With just over a minute and a half left in regulation and no timeouts, redshirt sophomore Devin Leary took control of the reins and tore down the field in the clutch to upset No. 24 Pittsburgh. If there was any doubt who the starting quarterback should be, those concerns should be erased after today’s astonishing 30-29 win.
Leary completed passes to nine different receivers in the Pack’s (2-1, 2-1 ACC) victory over the Panthers (3-1, 2-1 ACC), displaying the offensive versatility that this team has the potential for. Leary finished the game with 336 yards in the air and four passing touchdowns, completing passes at a 64% clip.
“[Leary]’s done a great job of taking coaching from coach [Tim] Beck,” said head coach Dave Doeren. “It was nice to see him with starting wideouts and starting offensive linemen and three rotational tailbacks and all the tight ends. I think you got a good glimpse at what he is and what he could be.”
Senior receiver Emeka Emezie and redshirt senior tight end Cary Angeline were offensive heroes in the game for the Pack, with each finishing with two receiving touchdowns. Emezie recorded his second 100-yard game of his career and first since NC State’s loss to West Virginia in the third week of the 2019 season.
Angeline hauled in four catches for 60 yards, adding to his effective 2020 campaign. In just three games this season, Angeline has proven himself as NC State’s most effective red zone threat, something that should have been obvious prior to this season given Angeline’s 6-foot-7 frame.
Overall, the secondary put up a good effort in the game, despite being ravaged by injuries, and they responded well after a 75-yard touchdown was given up on the second play of the game. Sophomore corner Cecil Powell and redshirt sophomore corner Taiyon Palmer both played well in coverage, with Palmer coming up with a clutch pass breakup toward the end of the game.
The secondary as a whole held its own, with such players coming up with a total of seven pass breakups despite good games from Pitt’s Taysir Mack and DJ Turner, the latter of whom finished with 186 yards on just eight catches. Junior safety Tanner Ingle made his presence known after missing last week, recording nine tackles and two pass deflections.
It wasn’t just the secondary standing tall for the Pack as Pittsburgh got all the way down to NC State’s 1-yard line on its first drive of the second half after big plays to Turner, but the NC State D-line and linebackers came up huge, stopping Pitt at the 1-yard line four straight times to regain possession.
“It was just heart,” Doeren said. “We played a lot of football. There was a time there, offensively, when we weren’t getting a whole lot going and we were out there a lot. I thought, defensively, in that third quarter there was a lot of heart and toughness. Obviously you don’t wanna bend but not break…we got stuff we gotta clean up, but when it counted, they stood up. They made some really key plays and key moments and showed a lot of resiliency and toughness.”
Redshirt junior linebacker Isaiah Moore and junior defensive tackle Alim McNeill put up strong games, managing to halt the Pitt rushing attack and helping to hold that group to just 92 yards.
All in all, the quarterbacks from both teams showed that they belong in the ACC, with Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett adding 451 total yards, three total touchdowns and no turnovers. It didn’t take long for the gunslinging to start for either team as the Panthers unleashed a monstrous 75-yard pass from Pickett to Jordan Addison to go up 7-0.
After NC State struck back, bringing the score to 7-7, the NC State defense held the Pitt offense to three straight punts, two of which were three-and-outs, and Pittsburgh’s defense committed six penalties in the first quarter alone, with four of such penalties being converted to first downs. Both helped the Pack keep it close and drive down the field en route to a 40-yard field goal by junior kicker Christopher Dunn.
Yet another Pitt penalty on the next drive made a third-and-long a third-and-manageable situation and helped move the chains on a third consecutive Wolfpack drive that resulted in a score. Three plays after the penalty, Leary connected with Emezie for a beautiful 35-yard dime in the endzone, giving the Pack a 17-7 lead.
Midway through the second quarter, on a strong Pittsburgh drive, the Pack had what seemed like an impressive pick-six by sophomore safety Jakeen Harris. Harris returned the pass for 88 yards before the play was called back due to a sloppy foul by freshman defensive back Joshua Pierre-Louis, who was called for targeting and was ejected from the game.
Instead of getting a 24-7 lead on a play that would have surely energized the Wolfpack secondary, the Panthers were able to secure a field goal and stay within a touchdown striking distance.
On the last drive of the third quarter, Pittsburgh was able to tear down the field, despite numerous pass breakups by NC State and a sack from sophomore Drake Thomas. Ultimately, Pickett ran the ball in for a touchdown from the 1-yard line, giving Pitt a 20-17 lead, its first lead since the first drive of the game.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Pickett once again put up an off-balance highlight reel throw with the pocket collapsing, 50 yards to Turner, who the Pack struggled to contain all day. The play led to another field goal by Pitt, giving the team a 23-17 lead.
As was the case for the entirety of the game, NC State quickly responded with a fire lit under it, facing a six-point deficit with just over 10 minutes left in regulation. Carter hauled in a 22-yard pass with one hand, moving to midfield before Leary completed back-to-back passes to redshirt junior Thayer Thomas.
This drive seemed to falter after Leary was tackled on a failed run attempt and an incomplete pass before yet another Pittsburgh penalty, this time roughing the passer, gave NC State another chance. Leary was able to complete yet another bullet pass to Angeline for his second touchdown, good for a 25 yards and giving the Pack a 24-23 lead.
“Ever since last year we’ve faced a lot of adversity,” Leary said. “Even coming into this game, unfortunately, having a lot of guys injured last year so not being able to have all the guys we want on the field. But today, overall, I felt like it was a really good team win. Personally, I feel like the defense balled out; they helped us out a lot. I felt like being able to see everyone on the field, everyone being able to go 100% was very exciting.”
With over eight minutes left on the clock, Pittsburgh drew NC State into using up all of its timeouts, and drained nearly seven minutes from the clock while managing to drive down the field and take a 29-24 lead. NC State did everything it could to stop Pitt at the goal line, but faltered on a quarterback sneak by Pickett. With a failed two-point conversion attempt, the Wolfpack had just under two minutes to get revenge.
Thanks to Leary’s heroics at the end of the game, the offense was able to move down the field with ease in a timely manner, despite having no timeouts to utilize. Angeline, Thomas and Emezie all hauled in passes on the drive, with Emezie clocking in a 13-yard touchdown to seal the game, 30-29.
“Devin [Leary] was nails,” Doeren said. “We’ve been waiting for [Leary] to become the guy, and we’ve always known what his arm was. This team believes in him. You can see it in the locker room, the guys rally around him and he’s just calm and poised. He’s got a really good arm, he’s a tough kid and he played a heck of a football game.”
NC State football travels to Charlottesville, Virginia next Saturday, Oct. 10 to face the Cavaliers with a time to be announced, hoping to build on this ranked road win.
