Yellow Jacket defense unable to stop Wilson, NC State offense in 45-28 loss

Saturday at 12 noon at Grant Field in Atlanta was a 95 degree September day and the fans were dressed for a “white out.” But it was anything but a good day for the Yellow Jackets and their fans.

As temperatures soared in the sweltering sunshine, the Yellow Jackets played like a team whipped by the heat and their opponent – the North Carolina State Wolfpack.

It was one of the first games in regular season play that Georgia Tech had been thoroughly dominated at home, both offensively and defensively, since Paul Johnson took over as head coach three years ago. In the end, the Wolfpack staged a stunning 45-28 ACC win to remain as the only undefeated team in the Atlantic Coach Conference and dropped Tech to 1-1 in conference play.

Wolfpack quarterback Russell Wilson lived up to his billing as one of the top quarterbacks in college football. Wilson was 28 of 41 passing for 368 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, which was returned for a Tech TD. He also rushed for 16 yards on nine carries, including a six-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that just about put the game away at 31-14.

North Carolina State’s defensive unit held the usually potent Tech offense to 363 total yards, with only 247 on the ground, and limited the Jackets to 26:46 minutes in time of possession and just 15 first downs. Tech quarterback Joshua Nesbitt finished the game 5 of 18 passing for 116 yards with one touchdown, and he led the Tech ground game with 95 yards on 19 carries. Freshman A-Back B. J. Bostic, of Jefferson County High School, was the second leading rusher for Tech with 51 yards on two carries.

The Wolfpack dominated in all phases of the game, collecting 527 yards of total offense – 368 by air and 159 by ground – kept the ball for 33:14, rolled for 27 first downs, and recovered a blocked punt in the Tech end zone for the only points of the first quarter.

The Jackets scored late in the second quarter, making the score 10-7, but Wilson quickly drove the Wolfpack offense down the field hitting Steven Howard in the back of the end zone for a 21 yard touchdown pass to take a 17-7 lead in at halftime.

Down 17-7, Tech took the second half kick-off and Nesbitt kept the ball just off right end on the option for 61 yards down to the State three yard line. A-Back Roddy Johnes then scored to make it a 17-14 game.

Wilson immediately put State up by 17 points with a five-yard TD pass to Jarvis Williams and a six-yard run to close out the third period, up 31-14. Just when it appeared Tech was going to climb back in the game scoring on a 32-yard pass from Nesbitt to Tyler Melton and then a 33-yard interception return for a touchdown by Jerrard Tarrant, making the score 31-28 with 12:05 left in the game, the Tech defense couldn’t hold Wilson and the offense failed to make first downs.

Tech turned the ball over on downs three times in the fourth quarter giving State good field position, and Wilson turned two of those into touchdowns to put the Jackets away for good at 45-28 with 4:08 to play.

The Yellow Jackets will have to put the pieces back together again, like they did after a disappointing loss to Kansas in the second game of the season, when they travel to Winston-Salem for a Saturday, Oct. 2 game with ACC opponent Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons were thoroughly thrashed by Florida State last week 31-0.

Kick-off for the Tech-Wake Forest game is set for 7:00 p.m. It is a “must-win” game for Georgia Tech if the Yellow Jackets have plans to stay in the hunt for the 2010 ACC Coastal Division crown.