After being embarrassed last week on the road at then-No. 20 Virginia Tech, the NC State football team shocked everyone by winning 30-29 at then-No. 24 Pittsburgh Saturday afternoon. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Devin Leary led an eight-play, 79-yard drive down the field to win the game, capped off by a touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Emeka Emezie with 23 seconds left on the clock.
In his first start of the season, the New Jersey native solidified his spot at QB1, completing 28 of 44 passes for 336 yards and four touchdowns.
Despite the secondary giving up some big plays, overall the front four was dominant in the trenches all afternoon for the Wolfpack (2-1, 2-1 ACC) defense. The defensive unit also returned junior safety Tanner Ingle and redshirt sophomore linebacker Payton Wilson after missing the previous game with injuries, and they made their presence known by combining for 17 tackles.
Through three games, there is hope for NC State fans with what this team can accomplish. The biggest thing is that the team has learned how to close out games. The two games the Wolfpack won have been by a combined four points. That being said, NC State could easily be sitting here 0-3, but it’s not, and that’s a credit to the coaching staff and the players maintaining poise in the big moment.
Considering the Wolfpack only played in two close games last year, beating Syracuse and losing to Georgia Tech, it shows how the players matured in the offseason. Moving back to this year, the two wins have been closed out two different ways, the defense against Wake Forest and the offense against Pittsburgh (3-1, 2-1 ACC).
With a three-point lead over the Demon Deacons, NC State was forced to punt and give the ball back with 2:25 left in the game. After Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman had his way most of the game, back-to-back sacks by redshirt junior linebacker Vi Jones and graduate defensive lineman Daniel Joseph sealed the win for the Wolfpack.
Recently in the win over Pittsburgh, on the game-winning drive, NC State was faced with a fourth-and-9 after a penalty and a few incomplete passes set it back. With the game on the line, redshirt junior wide receiver Thayer Thomas ran an out route and went up and caught a dime from Leary to keep the drive alive. The touchdown catch by Emezie will get all of the attention, deservingly so, but Thomas’ grab was just as clutch.
In both of these cases, NC State had players step up when it mattered most. Wolfpack fans have been used to mishaps at the end of games, but this year’s team has proved so far that it can make the big play at the right moment.
The Wolfpack will be back on the road Saturday at noon at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia to take on UVA. The game will be streamed live on the ACC Network.
