Georgia Tech quarterback Aaron Philo broke state high school passing records as a prep star, but Thursday night he used his legs to scramble 18 yards for a touchdown with 22 seconds remaining in the game, lifting the Yellow Jackets to a dramatic 30-29 win over NC State at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field.
Victory was not assured for the Jackets, however, until Wolfpack kicker Collin Smith’s 58-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left as time ran out. The heart-stopping triumph clinched back-to-back winning seasons for Tech (7-4, 5-3 ACC) for the first time in a decade (2013-14) and its first perfect record at Bobby Dodd Stadium in a quarter century (1999).
In a game that came down to the performances of a pair of true freshman quarterbacks — Philo and the Wolfpack’s C.J. Bailey — it was Philo that came out on top, driving the Jackets 75 yards in a minute and eight seconds after NC State (5-6, 2-5 ACC) rallied from a 23-14 deficit with two touchdowns in a two-minute, 37-second span to take a 29-23 lead with 1:09 to go in the game.
Philo was responsible for all 75 yards on the game-winning drive, completing 4-of-4 passes — including three tosses to Jamal Haynes — and running three times for 42 yards. On his second run of the series, he picked up 18 yards to set up first-and-10 from the NC State 18 yard line. One play later, Philo found space in the middle of the NC State defense and ran 18 yards again, this time finding paydirt to knot the game at 29-29. Aidan Birr’s PAT kick proved to be the winning point.
The late heroics highlighted a fourth quarter in which 36 of the game’s 59 points were scored. Tech used an early 21-yard interception return for a touchdown by linebacker E.J. Lightsey and three Birr field goals (44, 41 and 45 yards) to lead 16-7 at the end of the third period.
Bailey scored the second of his three rushing touchdowns early in the fourth quarter to pull NC State within two at 16-14. But, minutes later, he threw his third interception of the game to Tech defensive end Romello Height, setting up a Haynes King 3-yard TD rush that gave the Jackets their 23-14 lead with 6:40 to go in the game.
Bailey’s third rushing touchdown of the game from a yard out with 4:07 to go and Hollywood Smothers’ 53-yard gallop two minutes and 37 seconds later set up Philo’s final-drive heroics.
Philo finished the game 19-of-33 for a career-high 265 yards through the air, and his final score made him the Jackets’ leading rusher with 57 yards in seven carries. His favorite target was Eric Singleton, Jr., who eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark for the second time this season and third time in his career, finishing with 106 yards on five receptions. King, who split time with Philo for the second-straight game as he continues to come back from a midseason injury, completed 3-of-3 passes for seven yards and ran eight times for 22 yards and a score.
Bailey led NC State with 147 yards through the air and a game-high 83 on the ground.
Georgia Tech returns to action Friday, Nov. 29, when the Yellow Jackets travel to Athens for the with Georgia to close out the regular season. The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and be televised nationally on ABC.
