No. 7 Georgia Tech will head on the road to face NC State in front of a sold-out crowd. NC State has an upset on its mind and is looking to hand the Yellow Jackets their first loss of the season for homecoming. NC State has shown they can put up points in bunches, and with CJ Bailey leading them at the quarterback position, they are in any game. A main player to watch will be Hollywood Smothers, who leads the ACC in rushing yards with 825 yards.
“He is elusive. He’s fast. He can play with power. He can break away. He can make you miss. I mean, he’s an ideal running back. He really is, said Head Coach Brent Key.
Georgia Tech dominated Syracuse in every facet last week and held a 20-3 lead at halftime. The offense was firing on all cylinders and put up 41 points in the win and 543 yards of total offense. It will be important that they put up points on a porous NC State defense and stay ahead of the charge. Their offense is continuing to improve, and they haven’t played a complete game yet, which is a problem for the rest of the ACC. Georgia Tech ranks No. 14 in total offense, averaging 472.5 yards per game.
The Yellow Jackets are looking to improve to 6-0 in the ACC and 9-0 overall. Let’s take a look at how the Georgia Tech on SI staff has the game turning out on Saturday.
Jackson Caudell (publisher, 8-0 record)- Georgia Tech 41, NC State 28
Arvon Bacon (writer, 7-1 record)- Georgia Tech 35, NC State 18
Najeh Wilkins (writer, 8-0 record)- Georgia Tech 42, NC State 21
Oct 11, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key on the sideline against the Virginia Tech Hokies in the third quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
/ Brett Davis-Imagn Images
With each win for the Yellow Jackets, the noise and chatter get louder and louder. More national outlets and people will be talking about Georgia Tech and taking them more seriously to be in a college football playoff contender. Head coach Brent Key acknowledged the noise and said how the team has been dealing with the continued success and is looking to be proactive instead of reactive.
“Yeah, I don’t believe in anything being reactive. We’re a proactive group. I mean, to be successful in football, you have to be proactive. You can’t wait and see what other people are going to do. I mean, that’s why we say all the time. It’s about what we do. It’s not what they do. We watch film to see, you know, how to practice against what they’re doing. I mean, we’re always going to look to make, and it’s not changes and tweaks. It’s an evolution of an offense or a defense during the season. I mean, complementary football is important. Complementary football is important through offense, special teams defense. Complementary football is plays off of plays, all right, calls off the calls, looking like you’re going to run one coverage and run another one,” said Key.
“Are you, you know, defensively you’re trying to take things away? Offensively, you’re trying to make things happen. So we’re always proactive in what we do. I mean, each week, you know, the core of what we do is always going to be the same, right? You know, the 90 % of it, then 10 % each week is going to be plays off plays, calls off calls, and complimentary things we do.”
Georgia Tech will face NC State at 7:30 PM this Saturday, and the game will be on ESPN2.
