Georgia Tech looks to cap undefeated season at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Thursday

On Nov. 27, 1999, Georgia Tech beat Georgia 51-48 in overtime at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

That victory completed a 6-0 run at home for the Yellow Jackets and was part of a memorable season for junior offensive lineman Brent Key. In the 24 seasons since, Tech has not gone unbeaten at home.

That could change Thursday night when Tech faces North Carolina State (7:30 p.m., ESPN).

“For these kids, those are things you wanna stack,” Key said. “You wanna stack those type of accomplishments together so at the end of the year, end of the season, you have time to reflect back on ‘em. That’s a huge thing for these guys to be able to do and accomplish.

“But this game is not played any different than the last game or the game before because of that. At the end of the day, we gotta play one game at a time, and everyone on this team is involved in the outcome of it.”

ExploreMore AJC coverage of the Yellow Jackets

An undefeated home mark is only one of the many accomplishments on the line for Key’s team Thursday.

A Tech victory would make the 2024 Jackets only the 17th team to go undefeated at home and the third since 1966 to win all their home games (with no ties). A win would clinch a winning record for Tech for the second year in a row for the first time since 2013-14 and match the 2023 ACC record of 5-3.

Oh, and Thursday is Senior Night, the home finale for notable Jackets such as safety LaMiles Brooks, defensive tackle Zeek Biggers, defensive end Sylvain Yondjouen, punter David Shanahan, tight end Avery Boyd and offensive linemen Weston Franklin and Jordan Williams, to name a few.

“It’ll be very emotional,” Brooks said Monday. “My entire family will be here. It’s crazy to think that this is my last one here at Bobby Dodd. I feel like I’ve been here forever. You take for granted the opportunities you have to play there, so it’ll be a big one for sure. I think I’ll feel the emotions the most at the end of the game, after it’s over.”

Brooks and the Jackets (6-4, 4-3 ACC) last played Nov. 9, when they knocked off Miami, a team undefeated and ranked fourth nationally at the time. It was the second win of the season for Tech against an undefeated team —after the season opener — (Duke, Oct. 5) and second win over a team ranked inside the top 10 (Florida State, Aug. 24).

North Carolina State is neither of those things, but may be no less dangerous, given that the Wolfpack (5-5, 2-4 ACC) needs one victory over its final two games to qualify for a bowl game. Coach Dave Doeren’s squad also has been off since Nov. 9, when it lost 29-19 to Duke in its home finale.

State was 9-4 in 2023 and was expected to be in the 2024 ACC title race. But injuries and inconsistencies have plagued a team that ranks toward the bottom of the league in rushing, scoring defense and turnover margin.

“They’re a solid team. They play well together,” Tech tight end Jackson Hawes said. “They like to play physical and play at the line in your face a lot more. They’ve got good structure. Their defense, they’re well-disciplined. D-ends are gonna be really big and handling them will be a good challenge that I’m excited for. They play well. They’ve been darn near in every game this year. I know their record may not state it, but this is a good team coming into our place, and we gotta be ready for ‘em.”

Hawes is part of a Tech offense that had to piece together a game, as Key termed it, in the 28-23 win over Miami. Quarterback Haynes King rushed 20 times for 93 yards in that win while guarding against an injury to his throwing shoulder that limits his ability to pass.

The Jackets also improved to 15-2 under Key when rushing for at least 180 yards.

“They’re very creative when Haynes King is in there,” Doeren said this week. “When he’s in there, there’s every possible quarterback run game you could imagine, with misdirections and shifts and formations and adjustments. They really made Miami work and schematically were much different. I don’t get the cliff notes on how they’re planning for us.”

Doeren’s offense is led by quarterback CJ Bailey, a freshman who has played nine games in place of injured starter Grayson McCall and who has thrown for 1,794 yards and 12 touchdowns. Brooks complimented Bailey’s ability to throw “some NFL-type balls.”

Bailey did not face Tech defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci in 2023, but the Wolfpack did, losing 24-3 to Santucci and Duke in Durham, North Carolina.

“They’re sound and physical. I like their defensive line a lot,” Doeren said of Tech’s defense. “I really enjoy watching their interior players. Both defensive ends rush the passer well. Schematically, they don’t do a ton on first and second down, but third down (they do) a variety of things you have to prepare for.”

Should Tech win Thursday, it would give Key, who is in line to get a $50,000 bonus for Tech making a bowl game, 14 ACC wins since taking over the program as interim coach in September 2022. The Jackets won only 12 ACC games between 2018 and the beginning of Key’s tenure.

But Tech is only 4-11 under Key after a win, a trend that the Jackets are continually trying to buck.

“We’ve shown glimpses of being a really good football team, being a great football team at times. We’ve shown that we can do those things. We know what we’re capable of doing,” Key said. “Now it comes down to, are we willing to do that every single week? In order to do every day of the week, it starts with preparation and continues out through the week and having the right mental and emotional discipline throughout, not just the week, but into the game.

“Playing one play at a time, not worrying about what the scoreboard is, not being outcome-oriented, going out and playing our absolute tails off. That’s what our goal is for Thursday night.”