The NC State football team achieved its first conference victory in two years in a nail-biting, 24-17 clash against the Syracuse Orange on Saturday.

The first quarter saw rock solid defense from the Pack, who only allowed one first down and 14 total yards. The offense took advantage, as senior place kicker Niklas Sade booted two field goals.

Sade wasn’t the only player making an impact on special teams. Senior punter Will Baumann was zeroed in on the red zone, as he forced the Orange’s defense to start inside the five-yard line on three separate occasions.

NC State’s closest chance to breaking the end zone came mid way through the second quarter, as a short pass and sideline dash by sophomore Bra’Lon Cherry, as well as a late hit to Brissett brought the Pack to the five-yard line. The Syracuse defense held their ground and forced another field goal from Sade. The Pack held a 9-0 lead after the kick.

The Syracuse offense got rolling in the final minutes of the first half. Freshman quarterback A.J. Long heaved a 30-yard pass under pressure to senior receiver Jerrod West, who caught the ball on the sideline under double coverage. Long finished the drive in the final seconds of the half by rolling out of the pocket and finding junior wideout Ben Lewis, who stretched out for the 15-yard touchdown catch.

Long continued to make plays as the second half opened. In the first drive of the third quarter, Long escaped pressure twice and ran for two first downs, then capped off the drive with a 25 yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Steve Ishmael to take the lead, 14-9.

As the Wolfpack offense struggled to gain first downs, the defense stepped up to shift the game’s momentum. Syracuse found themselves in the red zone yet again late in the third quarter, and as Long threw to an open receiver, redshirt freshman defensive end Pharaoh McKever jumped up to snag the ball. The former wide receiver ran 82 yards for the touchdown with the help of an athletic block made by sophomore safety Dravious Wright. State added two more points with a shovel pass to Matt Dayes. The Pack entered the fourth quarter with a 17-14 advantage.

With four minutes left in the fourth quarter, senior linebacker Rodman Noel made a huge play in stripping the ball from Long, who tried to rush up the middle. Redshirt freshman defensive end Kenton Gibbs recovered the ball on the Orange’s 30-yard line.

Head coach Dave Doeren and offensive coordinator Matt Canada then unleashed the one-two punch in its power combo of running backs. The short drive saw effective running up the middle by sophomore running back Matt Dayes who secured a first down. On third down at the 18, Brissett made a quick throw to junior running back Shadrach Thornton who ran past three defenders for the score, seemingly securing the win for the Pack.

Syracuse hurriedly initiated a drive that needed a score to put the game within reach. The team advanced to the doorstep of the end zone but were denied the six points by the aggressive play from the defense. Grad student defensive end Art Norman played ferociously, as he accrued two hard-hitting sacks on the drive. Syracuse settled for a field goal.

After putting the team within seven, Syracuse narrowly recovered an onside kick that bordered the 10-yard line,  and carried it to the end zone. The touchdown was called back due to the rule that the kicking team is not allowed to advance the ball.

Syracuse started at the 46-yard line with 17 seconds remaining. The team’s hopes relied on a hail mary pass headed towards the end zone, but it was intercepted by redshirt freshman safety Josh Jones to seal the victory for the Pack.

Saturday’s win lifted a tremendous weight off the shoulders of Dave Doeren, who achieved his first conference win. The Wolfpack escaped below .500 status, as the team now moves to 5-4 (1-4 ACC) on the season.

Brissett was 20 for 32, throwing for 182 yards and a touchdown. Freshman fullback Jaylen Samuels led the team in rushing with 46 yards in two attempts. Brissett found a strong rhythm with Cherry in the game, as the sophomore led the receiving corps by hauling in four catches for 64 yards. Syracuse’s A.J. Long was 22 for 42 with 307 yards and two touchdowns.

The Pack will face the strong running game of Georgia Tech next Saturday at 12:30 in NC State’s homecoming game.