The No. 16 NC State football team took care of business Saturday, defeating the Pittsburgh Panthers 35-17 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
The Wolfpack’s (6-1, 4-0 ACC) win over the Panthers (2-5, 0-3 ACC) marks the best start for the Pack since the 2002 season — when now-Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers was under center.
However, the victory didn’t come without its struggles. NC State failed to score on its opening drive for the first time this season. The Pack also found itself trailing for the first time in ACC play against a lowly Panther squad winless in conference play.
Redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Finley didn’t look like his normal self in the first half, completing six of 14 passes for just 69 yards at the break. The wide receiving corps wasn’t doing him any favors though, uncharacteristically dropping easy passes.
If it weren’t for back-to-back scoring plays from junior running back Nyheim Hines, an 83-yard touchdown run and a 92-yard punt return for a touchdown, the Wolfpack could have been down 14 points going into halftime.
Since the offense couldn’t stay on the field, the Wolfpack defense had its fair share of mishaps.
The secondary gave up a 33-yard touchdown catch to Pitt wide receiver Jester Weah, who finished with seven catches for 106 yards and a touchdown. The formidable Wolfpack front four was quiet, as the Panthers executed plays away from senior defensive end Bradley Chubb.
Special teams became an issue as time remaining until halftime dwindled. Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jakobi Meyers scored on what appeared to be a 4-yard touchdown catch, but a questionable pass interference call on sophomore wide receiver Kelvin Harmon nullified the score.
Graduate transfer kicker Carson Wise entered, and shanked a 34-yard field goal, leaving the score tied, 14-14, at the break.
The Pack’s first half performance resembled one experiencing a hangover from an electric win over then-No. 17 Louisville in Carter-Finley Stadium Oct. 5.
However, the Wolfpack showed glimpses of this season’s magic in the latter quarters. Finley found his groove and finished the game with 198 yards, completing 56 percent of his passes after converting just 42.8 percent in the first.
Harmon hauled in an acrobatic catch, but made it look effortless, leaping into the air and plucking the ball out of the grasp of the Pitt cornerback. The Palmyra, New Jersey native recorded three receptions for 113 yards, his fourth 100-yard receiving outing, totaling 547 yards on the year.
Senior all-purpose back Jaylen Samuels had a quiet 10 touches, two of which were rushing touchdowns, a 1-yard and 40-yard touchdown run.
Outside of senior cornerback Mike Stevens’ interception, the defense was quiet in the second half. Chubb and the seniors didn’t take over the game and the linebackers didn’t serve any punishing hits, a strange occurrence due to the defense’s dominance in recent weeks.
But valued reserve and junior defensive end Darian Roseboro stepped up in an emotional game. Roseboro recorded the lone NC State sack, three tackles for a loss and five tackles, just one week after his father Johnny Roseboro passed away. The entire team wore the initials “J.R.” on a small sticker on the back of their helmets, honoring Roseboro’s father.
The Pack bounced back and played like the No. 16 team in the country in the second half despite a shaky start.
“It wasn’t a pretty win, but a win’s a win,” Harmon said to the News & Observer. “We have the bye week. We have a lot to fix. We’ll get back to work.”
NC State will look to rest up its injured players during its bye week, and prepare for a noteworthy matchup against No. 13 Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana on Oct. 28.
