Duke Scott Shines as NC State Stuns No. 8 Georgia Tech

Scott toted the football 24 times for 196 yards and a score in the 48-36 win. He also added 11 yards receiving in his dominant performance. While Bailey put together his own impressive outing, the Wolfpack needed Scott's punishing runs to maintain a two-score cushion throughout the win.

Inside the Dominant Performance

Before the Georgia Tech game, Scott's only outing with 10 or more carries came against Campbell. He tallied 10 carries for 89 yards in that win over the lowly Fighting Camels. Even before that performance, there were flashes of Scott's talent and explosiveness, dating all the way back to fall camp when his teammates raved about his physicality and athleticism. He didn't take all the credit though.

"I'd like to think my O-line. They blocked their behinds off all day," the running back said with a smile. "It's surreal for my first start to be an upset. It’s a surreal feeling."

99 of Scott's crucial yards came on two plays. Midway through the third quarter, Scott took off for a 69-yard rush, once again gashing the Georgia Tech defense. Yellow Jacket defensive back Rodney Shelley yanked the redshirt freshman down by the facemask, moving NC State inside the three-yard line. The big play set up a Wolfpack score that extended the lead back to 11 points.

His second monster run put the Yellow Jackets to bed. Leading 41-30, Scott darted through a hole on the left side of his offensive line. He paused, shifted directions slightly and burst into the open field with just two Yellow Jackets to beat. He outpaced them and stormed into the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown, his first of the game.

In the buildup to the game, Scott leaned on the wisdom of Smothers, still the ACC's leading rusher even after missing Saturday's game. It paid off in a major way, as the potential All-American gave Scott the advice he needed to explode to 196 yards.

"He just told me to be calm, be patient, and don't don't try to hit the home run because it's going to come, and it's going to develop itself," Scott said about his teammate. "The funny thing is, right before I ran the 72-yarder, he was like, 'Hey, this is the one. I can feel it.' Sure enough, it popped open."

Before facing the Yellow Jackets, Scott forced 14 tackles in eight games. He made 11 Georgia Tech defenders miss Saturday night. His performance was a testament to his work ethic according to both Doeren and Bailey.

"I wasn't surprised at all. I've already seen Duke since last year. He's a great person. He never complains. He comes to practice, comes to the weight room every day and works hard," Bailey said. "He's a very strong guy, a very fast guy and people don't see it."

While Smothers will likely be back after NC State's bye week, Scott earned the respect of his team and the Wolfpack fan base with his masterful performance. He was rewarded by the love of thousands of raucous fans, who charged the field as Caden Fordham hauled in the game-sealing interception in the end zone.

"It was awesome, especially being a part of it. You always see it on TV and all that stuff, the fans rushing the crowd," Scott said. "It was awesome to be a part of it. I got to take some a lot of good pictures and just interact with fans."