Jackets Suffer First Loss at NC StateJackets Suffer First Loss at NC State
Football

Jackets Suffer First Loss at NC State

Georgia Tech falls to 8-1 despite King's school-record 511 yards of total offense

Box Score

RALEIGH, N.C. – Despite a school-record 511 yards of total offense from quarterback Haynes King, No. 8/7 Georgia Tech suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday night, a 48-36 defeat at NC State.

King’s 511 yards of total offense (408 passing, 103 rushing) shattered Georgia Tech’s previous school record of 477, set by George Godsey versus Virginia in 2001. King’s 408 through the air (on 25-of-35 passing) were the fourth-most in school history, and the most by a Yellow Jacket since Godsey’s 486 vs. UVA in ’01.

However, despite King’s heroics and Tech’s 559 yards of total offense as a team, the Yellow Jackets fell for the first time this season. Led by quarterback C.J. Bailey’s 374 yards of total offense and running back Duke Scott’s 196 yards on the ground, NC State rolled up 583 yards of its own to claim victory in Saturday night’s shootout.

Despite only punting once, Georgia Tech was unable to keep pace with the Wolfpack, due in large part to having to settle for three field goals, including two in the red zone, while NC State scored six touchdowns in its 10 possessions.

A key sequence came midway through the game when the Jackets were held to field-goal attempts on three-straight offensive series (final possession of the first half and first two of the second half), making two. During that same stretch, NC State scored three touchdowns and a field goals in four possessions, which turned Georgia Tech’s 17-14 lead late in the second quarter into a 38-23 deficit with 2:49 to go in the third.

Tech pulled back within one score at 38-30 heading into the fourth quarter, but NC State scored the first 10 points of the final period to take a commanding 48-30 lead and all but put the game out of reach.

In addition to his 511 total yards, King also accounted for four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) in the defeat. The four touchdowns gave him 85 touchdowns responsible for in his career at Georgia Tech, which broke the school record of 83 set by Heisman Trophy runner-up Joe Hamilton from 1996-99.

True freshman wide receiver Jordan Allen caught five passes for 110 yards and Eric Rivers added 97 receiving yards to help pace the Jackets’ 559-yard night. Tight end J.T. Byrne and wideout Zion Taylor caught TD passes of 2 and 16 yards from King, while he ran for scores from 12 and 3 yards out.

Georgia Tech (8-1, 5-1 ACC) has its second open week of the season before returning to action on Saturday, Nov. 15 at Boston College.

Z9N_0454
Haynes King shattered Georgia Tech’s school record for total offense with 511 yards (408 passing and 103 rushing) and accounted for four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) on Saturday at NC State (Michael Nance photo)

 

Postgame Notes

Team Notes

  • No. 8/7 Georgia Tech suffered its first loss of the season to fall to 8-1 overall and 5-1 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
  • Georgia Tech remains in a tie for second place in the ACC standings, a half-game behind first-place Virginia (8-1, 5-0 ACC).
  • Georgia Tech’s eight-game winning streak, its longest since 2009, was snapped.
  • Georgia Tech’s seven-game ACC winning streak, its longest since 2009-10, was snapped.
  • Georgia Tech’s three-game road winning streak, its longest since 2023, was snapped.
  • Georgia Tech’s 559 yards of total offense were a season-high against an NCAA Division I FBS opponent (prev.: 543 vs Syracuse, last Saturday).
  • Georgia Tech’s 408 passing yards were the fifth-most in school history and fourth-most against an NCAA Division I FBS opponent. The 408 passing yards were its most against an FBS opponent since its school-record 486 passing yards vs. Virginia on Nov. 10, 2001.
  • NC State’s 589 yards of total offense were the most allowed by Georgia Tech since Florida State had 642 yards against the Yellow Jackets on Oct. 29, 2022.
  • NC State’s 243 rushing yards were the most that Georgia Tech has allowed since the Wolfpack ran for 253 against the Yellow Jackets on Nov. 21 of last season.
  • Georgia Tech allowed more than 24 points in regulation for the first time this season, snapping its longest streak of consecutive games allowing 24 points or less in regulation (eight games) since the first eight games of 2008.
  • Georgia Tech lost the opening coin toss for the eighth time in nine games this season. The Yellow Jackets’ lone win on an opening coin toss came in their second game of the season (Sept. 6 vs. Gardner-Webb). Including losing the coin toss at the beginning of overtime at Wake Forest (Sept. 27), Tech is 1-9 in coin tosses this season. The statistical odds of winning just 1-of-10 coin tosses are just 0.98% (10 in 1024).

 

Individual Notes

  • r-Sr QB Haynes King accounted for a school-record 511 yards of total offense (408 passing, 103 rushing) and four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing).
  • King’s 511 yards of total offense shattered Georgia Tech’s previous single-game record of 477, set by George Godsey vs. Virginia on Nov. 10, 2001.
  • King’s 408 passing yards are the fourth-most in Georgia Tech history and the most by a Yellow Jacket since Godsey’s 486 vs. Virginia in 2001.
  • King’s four touchdowns responsible touchdowns give him a school-record 85 at Georgia Tech. His 85 touchdowns responsible as a Yellow Jacket broke the previous Georgia Tech career record of 83, set by Joe Hamilton from 1996-99. King set the school record in just 32 games at Georgia Tech – Hamilton played 43 games at Tech.
  • King extended his own Georgia Tech career record with his 16th game with a passing touchdown and rushing touchdown (second-most: 12 – Joe Hamilton, 1996-99).
  • King extended his own Georgia Tech career record with his eighth game as a Yellow Jacket with 100 passing yards and 100 rushing yards (second-most: 5 – Justin Thomas, 2013-16).
  • King set a new Georgia Tech single-season record with his fifth game of the season with 100 passing yards and 100 rushing yards (prev.: Justin Thomas – 4, 2014).
  • King’s eight 100-yard rushing games as a quarterback are tied for the second-most in Georgia Tech history (tied with Josh Nesbitt – 2008-10 and two behind TaQuon Marshall’s 10 – 2015-18).
  • Fr. WR Jordan Allen’s 110 receiving yards were a career high (prev.: 78 vs. Gardner-Webb – Sept. 6).
  • r-Sr. WR Eric Rivers’ 97 receiving yards were his most as a Yellow Jacket (prev.: 77 at Wake Forest – Sept. 27).
  • r-Sr. TE J.T. Byrne’s 2-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter was the first TD of his 34-game collegiate career (Oregon State – 2021-22, Cal – 2023-24, Georgia Tech – 2025).
  • r-Sr. TE Brett Seither’s four receptions and 73 receiving yards were both his most in 48 career collegiate games (including four seasons at Georgia (2019-22) and three at Georgia Tech (2023-25) – (prev.: 2 receptions and 40 yards vs. North Carolina – Oct. 28, 2023).
  • r-Jr. PK Aidan Birr matched a career high by making three field goals in a game for the seventh time in his career (most recently at Wake Forest – Sept. 27).
0J7A6408
True freshman Jordan Allen caught five passes for 110 yards on Saturday at NC State (Keith Lucas photo)

 

Multimedia

Head Coach Brent Key Postgame Press Conference (Video)

Head Coach Brent Key Postgame Press Conference (Audio)

Student-Athletes Postgame Press Conference (Video)

ACC Digital Network Highlights

ACC Digital Network Condensed Game

ACC Digital Network Full Game Replay

Around Social Media

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2025 GEORGIA TECH FOOTBALL TICKETS

Tickets still remain for the Yellow Jackets’ final home game of the 2025 regular season at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field.

Nov. 22 vs. Pitt (Senior Day/Military Appreciation Day/Michael Isenhour Toy Drive-25th Anniversary) – Click HERE for tickets.

Full Steam Ahead

Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.

For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram and at www.ramblinwreck.com.