Tag: Georgia Tech

Michigan RB Justice Haynes enters transfer portal

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Michigan running back Justice Haynes announced Friday that he is entering the transfer portal and will play one more season of college football.

Haynes played in just seven games for the Wolverines in his lone season at the school due to a right foot injury. He rushed for 857 yards and 10 touchdowns and averaged a stellar 7.1 yards per carry.

Haynes rushed for more than 100 rushing yards six times before the injury.

“After reflection, prayer and heartfelt conversations with my family, I’ve made the decision to close my chapter at the University of Michigan,” Haynes said in his announcement posted to social media.

Haynes is rumored to be interested in transferring to Georgia Tech. It has been suggested that the Georgia native might receive $2 million to make the move.

Haynes began his college career at Alabama and spent two seasons with the Crimson Tide before leaving for Michigan after the 2024 season.

“Michigan will always be a special part of my story,” Haynes said. “I’m deeply thankful for everything this chapter has given me.”

The Wolverines have a new coach in Kyle Whittingham in the wake of Sherrone Moore’s recent dismissal due to an improper relationship.

Haynes has rushed for 1,473 yards and 19 touchdowns on 225 college carries. He also has 30 catches for 149 yards.

–Field Level Media

No. 12 BYU rallies late to beat No. 22 Georgia Tech in Pop-Tarts Bowl

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Jovesa Damuni scored the go-ahead touchdown with two minutes remaining as No. 12 BYU rallied for a 25-21 victory over No. 22 Georgia Tech on Saturday at the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Fla.

Damuni’s 4-yard run capped a 15-point fourth-quarter flurry for the Cougars (12-2), who earned their first 12-win season since 2001. Enoch Nawahine also rushed for a score in the final quarter and Evan Johnson made the game-sealing interception, as BYU overcame an 11-point deficit.

“We haven’t won 12 games in a while,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “So this is something to be really proud of and something to carry for the rest of their life.”

Bear Bachmeier completed 27 of 38 passes for 325 yards, one touchdown and one interception for BYU. Chase Roberts had a touchdown catch, and Carsen Ryan had eight receptions for 120 yards.

Haynes King was 23-of-40 passing for 275 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for the Yellow Jackets (9-4), who lost for the fourth time in five games.

Trelain Maddox rushed for a touchdown while Eric Rivers (102 receiving yards) and J.T. Byrne caught scoring passes. Malik Rutherford had eight catches for 105 yards.

BYU was part of this bowl game after being passed over for a College Football Playoff at-large berth. The Cougars’ blemishes were two blowout losses against Texas Tech.

BYU pulled within 21-18 when Nawahine scored from the 2-yard line on the direct snap and Bachmeier added a two-point conversion run with 11:13 remaining in the game.

Later in the quarter, the Cougars drove 70 yards on nine plays with Damuni scoring the game-winner.

“We were just staying calm,” Ryan said of BYU’s comeback. “We’ve been in this position before. We know to stick together and trust our process and trust your teammates and we’ll come out on top.”

Georgia Tech had one last chance, and King converted a fourth-and-15 with a 66-yard pass to Rivers to the BYU 18-yard line with 52 seconds left.

King then threw three straight incompletions, one just over the hands of Dean Patterson in the end zone with 14 seconds to play.

King’s final throw was into the end zone and Johnson, who was the beaten defender on the 66-yard play, made the pick with 6 seconds left.

BYU prevailed without star running back LJ Martin, the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, who sat out with an injury.

Earlier, Georgia Tech scored two second-quarter touchdowns in a span of 13 seconds to take an 11-point lead.

The stretch started with King throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Rivers with 5:28 left to cap a 10-play, 76-yard drive.

BYU’s Cody Hagen failed to catch the ensuing kickoff and Georgia Tech’s Will Kiker recovered at the BYU 6-yard line. On the next play, King tossed a scoring pass to Byrne for a 21-10 lead.

The teams traded touchdowns in the first quarter. Bachmeier tossed a 7-yard scoring pass to Roberts, and Maddox scored on a 3-yard run for the Yellow Jackets.

Will Ferrin kicked a 22-yard field goal to give the Cougars a 10-7 lead with 9:49 left in the first half.

–Field Level Media

No. 12 BYU, No. 22 Georgia Tech miss CFP, set for Pop-Tarts Bowl

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Two blowout losses to Texas Tech prevented BYU from being a participant in the College Football Playoff.

The No. 12 Cougars (11-2) now look to set aside the disappointment when they face No. 22 Georgia Tech (9-3) in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando on Saturday.

Being part of the playoffs would have been tastier, but BYU intends to make the best of the situation. The Cougars were the second team out behind Notre Dame in the CFP’s final picture. Miami, at No. 10, earned the final berth.

Linebacker Isaiah Glasker is among the BYU players who have a chip on his shoulder due to the snub.

“I feel like if we can get a win right here, we can show the committee what the Big 12 is really about,” Glasker said. “Really, we feel like we should have been in the playoffs. We feel like that is enough of a driving factor for us. We are going to be ready to show out in the bowl game.”

Losing by a combined 63-14 to Texas Tech — including by 27 points in the Big 12 title game — made it easier for the committee to bypass BYU.

“Obviously it was a tough loss, but we understand what’s at stake with the bowl game, and getting momentum going into next season as well,” said freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier. “We have that flip-the-page mentality and are really focused on this next game.”

Bachmeier sustained an ankle injury early in the Big 12 title game, but he has been cleared to play against the Yellow Jackets. He passed for 14 touchdowns, rushed for 11 and was intercepted just six times.

But BYU coach Kalani Sitake said Tuesday that leading rusher LJ Martin will miss the game after an unspecified recent surgery. The junior rushed for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns and was voted Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

“He’s recovering at home right now, but he’ll be back to watch these guys and cheer on his brothers on Saturday,” Sitake said of Martin, who has yet to decide whether to enter the NFL draft.

BYU can earn its first 12-win season since 2001 as it takes on Georgia Tech, which started the season with eight straight victories before going 1-3 down the stretch.

The Yellow Jackets were ranked No. 8 before their unbeaten season ended against NC State on Nov. 1.

Georgia Tech coach Brent Key feels his own team could have been part of the field.

“I’m looking at myself saying we shouldn’t have stubbed our toe at the end of the season,” Key said. “We should be in there. And if you really feel that way, then we need to get our asses together and play our butts off and play a very competitive game versus a good football team. Because you’re dang right, BYU should’ve been in those (first-round) games.”

Quarterback Haynes King stood out for the Yellow Jackets and became the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year. He completed 71.7% of his throws for 2,697 yards and 12 touchdowns against five interceptions while rushing for 922 yards and 15 scores. His 10th-place finish in the Heisman Trophy balloting made him the first Georgia Tech player in the top 10 since Calvin Johnson in 2006.

King’s name is stamped all over the school’s record book as he completes his third and final season at Georgia Tech.

He holds records for career completion percentage (68.1%) and touchdowns responsible for (89). He ranks second in total offense (9,899 yards) and completions (652), third in passing touchdowns (53) and fourth in passing yardage (7,653).

King looks forward to wearing the Yellow Jackets’ uniform one last time.

“We’ve put time, effort, blood, sweat, and tears all into this season, and it’s not over yet,” King said. “And I’ve said it before, I’m not one to jump ship and quit. And I wanna ride it out and finish it with my brothers.”

BYU is 3-1 all-time against Georgia Tech, including a 38-20 win at Provo, Utah, in 2013.

–Field Level Media

ACC reveals ‘26 schedule: Some play 9 league games, others 8

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The Atlantic Coast Conference revealed Tuesday that not all 17 of its football members will make the move to a nine-game conference schedule in 2026.

Instead, 12 teams will play nine games while Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina will have eight games in what the league called a “transition year” to its new scheduling policy.

The ACC said in a news release that the unique format for 2026 was “designed to balance competitive equity, honor existing nonconference game contracts and account for the league’s unique 17-team footprint.”

Beginning in 2027, 16 teams will play a nine-game ACC schedule and also be required to schedule one other Power 4 opponent. Because of the odd number of member institutions, one team each season will be scheduled for eight ACC games and must schedule two Power 4 opponents elsewhere.

“Today’s announcement of our 2026 football league opponents is another significant and intentional step forward for ACC Football,” commissioner Jim Phillips said in a statement. “Transitioning to a nine-game conference schedule strengthens our competitive framework, aligns us with the other Power Four conferences and provides greater consistency for our student-athletes, coaches and fans. This phased approach reflects our commitment to competitive equity, scheduling flexibility and delivering a premier football product across all 17 institutions.”

The league announced its decision to join the Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC with a nine-game conference schedule back on Sept. 22.

The ACC also said in its release that its tiebreaker policy will be updated and announced sometime before the 2026 season.

The league caught flak for 7-5 Duke winning a five-way tiebreaker among 6-2 ACC teams to qualify for the championship game against Virginia. The unranked Blue Devils upset the Cavaliers for the conference title, and come College Football Playoff selection time, two Group of Five champions — Tulane and James Madison — were ranked higher than Duke and got in the field as the No. 11 and 12 seeds.

–Field Level Media

No. 4 Georgia caps 11-1 regular season, outlasts No. 23 Georgia Tech

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ATLANTA — Nate Frazier ran for 108 yards, Gunner Stockton threw a 7-yard pass to Zachariah Branch for the game’s only touchdown and No. 4 Georgia beat rival No. 23 Georgia Tech 16-9 on Saturday.

Stockton completed just 11 of 21 passes for 70 yards and threw an interception, but Georgia (11-1) held Georgia Tech to just 69 rushing yards in its eighth straight win in the series.

Haynes King threw for 181 yards and an interception for Georgia Tech (9-3), which dropped three of its last four games to finish the regular season.

After punting on its opening drive of the second half, Georgia posted its only takeaway as Ellis Robinson IV intercepted King’s deep ball at the Bulldogs’ 4-yard line.

Georgia Tech then forced a punt and cut its deficit to 13-6 on Aidan Birr’s 44-yard field goal with 4:33 left in the third.

Peyton Woodring’s 50-yard field goal on the second play of the fourth quarter pushed the lead back to 10 points.

Each team then traded punts, before Georgia Tech’s ensuing drive was extended by Christen Miller’s roughing-the-passer penalty and Joenel Aguero’s pass interference, pushing the drive to Georgia’s 24-yard line.

From there, Georgia Tech settled for Birr’s 41-yarder at the 3:30 mark.

Georgia was able to drain the clock until Brett Thorson’s 61-yard punt sailed into the end zone with 14 seconds left.

King’s 27-yard pass to Isiah Canion gave the Yellow Jackets the ball at Georgia’s 44 with one second left, but King’s Haily Mary attempt was batted down in the end zone as time expired.

Georgia Tech punted on its opening drive, but the Yellow Jackets regained possession as Tah’j Butler intercepted Stockton and returned it to the Bulldogs’ 37.

Georgia Tech then grabbed a 3-0 lead on Birr’s 30-yard field goal with 1:20 remaining in the first quarter.

Georgia answered with a 13-play, 71-yard drive, tying the score on Woodring’s 22-yard field goal at the 9:42 mark of the second quarter.

After Georgia Tech’s Marshall Nichols shanked a 22-yard punt, Stockton connected with Branch for 24 yards to the Yellow Jackets’ 12-yard line. Three plays later, Stockton hit Branch for a 7-yard touchdown pass, giving Georgia a 10-3 edge with 4:35 remaining in the first half.

Following Nichols’ third punt, Georgia tacked on with Woodring’s 29-yarder, sending the Bulldogs into halftime with a 13-3 lead.

–Jack Batten, Field Level Media

CFP stakes likely gone for No. 23 Ga. Tech, rivalry stakes linger vs. No. 4 Georgia

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This year’s version of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate was trending to be one of the most important Georgia-Georgia Tech games in the series’ long history.

That was before No. 23 Georgia Tech (9-2) likely squandered its chances of making its first College Football Playoff and No. 4 Georgia (10-1) all but clinched its fifth CFP appearance.

Nonetheless, Friday afternoon in Atlanta will determine bragging rights for 365 days — rights that Georgia has owned for seven straight years.

“This is a game that means a lot to a lot of people,” Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said. “A lot of people that have gone to school here, played here, have been fans of this place. But it doesn’t mean more to them than it does to the players on this football team. And that’s what rivalries are. I’ve said this before, we’ve got to do our part in it.”

Georgia Tech needed to beat Pitt last week to clinch a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, which would have served as a catapult to the CFP. The Yellow Jackets fell behind 28-0 en route to a 42-28 loss.

For Key’s team to slip into the ACC final, it needs to beat Georgia and get an abundance of help from teams throughout the conference.

In the likely event that Georgia Tech will miss out on playing in Charlotte in the title game, the Yellow Jackets still have all the needed motivation for Friday.

“Probably the only good thing is the fact that we have a short week this week,” Key said. “You’ve got to flip the script fast, turn it around.”

Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King entered last week as a potential Heisman finalist but had his first multi-interception game of the season.

“He’ll sit there and take responsibility for it all,” Key said. “But we had protection breakdowns. We had drops. We had everything. Let’s not for a second put all that on Haynes.”

Georgia enters as one of the nation’s most confident teams, winners in seven straight games. The Bulldogs are primed for another return to the CFP, with a chance to appear in their fifth straight SEC title game. Georgia will make it if Auburn beats No. 10 Alabama, or No. 16 Texas beats No. 3 Texas A&M.

Georgia nearly had its postseason situation altered against Georgia Tech last year before it rallied for a 44-42 eight-overtime win against the Yellow Jackets.
Smart dismissed the notion of any carryover from last season’s battle.

“The teams are trying to win the game, regardless of what happened last year,” Smart said. “I don’t know why eight overtimes would make people want to win more or less this year. I assure you, they want to win the game just as much as we did, regardless of the outcome last year.”

The Bulldogs are led by the steady play of quarterback Gunner Stockton, who’s thrown for 2,465 yards and 19 touchdowns, adding a team-high eight scores on the ground. Smart sees similarities in Stockton and King as hard-nosed leaders of their teams.

“The play (King) puts out and the production he’s put out, has really been incredible for what he’s been able to do and the toughness, and the durability he’s done it with has been similar for Gunner,” Smart said. “He just hasn’t done it as long as Haynes has.”
Georgia leads the all-time series 72-39-5 and hasn’t lost to Georgia Tech since Smart’s first season in 2016.

–Field Level Media

Pitt jumps out to 28-0 lead, holds off No. 16 Georgia Tech

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ATLANTA — Mason Heintschel completed 20 of 27 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday as visiting Pittsburgh pulled off a massive 42-28 victory over Georgia Tech in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

Freshman Ja’Kyrian Turner ran for a career-high 201 yards — including a game-sealing 56-yard rush — as Pitt (8-3, 6-1) built a 28-0 lead and held on. The Panthers have to beat Miami next Saturday to clinch a spot in the conference title game.

Georgia Tech (9-2, 6-2) would have clinched a spot in the ACC Championship Game with a win. Haynes King threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions in the loss. King also rushed for 76 yards and a score for the Yellow Jackets, who face No. 4 Georgia on Friday.

Trailing by 14, Georgia Tech threatened to cut its deficit to a touchdown, but King was picked off by Braylan Lovelace, who returned it 100 yards to push Pittsburgh’s lead to 35-14 with 5:55 left in the third.

The Yellow Jackets pulled within 14 again at the 8:26 mark of the fourth, as Jamal Haynes’ 4-yard rush cut the deficit to 35-21.

Georgia Tech then forced a Panther turnover on downs, before King connected with Isiah Canion for a 5-yard touchdown pass with 4:51 left, trimming Pitt’s lead to seven.

Turner then iced the game with a 56-yard rushing score with 2:41 left.

Heintschel began the scoring with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Johnson with 7:49 left in the first quarter.

After Pitt stuffed Georgia Tech on fourth down, the Panthers doubled the lead on Heintschel’s 19-yard pass to Justin Holmes.

Kavir Bains-Marquez then picked off King in Yellow Jackets’ territory, before Juelz Goff’s 1-yard rushing score gave Pittsburgh a 21-0 advantage with 39 seconds left in the opening quarter.

The onslaught continued after Georgia Tech’s three-and-out, as Heintschel’s 3-yard rushing score stamped an eight-play, 69-yard drive with 11:47 remaining in the first half.

Georgia Tech finally found the end zone at the 4:45 mark of the second quarter, as King’s 5-yard rush pulled the Yellow Jackets within 21.

After a Pitt punt, Georgia Tech trimmed its deficit in half on King’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Canion with 1:08 left.

Pitt’s Sam Carpenter missed a 47-yard field goal as time expired, leaving the Panthers’ halftime-lead at 14.

Georgia Tech was 4 of 18 on third and fourth downs in the contest.

–Field Level Media

No. 16 Georgia Tech survives Boston College upset bid on last-minute FG

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Aidan Birr’s 23-yard field goal with 14 seconds left lifted No. 16 Georgia Tech to a 36-34 win over host Boston College in Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference game at Chestnut Hilll, Mass.

After Turbo Richard’s 43-yard touchdown run flipped the score back Boston College’s way with 4:09 left, the Yellow Jackets (9-1, 6-1) put together a 13-play, 69-yard drive in the next 3:58 to win the game.

Haynes King was 26-of-34 for 371 yards and a touchdown while leading Tech, which had a 628-537 advantage in total yardage. Eric Rivers (119 yards) and Malik Rutherford (121 yards, one touchdown) were his top targets, while Malachi Hosley rushed for 107 yards and a score.

Dylan Lonergan threw for 362 yards for Boston College (1-10, 0-7), including 142 to Reed Harris. Turbo Richard rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries.

Lewis Bond finished with eight catches for 106 yards, becoming Boston College’s single-season and career receptions leader during the game.

Georgia Tech had erased a 28-17 deficit with three consecutive third-quarter scores, beginning with a 26-yard Burr field goal. After forcing a 3rd-and-9 incompletion to get the ball back, Eric Rivers caught King’s 35-yard ball to set up a Jamal Haynes 2-yard rushing score, but a 2-point attempt to tie failed.

Following a 3-and-out, the visitors needed one score — Jordan Allen’s 54-yard scamper up the sideline and a PAT — to take a 33-28 lead with 6:14 left.

The Eagles were not done. After Lonergan found Jeremiah Franklin on a 3rd-and-19 play to extend the drive, Richard broke off a 43-yard touchdown run with 4:09 left to flip the score again. The 2-point attempt failed.

Georgia Tech scored first on Hosley’s 27-yard touchdown with 4:59 left in the first quarter.

Boston College then logged an 11-play, 75-yard drive over 5:40, tying the game after Richard’s 1-yard touchdown on 4th down in the opening minute of the second quarter. He also broke free for a 42-yard run earlier in the drive.

After King aired out a 48-yard pass during the ensuing series, the Eagles were unable to turn Bryce Steele’s fumble recovery into points. However, Rutherford broke a tackle for a 71-yard touchdown run to flip the score back Georgia Tech’s way with 9:44 left in the second.

Lonergan led a 10-play, 93-yard drive — including Bond’s career milestone grab — in just 1:04 to tie the game at 14-14 late in the first half. The Alabama transfer connected with Harris three times before Kaelan Chudzinski’s 3-yard touchdown.

Early in the third, a big run into the red zone by Richard helped set up Jordan McDonald’s 14-yard run to give Boston College a 21-14 lead.

Redeeming himself for a 49-yard miss at the end of the first half, Birr kicked a 34-yarder to cap a 14-play drive with 4:35 left in the third.

The Eagles extended their lead as Harris broke multiple tackles on a 32-yard catch-and-run before the third quarter expired. On the other side of the break, a red-zone stand forced Birr to come on for a 26-yard field goal.

–Field Level Media

No. 16 Georgia Tech, ready to put first loss behind it, takes on BC

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No. 16 Georgia Tech wasted no time moving past its first loss of the season.

With their second bye week in the rear view, the Atlantic Coast Conference-leading Yellow Jackets (8-1, 5-1) are ready to bounce back when they visit Boston College (1-9, 0-6) for the first time since 2020 on Saturday afternoon in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

“We’ve got to use those emotions and feelings (of a 48-36 loss to NC State on Nov. 1) to continue to push us forward,” coach Brent Key said. “I talked to the team on Sunday about this. I said, you work from January when we first organized workouts and weight training…you do all that in hopes of playing meaningful games in November, and here we are.”

The loss came despite quarterback Haynes King racking up a school-record 511 total yards and four touchdowns. The redshirt senior accounted for 408 yards through the air, helping to up his ACC-best total yardage to 330.3 per game.

Conversely, NC State’s six touchdowns in 10 possessions and 583 total yards did in the Yellow Jackets. Playing without injured starting nickelback Jy Gilmore and cornerback Ahmari Harvey did not help, but they could be closer to returning to game action after practicing last week.

“(Their possible return) changes some of the coverages you can play, it changes how you look to protect a certain guy,” Key said. “At the end of the day, we’ve got to perform and play good defense. We’ve got to be able to stop the run and keep the explosives from going over our heads.”

Their status will become clearer later in the week, but Key is excited about where the team stands following the bye.

“Time is the best cure-all. It is,” Key said. “They’re all out there right now. … I thought Sunday’s practice, we came out and it was as fast and crisp and as much energy as we’ve had.”

Boston College coach Bill O’Brien was an assistant at Georgia Tech from 1995-02, a stint during which Key was a team captain. O’Brien knows that his Eagles will have to defend an ultimate weapon in order to have success against his former player’s team and earn their first FBS win of the season in the home finale.

“This guy has a ton of their production. The way they use him is incredible to me,” O’Brien said of King. “(Key and coordinator Buster Faulkner) do a good job with their offense, and he is the leader of it. He is a competitive, tough player.”

The quarterback position has been uncertain for the Eagles of late, with both Alabama transfer Dylan Lonergan and incumbent starter Grayson James seeing significant action. O’Brien has not confirmed a starter for Saturday’s game.

In last week’s 45-13 loss to SMU, James attempted just two passes and got sacked three times before Lonergan — who started the previous game against Notre Dame — entered in relief and went 25-for-37 passing for 232 yards and a touchdown.

“They have to give us confidence. It’s important for us to have confidence in them,” O’Brien said. “They’ve each played a lot, and they’ve done some good things and some not so good things.”

Senior receiver Lewis Bond enters the game needing just three catches to break Zay Flowers’ all-time receptions record of 200. His 7.3 receptions per game rank fifth nationally.

“For him to have a chance to break the record is really a testament to him, his work ethic, his toughness, his competitiveness,” O’Brien said.

–Field Level Media

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

No. 8 Georgia Tech visits NC State, seeking ninth straight win

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Closing in on more program history, No. 8 Georgia Tech will take its unbeaten record into Raleigh, N.C., against North Carolina State in Atlantic Coast Conference play on Saturday night.

A victory for Georgia Tech (8-0, 5-0) would match the program’s longest single-season winning streak since beginning 9-0 in 1966. The Yellow Jackets are 5-0 in the ACC for the first time since joining the conference in 1983.

But the records mean little to head coach Brent Key, who just wants to go 1-0 this week.

“I view it like this, to go where we want to go, and where everybody wants to go, we’re only to the halfway point,” Key said. “You want to be in a position to be able to play games in November that mean something. Challenging games against good competition, and that’s what we have in front of us.”

Fresh off a 41-16 win over Syracuse last week, the Yellow Jackets’ attack is led by Haynes King, who threw for three touchdowns and ran for a pair of scores in the victory. Leading a historic start to the season, King has thrown for 1,480 yards, seven touchdowns and just one interception while leading the ACC with 12 rushing scores on 651 rushing yards.

Although King is an outsider at the moment, Key said he believes the sixth-year quarterback should be in New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony in December.

“Find me somebody else that brings more value to a team (than King),” Key said. “I’m glad he’s on my team. I don’t have a vote, but it would be a shame if he’s not in New York, and I think he will be there.”

North Carolina State (4-4, 1-3) is playing for bowl eligibility ahead of a difficult two-week stretch. The Wolfpack have dropped four of their past five games, and the road will get tougher for head coach Dave Doeren’s group, which will host the Yellow Jackets before heading to No. 10 Miami on Nov. 15.

“Nobody’s given up. We’ve just got to play better, and it starts with me,” Doeren said. “It’s about trying to get these guys in these last four weeks, one game at a time, to play the best football they can play. They’re frustrated, they’re mad, and they want to do something about it. One thing about this sport, you put the ball down, anything can happen.”

North Carolina State’s only win since Sept. 11 was over FCS-member Campbell on Oct. 4. Last week, the Wolfpack allowed 529 yards in a 53-34 loss at Pitts. The quarterback play hasn’t been the issue in Raleigh, as sophomore CJ Bailey’s 2,071 passing yards rank third in the ACC.

“I think CJ continues to lead our football team really well,” Doeren said. “Proud of him.”

Doeren, the conference’s second-longest tenured coach behind Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, is having to address rumors of his time at North Carolina State ending as the Wolfpack try to avoid a second straight losing season.

“Wins and losses matter a lot. I understand all that,” Doeren said. “I understand the profession. It’s not pressure. It’s a privilege to get to do what I do, and at some point, if they want someone else to do it, then God bless them. But I’m going to take advantage of my opportunities, as long as I get them, and fight for these kids, because they’re going to fight for me.”

–Field Level Media