Three Storylines To Watch On Saturday When Georgia Tech Faces NC State

Things to keep your eye on Saturday when Georgia Tech travels to face the Wolfpack

Oct 25, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key on the sidelines against the Syracuse Orange in the fourth quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

A big game is on the horizon for the Yellow Jackets on the road as they travel to face the North Carolina State Wolfpack in front of a national audience. The Yellow Jackets are ranked No. 8 in the country and are 8-0 for the first time since 1966 and still undefeated in ACC play in 2025. NC State is coming off a tough road loss to Pittsburgh, where its defense gave up 53 points. The Yellow Jackets will face one of the better offenses in the ACC and will have to slow down the running game when they face the Wolfpack. Let’s take a look at some of the major storylines to watch on Saturday.

1. How will the Yellow Jackets look in primetime?

Oct 25, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) runs the ball against the Syracuse Orange in the second quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech will face another steep road test, but it will be featured in primetime when it faces NC State in Raleigh this week. They will face the Wolfpack on ESPN2 at 7:30 PM. The Yellow Jackets are the highest-ranked team in the AP Poll at No. 8, ahead of the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes. With every win, the noise and chatter get louder for the Yellow Jackets as more eyes follow. For reference, Georgia Tech looked good to start the season on the road against Colorado in a featured game on ESPN. They struggled early with three turnovers, but showed their resolve and came up with a gritty 27-20 win in primetime. This will be just the second time they are back in the limelight in a featured ESPN window. Can they lock in and continue to block out the noise?

"You know, I walked into the team meeting Sunday night (before Syracuse) and I told him, hey guys, congrats, enjoy, appreciate it. Because if you can't appreciate success what's really the motivation to continue to do what you do you know if there's no reward we get it the reward comes at the end of the year okay but there's there's small rewards within there each week and if you don't sit back and appreciate that right and if I don't address that and tell them to like then might it might happen later on or there's three things I told the team.”

2. Will Georgia Tech starters return?

Oct 11, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets wide receiver Malik Rutherford (8) celebrates after a two-point conversion against the Virginia Tech Hokies in the first quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Yellow Jackets have been hit with the injury bug as of late and have seen major starters be ruled out. Harrison Moore, Jy Gilmore, and Malik Rutherford didn’t suit up on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets were already without Ahmari Harvey, who went down against Virginia Tech two weeks ago. The Yellow Jackets also lost Zachary Tobe, who is a starting corner in the game against Syracuse. There hasn’t been an update on his status just yet. It was smart for Georgia Tech to rest some of its starters against Syracuse and lean on younger players and depth. Here is what head coach Brent Key said about the depth of the team.

​​"Yeah, I mean, that's the name of the game. I mean, recruiting's our lifeblood. There's a lot of room full of really, really good football players, high school football players in there right now, and we need more of those guys to come join us as well,” said Key. “But we really, we made a very, very conscious effort to develop our depth, to keep positions, and secondary was definitely one of them defensive tackle, defensive line was definitely one of them. Last year, you know, we started losing guys on the back end, and it not only hurt you on the defensive side, but it hurt you on special teams. That's where it really starts to show up. So, but to me, you never know where you need to be from a depth standpoint, from a roster standpoint. And we got to continue to work our tails off to increase our depth and increase the level of our roster, and we will.”

With a bye week on the Horizon, will the Yellow Jackets lean on more depth in a major ACC game, or will some of their starters return?

3. Can Georgia Tech slow down RB Hollywood Smothers?

Oct 25, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack tight end Justin Joly (7) celebrates with running back Hollywood Smothers (3) after scoring a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech has struggled defending the run this season, and despite an excellent showing against Duke a few weeks ago, the Yellow Jackets gave up 157 yards on the ground to Syracuse. It’s been a tough area for Georgia Tech this season. Now they face one of the best running backs in the conference this weekend. Hollywood Smothers is having a great season for the Wolfpack and is the leading rusher in the ACC with 825 yards and also has six touchdowns. He is averaging 6.9 yards per carry. He had one of his best games against Virginia, rushing for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Despite not having a 100-yard outing in his past two games, Smothers could be in a position to get back on track. It will be imperative that the Yellow Jackets tackle well and slow down Smothers on Saturday, or it could be a long day.