Embry Peeples was one of 10 Yellow Jackets to carry the ball on Saturday.
RALEIGH – A late surge by the Wolfpack late in the game was not quite enough as the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets held on to win in Raleigh, N.C. 45-35 over North Carolina State.
Coming into this contest averaging 630 yards a game, Tech’s offense sputtered the entire first half. It sounds funny to say that the Yellow Jackets were held to only 413 yards –their season low– they stuck to their game and finished with a win, opening their season winning the first five games for the first time in over 20 years. They managed to jump out to 14-0 lead after one, and a 21-7 lead at halftime. The 14 points scored in the first quarter puts the Yellow Jackets at 77 points in all first quarters this season, the most by any FBS team so far in the 2011 season.
Orwin Smith scored two of the Jackets three touchdowns in the first half. He finished with three of his own, including 74 yards on nine carries. His rushing counterpart, David Sims, scored the other TD in the second quarter. Sims finished with nine carries and 73 yards. His touchdown was a nine yard pass from Tevin Washington.
Wolfpack QB Mike Glennon had his chances of getting NC State in the end zone. In the second quarter, the Pack managed a drive to stall that led to a 4th down situation. The play was a success; a completion to FB Taylor Gentry that continued the drive. But again the drive stalled in the Red Zone. A 4th and goal saw Glennon overthrow a pass to Steven Howard and NC State turned the ball over on downs.
Glennon finished the game 20 of 29 for 163 yards and two touchdown passes — one to Jay Smith from nine yards out and one late in the fourth quarter part of a Pack surge that fell short late in the game.
After NC State cut the lead to 21-14 entering the 4th quarter, Tech burst out with three touchdowns in the first five minutes: a 2 yd-run from Smith, an interception by Isaiah Johnson thrown by Glennon, and a touchdown pass from Tevin Washington to Roddy Jones. Washington only went 4 of 13, but threw two touchdowns. The Wolfpack managed to score touchdowns in the final minute of the game when the game was meaningless.
The 5-0 Yellow Jackets face Maryland in Atlanta. The NC State Wolfpack play Central Michigan next Saturday afternoon in Greenville.
