North Carolina State: 21
Georgia Tech: 48

Riding a four game winning streak and carrying the #7 spot in the AP poll, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets would face their third straight opponent from the Raleigh-Durham area when NC State arrived on the Flats in late October, 1999. Each team was fresh off of a victory over Duke, with the Jackets having an extra week to prepare for the contest. The Wolfpack were carrying a 6-3 record, their most impressive victory coming against the Texas Longhorns in Austin.

After near losses the previous two weeks, the Yellow Jackets chances of victory were never in doubt against the Wolfpack. Despite throwing an interception to Lloyd Harrison in the end zone on the opening drive, Hamilton collected himself and led the offense on an 8 play 55 yard drive for the game’s first score. Sean Gregory accounted for the touchdown on a two yard run to give the Jackets a 7-0 lead.

The defense got a quick stop and the offense quickly got moving again after taking over at the Wolfpack 45 yard line. Hamilton first hit Dez White for 15 yards to the 31 before Sidney Ford and Hamilton added runs of 4 and 14 yards, respectively, to advance to the 13. Hamilton then ran to the 7, but Tech was pushed back to the 17 on a holding penalty. Kelly Campbell capped off the drive with a 17 yard run for the touchdown to extend the Ramblin’ Wreck lead to 14-0.

Neither team could get anything going on its next drive, and NC State took over at their own 16 after a Tech punt. After advancing to their own 30 on four plays, the Wolfpack struck a blow when Jamie Barnette connected with Koren Robinson on a 70 yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 14-7 midway through the second quarter.

The Jackets extended the lead slightly on their next drive when Luke Manget hit a 49 yard field goal after the drive stalled at the Wolfpack 31. Tech now led 17-7.

Another defensive stand and a short Woflpack punt gave the Jackets the ball at their own 41, and Hamilton again marched the offense down the field. The Heisman candidate completed seven of ten passes on the drive, capping it off with a three yard touchdown pass to Kerry Watkins with roughly 30 seconds left in the half. The Wolfpack simply downed the ball after the kickoff, and the Jackets would take a 24-7 lead into halftime.

Tech got off to a strong start in the second half when Nick Rogers intercepted Barnette’s pass at the Wolfpack 40 yard line and returned the ball to the 23. Three straight runs by Gregory moved the Jackets to the 11 before Hamilton threw a strike to Campbell for the score, extending the lead to 31-7. The touchdown pass was the 52nd of Hamilton’s career, setting the record for the most passing touchdowns in Georgia Tech history.

The Jackets scored again on their next possession after going 91 yards in four plays. Beginning at his own 11, Hamilton first hit Dez White for 29 yards to the 38. The senior quarterback then rushed 15 yards to move into Wolfpack territory at the 47, and Gregory added 8 more yards to the 39. Hamilton then connected on a 39 yard pass to Campbell for the score, and the Jackets led 38-7 late in the third quarter.

While NC State scored on a fake punt on their next possession, Tech was clearly in control of the game and Hamilton was relieved by George Godsey shortly thereafter. Sidney Ford and Luke Manget added the final 10 points for the Jackets, the former scoring on a one yard touchdown run with 9 minutes remaining and the latter adding a 34 yard field goal with 3:30 remaining. The Wolfpack’s final score came on a 20 yard touchdown pass by backup quarterback Jatavis Sanders. The Jackets went on to win by a final of 48-21, capturing their fifth straight victory.

Statistics:

First Downs:
NCS – 19
GT – 30

Rushing Yards:
NCS – 94
GT – 244

Passing (Comp-Att-Yds):
NCS – 15-32-320
GT – 19-31-247

Fumbles (Total-Lost):
NCS – 1-0
GT – 0-0

Interceptions thrown:
NCS – 1
GT – 2

Penalties (Total-Yds):
NCS – 6-39
GT – 8-55

Notable Individual Statistics:
Joe Hamilton – 16-26 passing, 212 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT; 83 yards rushing
Kelly Campbell – 6 receptions for 84 yards, 2 TD; 17 yards rushing, 1 TD

References:
Game Summary: http://www.ramblinwreck.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/103099aaa.html