Georgia Tech Football: NC State Players To Watch For On Thursday Night Against The Yellow Jackets

NC State is looking to get back on track after the loss to Duke nearly two weeks ago. It was a game where they struggled to move the ball and a game where they struggled on third down. The Wolfpack were 3-15 on third down and averaged 4.7 yards per pass. How will the look tomorrow night vs the Yellow Jackets? Here are some key NC State players to watch for.

QB CJ Bailey- It’s been a year of highs and lows for the true freshman which is expected. You see glimpses of his potential and how good he can be. In NC State's most recent 29-19 loss to Duke, Bailey completed a season-low 41% of his passes to go with a touchdown and an interception. In that game, he missed a lot of throws and wide-open receivers in the game. The best game of his young career came against Stanford in a 59-28 victory. Bailey went 18-20 for 234 yards and three touchdowns finishing with a 98.4 QBR. That performance earned him the highest-graded true freshman by Pro Football Focus with a 90.7 grade. This season he has thrown for 1,794 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. It will be important for Georgia Tech to create some pressure and force the young quarterback into some mistakes.

TE Justin Jolly- One area the Yellow Jackets have struggled with this season is defending at tight end. They will face another good tight end on Thursday when NC State comes to town. Joly leads the team in receiving yards with 565. He’s caught two or more passes in every game this season. In the past five games, he has caught three touchdown passes. His best outing came against California. Jolly finished with four catches for 95 yards. In terms of production this season Jolly is on pace to set career highs in receiving yards, yards per catch, and touchdowns. The UConn transfer is tough to stop and slow down once he gets the ball in his hands. Jolly is also a viable red zone threat that you have to account for or it will be a long day on defense.

WR Kevin Concepcion- Now when you look at the numbers compared to a season ago it has been night and day for the sophomore wideout. Concepcion set an NC State freshman record with 10 touchdown receptions and was named ACC Rookie of the Year. His best performance in 2024 came against Western Carolina with nine catches for 121 yards and a three touchdown performance. Concepcion is also a threat in the running game when he gets the ball in his hands. The issue has been the lack of touches he has been getting in the past few games. He leads the team with 47 catches and five receiving touchdowns but has seen a dip in his production compared to a season ago. With true freshman Bailey at the helm, communication hasn’t been perfect and has led to decreased production. Yes, more teams are gameplanning for him but NC State will have to find ways to get him involved.

Georgia Tech is playing against a hot and cold team. When they are struggling, they tend to have more self-inflicted mistakes leading to more turnovers the opposing team can capitalize on. The Yellow Jackets will have to force the Wolfpack off their game if they want to win and make history at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Additional Links

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