The Orange needed a win against NC State this weekend. A road contest where SU was favored meant there wasn’t much margin of error for the Orange. While it wasn’t the prettiest, SU was able to squeak out a victory thanks to a couple of impressive performances.
When ACC player awards were announced this week, one offensive and one defensive player from the Orange were recognized, making them this week’s key difference makers.
Offensive – Jackson Meeks
In three years at Georgia, wide receiver Jackson Meeks had only 10 total receptions.
Against NC State, the transfer passed that total with 11 catches for 116 yards, good enough for ACC Wide Reciever of the Week. This was the most receptions for an SU player since 2022.
His biggest one came with ten minutes left in the fourth. On a fourth-and-goal, Meeks caught the eventual winning score for SU in the very front of the endzone. The score put SU up 24-7.
While the wide receiver has proven himself a deep-ball threat, the quick pass for the score showcased his versatile skillset as a wideout.
Meeks has proven himself week after week. He now has a touchdown in four straight games going into next week’s bye for the Orange.
Defensive – Justin Barron
For a decent chunk of the offseason, fans did not know if Justin Barron would be playing for the Orange this season. Saturday night, he showed why his decision to come back was so important for SU.
The linebacker has been an integral part of SU’s defense all year. But Saturday he came up huge with two takeaways, leading to an ACC Linebacker of the Week honor.
With just over five minutes left in the second, the ball popped out during an NC State rush. Barron jumped on it immediately.
Then late in the third, a ball bounced out of the hands of an NC State receiver’s hands and headed straight to Barron, who returned it 41 yards.
Both of the takeaways led to scores for the Orange. And in what ended up a one-score game, were necessary points.
Takeaways weren’t his only impact. Barron had eight tackles (two for loss), a sack, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. The Connecticut native was a true Swiss army knife for SU’s defense in the win.
