Several members of the Inside Pack Sports staff predict the winner of the NC State-Georgia Tech matchup.
James Henderson (IPS Publisher)
State 34, Georgia Tech 21
Look for the Pack to jump out to an early lead and put Tech in a position to chase points, which sets up well for the Wolfpack defense.
Bailey Hockman leads the offense to another 30-plus point performance and the defense forces a couple of turnovers in the win.
Steve Williams (IPS Football Recruiting Analyst)
State 38, Georgia Tech 30
On paper this looks like a game that NC State should win, but the Pack has to be careful. GT can score points and it's no secret that often NC State is their own worst enemy. If the Pack screws around and derails a bunch of offensive drives with mental miscues, they could put themselves in a position to lose. If State limits those mistakes then I think they come away with the win.
Bryant Carson (IPS Football Analyst)
Georgia Tech 30, State 28
Once past the Miami game there was some chatter that State should win their last four games --games they would most likely be favored in – thereby getting to eight wins on the season.
In exchanging texts and phone calls with the various IPS writers I was adamant that I would not be picking State to come out of that 4-game run unscathed no matter how large the spreads. I had fallen for a similar gambit back in '18 after the Pack took down FSU in Carter-Finley and looked to finish out the regular season with a bad Wake team at home on a Thursday night, at a terrible L-Ville, at a terrible 2-win-UNC, and finishing with a bad and deflated ECU team at home to get to 10 regular season wins and likely a top 10 finish in the CFP poll.
So, here we are with the Pack 3-0 in that stretch with one left at home. I still can't shake away the feeling that the Pack will stumble and after flirting with disaster the last two weeks thanks to penalties, turnovers, and just general mistakes. I'm afraid the Wolfpack will find themselves in a deeper hole this week with a very run-competent GT squad. I think the Yellow Jackets find a way in a very close one.
James Johnson (IPS Football Analyst)
State 27, Georgia Tech 17
Wolfpack finished the regular season on a winning note. The Tech defense has been vulnerable to the run at times this year and State should be able to exploit that weakness. Bam and Person both run up their number of carries while State controls the clock.
Defensively, Jeff Simms is a dual threat but has throw the ball to the wrong colored jersey at times. The Wolfpack secondary comes up with a couple of key takeaways to seal the game.
Phillip Danford (IPS Football Analyst)
State 30, Georgia Tech 26
Whether you look at this game through the prism of statistics or film, NC State is the better team. But, what I'm most concerned about can't be quantified - emotion. As the Wolfpack winds down a strenuous season with the culmination of Senior Day, where will their focus be? Can the coaching staff convey the sense of urgency that's needed? Ultimately, this team has found ways to win tight ball games, and I think this one will be no different.
Ethan Barry (IPS Writer)
State 31, Georgia Tech 24
I've got no idea what to do with this game, so I'll just defer to Vegas. I could see any number of things happening, but at the end of the day, Georgia Tech is a young team on the road and State has earned a certain amount of trust to win this game. Not only if they end up in a close game, but also as the favorite against worse teams under Dave Doeren. I think State starts slow but is able to overcome it and finishes up a really good season.
Jake McSwain (IPS Writer)
State 31, Georgia Tech 14
I think State cleans it up a little bit this week. The big factor will obviously be limiting turnovers and misscues on special teams, and I think they will be able to do that. The defense will continue to step up and the Pack wins this by at least two scores!
Daniel Wilson (IPS Writer)
State 41, Georgia Tech 17
Selfishly, I just want the Wolfpack to win so that I can say that I predicted NC State’s regular season record correctly at 8-3 when everyone else put four to six wins. To contextualize my prediction within the realm of the game (read: to actually do my job...), the Wolfpack is more than capable of stymieing Georgia Tech’s run game to keep them off the board. Bailey Hockman is still playing at a great level, and if the ground attack can supplement the aerial assault, then reaching the end zone will be a metaphorical walk in the park. Now with the analysis out of the way, I expect to run my victory lap when the clock hits zero.
Jeff Reeves (IPS Photographer)
State by 17
Regardless of Saturday's final score, this has been one of the more impressive seasons for State in the last 20 years. The injuries, the disruptions due to the pandemic... yet the Pack still ties its ACC win total record with a chance to set a new record Saturday.
If the Pack's D is hitting on all cylinders and Hockman stays sharp, State should win by at least 17 points.
BP Cox (IPS Photographer)
State 42, Georgia Tech 27
The Wolfpack take on the 3-5 Yellow Jackets to close out the 2020 season. State hasn't defeated Georgia Tech since 2010. That changes Saturday.
The Wolfpack have scrapped very hard this season, and I believe they will send their seniors out with a big bang.
