In the first-ever clash between cross-street rivals, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Defeated the Georgia State Panthers 35-12 on Saturday night. Coming off of a stunning upset win over # 10 Florida State that shocked the college football world. Tech was eager to continue their success and prove they weren’t a fluke.
Georgia State’s Run game was highly effective, with a 41-yard run by Sy’veon Wilkerson that ended at the 5-yard line. Ahmari Harvey rudely halted them with a big stop on 3rd down and goal. It was making a bold statement Tech’s defense held up in the red zone.
Miscommunication on the snap caused a fumble on the 20-yard line, gifting the more talented team with excellent field position, and they took full advantage of the opportunity. Jamal Haynes bulldozered in on 4th down for their first score. Tech’s defense also tightened up, forcing a 3 and out.
The Panthers failing to score in the red zone on the first drive completely took the wind out of their sails. They couldn’t get any offense going. It was as if they couldn’t hit the right notes on a guitar. Their play was just a bit out of tune.
Tech started the 2nd quarter smoking hot, with Haynes King throwing a dot up the middle to Malik Rutherford for 20 yards. They would later cool off. The Panthers got a much-needed stop.
State started to build a little momentum, with quarterback Cristian Veilleux scrambling for 6 yards to convert a crucial 3rd down.
Veilleux executed on another 3rd down with a bomb to Tailique Williams on the left corner for 24 yards. Unfortunately, State continued their struggles in the red zone as Tech stuffs them again on another run inside the 5-yard line.
Tech would get it going by Jamal Haynes bolting down the sideline for a 35-yard run. They would later punch it in on 4th and goal with a QB sneak by Haynes King for 2 yards up the middle.
Georgia State would have some bright spots but ultimately fail to capitalize on their long drives, and Tech would stay one step ahead of them.
Tech came out firing to start the second half with a dart deep left from Haynes King to Malik Rutherford. They would keep their foot on the gas with a 35-yard run for a touchdown on a double reverse to Eric Singleton that nearly shut down all the lights in the stadium.
Tech would continue their onslaught with a 52-yard bomb from Haynes King to a wide-open Malik Rutherford. State’s defense was falling apart.
Some luck would finally go State’s way with a roughing the passer call that gifted them 15 yards. Even with fortune on their side, State would still shoot themselves in the foot. A wide-open Tailique Williams drops a touchdown pass, that hit him between both hands forcing them to settle for a field goal.
On the next drive, State’s defense put much-needed pressure on the quarterback as they forced Haynes King to throw an interception to Kenyatta Watson.
State’s offense would also start to heat up, marching down the field with impressive runs and a 24-yard strike from Veilleux to Flemming for their first touchdown, but the surge was a little too late.
Tech would respond with Haynes King carving the defense with impressive throws, capping off another scoring drive with a completion on a crossing route to Avery Boyd for a 22-yard touchdown.
As the clock moved closer to zero, State got into a groove, marching down the field with some well-executed plays, but they continued to struggle in the red zone. They got stopped on another 4th down around the 10-yard line.
Tech’s defensive front proved to be too much for State. They would continuously stop them in critical situations. Tech would also dominate the trenches on offense, posting 225 rushing yards, which set up some big plays from Haynes King to Malik Rutherford.
“When you have a lot of guys who can be explosive, in order to be explosive you have to get the ball to explosive playmakers. We created different ways to get those guys the ball.” Tech coach Brent Key Said. They closed out Georgia State with a solid performance.
Photo Compliments Georgia Tech Sports
