Devin Leary Has Himself a Night as Wolfpack Roll Over Furman

RALEIGH NC – Devin Leary and the NC State Wolfpack (2-1) snagged a much-needed victory by dominating Furman (2-1) 45-7 on Saturday night. Leary had everything going for him with his offensive line putting together a productive performance. He finished the evening going 23-29 passing with 259 yards in the air, 3 passing touchdowns, and a rushing score. The touchdown total was a season-high, and the turnover-free contest speaks volumes of how well he played. 

It was a satisfying showing by the Pack’s signal-caller, who has got off to a slower start to the campaign than expected. Despite the 300 yard performance a week ago, this was the best version of Leary we have seen in 2021. It was not until the 13-minute mark in the 2nd quarter that Leary recorded his first touchdown as he found TE Dylan Parham for a 4-yard score that extended the Pack lead to 17-0.

The rest was history, Leary went on to rack up 3 more touchdowns in the quarter. On his lone carry of the night, he made it count, going for a 7-yard score. He then found Anthony Smith on a 42-yard dart and finished it off, connecting with Thayer Thomas from 12 yards out with 24 seconds remaining in the first half to bring the score to 38-0 in favor of the Pack.

The comfortable lead led to Leary receiving a well-deserved rest as Ben Finley replaced him in the early stages of the 3rd quarter, where the Pack were leading 45-0 at the time. Nevertheless, it was an encouraging result for both Leary and the Pack.

They will have to carry the momentum into next week as things will get much more difficult hosting the Clemson Tigers in their first conference game of the season. Suppose the offensive line can repeat this performance, and the offense can continue the balanced approach with Leary leading the way they should be able to compete at the very least. Kickoff is set for the week 4 clash against the Tigers this upcoming Saturday at 3:30 pm EST.