redshirt freshman James Graham accounted for 241 yards of offense and four touchdowns and true freshman Ahmarean Brown caught two touchdown passes to lead Georgia Tech to a 28-26 triumph over NC State on Thursday evening at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Georgia Tech raced out to a 21-3 halftime lead and led 28-10 late in the third quarter, then held off a late NC State rally to earn the hard-fought victory.

The Yellow Jackets’ offense was explosive from the get-go, as they started the game with a 54-yard pass from Graham to sophomore Malachi Carter on the very first play of the game, and took the 18-point halftime advantage on the strength of three touchdown passes by Graham — 17- and 11-yarders to Brown and a 13-yarder to sophomore Tobias Oliver. In the process, Brown tied the school’s freshman record for touchdown catches in a season (7 — matching the record set by Calvin Johnson in 2004) while Graham pulled within one of the school record for touchdown passes by a freshman (11 – one short of the record of 12 set by Shawn Jones in 1989).

Graham added a rushing touchdown with 5:08 to go in the third quarter that extended Georgia Tech’s lead back to 18 points at 28-10 but NC State scored a field goal and two touchdowns on its next three possessions, the final touchdown coming with 5:17 to go in the game to cut the Yellow Jackets’ lead to 28-26. On the Wolfpack’s ensuing two-point conversion try, Georgia Tech senior defensive back Christian Campbell pressured NC State quarterback Devin Leary on a blitz, forcing Leary’s pass to sail harmlessly out of the back of the end zone and maintaining Tech’s two-point lead.

That would be the final time NC State would touch the ball, as on the Jackets’ ensuing possession, Mason and Graham combined to rush eight times for 38 yards, converting two third downs along the way to milk the final 5:17 off the clock and seal the victory.

Mason’s career-high-tying 141 yards came on 22 carries (6.4 avg.). Graham’s 241 yards of total offense included 129 through the air and a career-high 112 on the ground.

Defensively, Georgia Tech was led by junior linebacker David Curry (11 tackles) and redshirt freshman defensive end Jordan Domineck, who amassed a career-high 10 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

Georgia Tech returns to Bobby Dodd Stadium in nine days for the 114th edition of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate versus archrival Georgia. Kickoff is set for noon on Saturday, Nov. 30.

On Thursday night, Ahmarean Brown (left) matched Georgia Tech’s freshman record for receiving touchdowns with his sixth and seventh TDs of the season while James Graham (right) pulled within one of the school’s freshman record for TD passes by upping his season total to 11.

 

 

Postgame Notes

Team

  • Georgia Tech moved to 20-10 all-time vs. NC State.
  • Georgia Tech became the first home team to win in the GT-NCSU series since the Yellow Jackets beat the Wolfpack, 29-21, on Oct. 4, 2003 at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The visiting team had won the last six games in the series.
  • Georgia Tech moved to 19-4 against its rotating opponents from the ACC Atlantic Division since the league began divisional play in 2005.
  • Georgia Tech snapped a four-game losing streak in Thursday night ACC games at Bobby Dodd Stadium with its first win in a Thursday night conference home game since it beat Clemson, 30-27, on Sept. 10, 2009.
  • Georgia Tech’s 28 points matched a season high (prev.: 28 at Miami, Oct. 19; at Virginia, Nov. 9).
  • Georgia Tech’s 395 yards were a season high (prev.: 379 at Duke, Oct. 12).
  • Georgia Tech’s 54-yard pass from r-Fr. QB James Graham to So. WR Malachi Carter on the first play of the game matched the Yellow Jackets’ second-longest play of the year (long: 59-yd pass from Graham to Fr. WR Ahmarean Brown at Virginia, Nov. 9).
  • Georgia Tech’s 48-yard run by So. RB Jordan Mason on the Yellow Jackets’ second offensive series of the game was GT’s longest running play of the season (prev.: 43 by Mason vs. North Carolina, Oct. 5).
  • Georgia Tech had two 100-yard rushers in the same game (So. RB Jordan Mason – 141 yds. and r-Fr. QB James Graham – 112 yds.) for the first time since Oct. 5, 2018 at Louisville (QB TaQuon Marshall – 173 yds. and QB Tobias Oliver – 103 yds.).

Individual Notes

  • Georgia Tech r-Fr. QB James Graham had a career-high three touchdown passes (17 yds. to Fr. WR Ahmarean Brown, 13 yds. to So. WR Tobias Oliver and 11 yds. to Brown), the most by a Yellow Jacket since TaQuon Marshall had three vs. Jacksonville State on Sept. 9, 2017, the most by a Jacket against an NCAA Division I FBS opponent since Justin Thomas had three vs. Virginia on Nov. 1, 2014 and the most by a Georgia Tech freshman since Reggie Ball had three vs. North Carolina on Nov. 15, 2003.
  • Graham’s three touchdown passes give him 11 for the season, which moved him within one of the Georgia Tech freshman record of 12 touchdown passes, set by Shawn Jones in 1989.
  • Graham accounted for four total touchdowns (three passing, one rushing), the most by a Yellow Jacket since Marshall accounted for four vs. Virginia Tech on Nov. 11, 2017.
  • Graham also rushed for a career-high 112 yards (prev.: 48 vs. North Carolina, Oct. 5).
  • Graham is the first Yellow Jacket to pass and rush for 100 yards in the same game since Oliver vs. North Carolina on Oct. 3, 2018 (120 rushing, 104 passing).
  • Graham’s 129 passing yards gave him 1,124 yards for the season, making him the first Georgia Tech quarterback to throw for 1,000 yards in a single season since Justin Thomas in 2016 (1,559 yds.) and the first Tech freshman to accomplish the feat since Ball in 2003 (1,996 yds.).
  • Brown had two touchdown receptions (17 and 11 yds.), giving him seven for the season, which matches the Georgia Tech freshman record originally set by Calvin Johnson in 2004.
  • Georgia Tech So. Jordan Mason rushed for 141 yards, good for the third 100-yard rushing game of his career. All three of his 100-yard games have come in the past six games (106 at Duke, Oct. 12; 141 at Miami, Oct. 19).
  • Mason’s 48-yard run in the first quarter was the longest of his career (prev.: 46 at USF, Sept. 8, 2018).
  • Georgia Tech So. WR Malachi Carter’s 54-yard reception on the first play of the game was the longest of his career (prev.: 32 vs. Duke, Oct. 13, 2018).
  • Georgia Tech So. WR/QB Tobias Oliver’s 13-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter was the first touchdown catch of his career. Just 23 games into his collegiate career, Oliver has now accounted for touchdowns by rushing (14), passing (2) and receiving (1).
  • Georgia Tech r-Fr. DE Jordan Domineck set career highs with 10 tackles (prev.: 7 at Virginia, Nov. 9) and 1.5 tackles for loss (prev.: 1.0 at Miami, Oct. 19).
Jordan Mason’s 141 rushing yards versus NC State matched a career high set earlier this season in Georgia Tech’s 28-21 win at Miami.

 

 

Multimedia

ACC Digital Network Highlights (Video)

Georgia Tech Sports Network from Learfield IMG College Highlights (Audio)

Georgia Tech Head Coach Geoff Collins Postgame Press Conference (Video)

Georgia Tech Student-Athletes Postgame Press Conference (Video)

Georgia Tech Head Coach Geoff Collins Postgame Press Conference (Audio)

Best of ESPN Analyst Pat McAfee at Georgia Tech

Celebrating The Win

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