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Quarterback Russell Wilson used his legs, arm, and body to lift N.C. State (4-6, 2-4 ACC) over Saturday in Carter-Finley Stadium 21-17. Wilson hit nine different receivers in the game, completing 16 of 33 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground Wilson carried the ball 14 times for 69 yards and a touchdown.
“Wake Forest is a big man-to-man defense team and when you run man-to-man, you are running down the field and chasing guys,” coach Tom O’Brien said. “When they are running around down field, there is a lot of room underneath, which Russell is able to find. He is able to make one guy miss and that makes him even better. That’s part of his repute: one, two, take off and run.”
Wilson came out strong on the first drive of the game, connecting on all but three of his seven passes to pick up 50 yards including an 11 yard touchdown pass to tight end George Bryan. The Pack was able to convert all four of its third down attempts on the drive which ate 5:31 off the clock. Coming out early was big for the Pack and, according to redshirt freshman George Bryan, it set the stage for the rest of the game.
“When we come out strong and we come out hard, everybody’s pumped up on the sidelines,” Bryan said. “It just carries over from series to series. Motivation is a great thing.”
The only blemish on Wilson’s record was a fumble late in the third quarter on the Wolfpack 13 yard line leaving the Deacs in the perfect position to score. The defense held the Deacons to only three points on a field goal and Wilson led the offense back onto the field and into the end zone for a touchdown.
“I think he has great amnesia too,” coach O’Brien said. “And that is what you have to have to play that position.”
Along with Wilson’s offense the Pack’s defense, led by Nate Irving, stepped up in the contest to push the Pack to victory. Irving has had his share of injuries this season and was sidelined for three games but put up numbers that mirror his performance from early in the season.
Irving had 13 tackles with one sack and two tackles for loss. Irving came up big on key third and fourth downs preventing Wake from advancing drives toward points. The defense held Wake to 4 for 13 on third down conversions and just 1 for 3 on fourth downs.
“I have had complete faith in the defense all year to make stops,” Wilson said. “They’ve been making stops lately, they just keep working really hard in practice every day.”
The Wolfpack will take this momentum to Chapel Hill, NC next Saturday to face the rival UNC-Chapel Hill Tarheels. If the Pack beats the Tarheels they will have beaten all the major teams in North Carolina and keep hopes of being bowl eligible alive.
“I feel like it’s the playoffs,” running back Andere Brown said. “We either wine or we dine and we have to go out there and take it one week at a time…play Wolfpack football and win the game.”