NC State Shows Out in Packed Homecoming Win Over Wake Forest

RALEIGH, NC- On Saturday, November 5 at the Carter-Finley Stadium, the NC State Wolfpack (6-2, 2-2 ACC)  battled against Wake Forest (6-2, 2-2) beating them 30-21 in a thrilling homecoming game that will have a significant impact on both teams’ playoff bowl prospects for next month. 

Due to the emergence of true freshman quarterback MJ Morris, NC State football was able to restore its momentum last week by defeating Virginia Tech in a comeback victory, 22-21. Wake Forest was ranked in the top ten the previous week, but they suffered their second divisional defeat when they were shocked by Louisville 48-21. Although Wake Forest has won four of the last five games, including 45-42 last season at Winston-Salem, NC State still holds a 67-42-6 series edge.

To start out the first quarter, NC State’s Jakeen Harris intercepts the ball from Sam Hartman’s pass and returns it 24 yards building momentum not only for the team but also with the crowd as well. With 8 minutes left in the first quarter, The Wolfpack led by 3 points when Chris Dunn’s 33-yard field goal attempt struck the upright.

After a missed field goal attempt by The Deacons with 14:56 on the clock to start the second quarter, a pass interference infraction led to Christian Turner’s 2-yard touchdown run. 10 plays and 75 yards were covered in 75 yards in 4 minutes. Turner had five carries for 23 yards, while Hartman completed four throws for 45 yards during the drive causing Wake Forest to take their lead of 7-3. Following Keyon Lesane’s 44-yard grab for NC State on third-and-13, Lesane makes another crucial play by hanging onto the football despite a hit near the goal line to score on a 12-yard reception and give his team a 10-7 lead. The touchdown play was initiated by Jordan Houston’s 16-yard run.

The two teams put up a fight against one another in the 2nd quarter with back-to-back great offensive plays. Taylor Morin finished an eight-play, 75-yard drive with a leaping catch in the end zone for a touchdown reception of 24 yards with 4:11 left in the second quarter, giving The Deacons a 14-10 lead. An alumnus of NC State and NFL legend Philip Rivers and Hartman are tied for second place on the list of ACC career throwing touchdown leaders with 95 touchdown passes each after that play. Tajh Boyd of Clemson is in first place with 107. To end the half, NC State scores 17 points after Maryland transfer Darryl Jones intercepted a 13-yard pass from Morris to finish an eight-play, 64-yard drive.

Jones scored a touchdown after Morris completed six of eight throws for 59 yards on the drive, and after Cyrus Fagan’s interception and 20-yard return gave NC State the ball at the Pack’s 50, Christopher Dunn made a 51-yard field goal to put the Pack ahead 27-14 at the end of the third quarter.

With 6:54 to go in the fourth quarter, the Deacons boosted their points up to 21with a 29-yard line drive by Perry which was quickly followed by a 25-yard field goal by Dunn for NC State to end the game. 

Join the Wolfpack as they face Boston College back at Carter-Finley Stadium on November 12th at 2:30 PM.