57, 161 fans packed into Carter-Finley Stadium Saturday witnessed the Wolfpack run away from Wake Forest with 28 second half points in a second half blowout victory for coach Tom O’Brien and Co.
Senior linebacker Nate Irving set a new school record for tackles for a loss with 8. The previous record of six was set by Mario Williams, who now stars at defensive end for the Houston Texans.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair. Kicker Chris Hawthorne opened up the scoring with 5:42 left in the first quarter with a 25-yard field goal. Wake Forest’s Jimmy Newman tied the game back at 3-3 with a 19-yard field goal after a 15 play, 57-yard drive. Senior wide receiver Jarvis Williams’ four-yard touchdown reception midway through the second quarter capped the first half scoring, and State led 10-3 at intermission.
The Wolfpack dominated the second half, as the defense held the Deacons scoreless for the remainder of the game while Wilson threw one more touchdown and scored twice with his legs to allow coach Tom O’Brien to play several senior reserves late in the fourth quarter of their final home games. Owen Spencer caught a 38-yard pass with 12:50 remaining in the third quarter to make it 17-3, and six minutes later, redshirt junior quarterback Russell Wilson scored on a 2-yard run to give State a 21-point lead.
The Wolfpack added to its cushion when Wilson ran the ball into the end zone on a quarterback sneak to make it 31-3, then scored its final points when sophomore halfback James Washington’s short touchdown run pushed the Pack’s lead to 35.