The NC State football team suffered a devastating 28-13 loss at the hands of the Virginia Tech Hokies Friday night at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia.
This is the Wolfpack’s (4-2, 0-2 ACC) second consecutive loss after opening the season 4-0, marking the third year in a row that the Pack has opened ACC play with back-to-back losses.
The Hokies (3-3, 1-1 ACC) used a 21-point second quarter to distance themselves from the Pack, a quarter in which Virginia Tech outgained State, 156-2.
Redshirt junior quarterback Brenden Motley connected with sophomore wide receiver Isaiah Ford in the end zone to cap off three separate drives, the last of which came with 18 seconds remaining on the clock.
During the second-quarter drives, the Hokies completed five passes of 10 or more yards, leaving the NC State secondary looking baffled for most of the game.
Penalties played a big part in the Wolfpack’s loss, as State had six first-half penalties for 65 yards, four of which resulted in first downs for Tech.
Before its collapse in the second, the Pack had all of the momentum, taking an early 10-0 lead just two minutes into the second half off a 12-play, 91-yard touchdown drive.
Senior quarterback Jacoby Brissett capped off the drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Jumichael Ramos in the back of the end zone.
After that burst, State had two drives for a combined -7 yards and entered the half down by 11.
The Pack showed some signs of life at the end of the third quarter, running the ball nine straight times to set up for freshman kicker Kyle Bambard’s second field goal of the night.
However, the Pack failed to gain any momentum on its next two drives, and with 6:47 to go in the fourth, redshirt freshman running back Travon McMillian sealed the victory for Tech with a 59-yard touchdown run, the first of his career.
In the closing minutes of the final quarter, Brissett threw his first interception of the season, ending his streak of 241 passes without a pick.
The Wolfpack will have an extra week to recuperate from its back-to-back losses before heading to Winston-Salem Oct. 24 to take on Wake Forest.
Freshman wide receiver Nyheim Hines gets tackled by Virginia Tech Junior cornerback Chuck Clark in the third quarter. Hines finished with 1 reception for 17 yards, 3 rushes for 7 yards, and two kick returns for 27 yards. The Wolfpack lost to the Hokies 28-13 at Virginia Tech in Lane Stadium on October 9th, 2015.
