The Wolfpack travelled to Atlanta, Ga. Saturday and made a statement to the rest of the conference with a 45-28 beat down of defending ACC champ Georgia Tech. State outgained the Jackets by 164 yards and completed 27 first downs while holding Georgia Tech to only 15.
The offense has been a huge reason why the football team started the season undefeated going into the conference opener against Georgia Tech, and it did not disappoint. Redshirt junior quarterback Russell Wilson completed 28 of 41 pass attempts for 368 yards and one interception, and his 368 yards set a new career high.
State’s first scoring opportunity came on its third possession, but after a missed field goal attempt by redshirt senior kicker Josh Czajkowski, the game remained scoreless.
The Pack’s first touchdown of the game came when sophomore tight end Asa Watson blocked a punt on special teams, which led to a touchdown recovery for redshirt senior wide receiver Jarvis Williams. The blocked punt was the first blocked punt against Georgia Tech by any team since the 1996 season.
The offense had another productive drive on its first series of the second quarter, as Wilson led State down the field with 38 yards passing. This led to another field goal attempt, which found its way through the middle of the uprights to give the Pack a 10-0 lead.
The Jackets also put points on the board in the second quarter, as they rushed the ball down the field 80 yards for a touchdown. Tech made only one mistake on the drive. It scored too quickly. Wilson led State straight down the field, completing six of eight passes for 90 yards. State scored on a 21 yard touchdown pass to redshirt junior wide receiver Steven Howard to put the Pack up 17-7 going into halftime.
The Jackets scored on the first drive of the second half. Tech quarterback Joshua Nesbitt rushed for a career long 61 yard run to get his team in prime position at State’s three yard line, and it converted from there to bring the score to 17-14.
The back-and-forth battle continued in the second half. Redshirt freshman running back Dean Haynes and junior fullback Taylor Gentry helped State move the ball and answer with a touchdown reception by Williams to put the score at 24-14.
The shootout came to an end on the next drive for the Jackets, as the Pack held them to another three and out. Stated then added another touchdown, making it 31-14 and three consecutive scoring drives.
But from there, Wolfpack fans had to take a collective gasp, as the Jackets scored a touchdown on their first drive of the fourth quarter to bring the score to 31-21. On the ensuing series, Wilson threw an interception Tech ran back for a touchdown, bringing the score to 31-28.
Wilson made up for his mistake on the following drive, as he led a nine play, 74-yard drive culminating in a 23-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver T.J. Graham.
State added one last scoring drive of 35 yards that ended with a touchdown by freshman running back Mustafa Greene. The touchdown by Greene marks the fourth consecutive game in which the freshman has found the end zone.
The scoring ceased after Greene’s touchdown scamper, and State escapee a brief scare surge from the Jackets to hang on, then pull away by the final score of 45-28. State is now 1-0 in conference play and will look to continue its success when it returns to Carter-Finley Stadium to take on Virginia Tech.
