Duke Scott on ACC Honors and NC State’s Upset Win

RALEIGH — Without the performance of redshirt freshman running back Duke Scott, it's hard to say whether NC State would've pulled off the massive upset over Georgia Tech in Saturday's matchup. Luckily for the Pack, Scott stepped into star tailback Hollywood Smothers' role and ran for 196 yards.

The young back dominated, particularly during the second half, and helped sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey keep the offense ahead of the Yellow Jackets for most of the game. His efforts earned him a pair of ACC honors, including Freshman of the Week and Running Back of the Week.

A performance that called for not one, but 2️⃣ ACC honors!!

Duke Scott has been named ACC Freshman and Running Back of the Week!#1Pack1Goal pic.twitter.com/9fmpPspCCu
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) November 3, 2025

Scott and the Wolfpack are enjoying another bye week before another top-25 opponent appears on the schedule. The redshirt freshman spoke to the media after Wednesday's practice about his awards, the upcoming matchup against Miami and the team's mindset moving forward.

Watch Scott's Availability

Scott's Notable Quotes

Duke Scot — Nov 1, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack running back Jayden Scott (4) scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

On his Georgia roots motivating him to play well against Georgia Tech

" I took a personal coming into that game just because of how my recruitment process went, being in their backyard and I kind of felt like they kind of slipped on me a little bit."

" So being able to have that breakout game against them just meant a lot to me."

Bend don't break mentality 🗣️#1Pack1Goal | @Dukescott34 pic.twitter.com/XBKMSdjWHG
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) November 3, 2025

On what sparked the offensive line's improved run blocking in the Georgia Tech game

I feel like it's intensity. And they're always intense. They're always... Going hard, all that good stuff. This week, we studied hard. We knew this was a game that we really wanted to take advantage of, so they just were in their playbooks and we just took advantage of that."

On what happened during the recruiting process that made him feel badly about Georgia Tech

"NC State made it clear when I was at a lower point, just after my junior year, after coming back from injury, they made it clear we're believing you, we trust in you, and we know you're gonna overcome this injury. We just want you to have a great year."

"They kept a great relationship with me. Well, I kind of seemed like with Georgia Tech, they kind of came after, I kind of was on a high of my senior year. So that's kind of the difference between those two recruiting processes."

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