The NC State football team got the job done in Tallahassee, Florida on Saturday, Nov. 6, beating the Florida State Seminoles 28-14 behind redshirt sophomore quarterback Devin Leary’s four touchdowns and a strong fourth quarter from the defense.
After a low scoring first half, the Wolfpack (7-2,4-1 ACC) and Seminoles (3-6, 2-4 ACC) traded quick blows to start the second half, but NC State was able to hold onto its 14-point halftime lead and keep its ACC Championship hopes alive.
“Really proud of our football team,” head coach Dave Doeren said. “Great to go on the road and get a win in such a storied stadium. I think that’s four out of five years that we’ve beaten them. … You got to give Florida State credit. They came out the second half with the surprise onside kick and got little momentum and we were able to respond and just keep the lead to where we needed it.”
With FSU marching down the field in the fourth quarter, the Pack’s defense came up with a massive fourth-down stop that led to a 43-yard touchdown reception from junior running back Ricky Person Jr.
Person’s touchdown restored the Pack’s two-score lead with just under eight minutes to play.
From there, the defense forced a quick three and out, and offense churned yards on the ground and burned 3:59 off the clock. The defense got the job done once again on FSU’s final drive, turning the ball over on downs and allowing the offense to run off the final minute and a half in victory formation.
Redshirt junior punter Trenton Gill proved time and time again just how much of a weapon he is for the Wolfpack. On eight punts, Gill averaged 45.2 yards per, with two going 50+. Five of Gill’s punts were downed inside the 20, with two of those being downed inside the five.
“Field position is a great friend to a defense,” Doeren said. “90 yard fields, when you’re a defensive coordinator, nice to call the game. Trent is a weapon. He’s really, really kicking the football well on kickoffs too. And this isn’t a one-time thing. As you guys have seen, this has been multiple games this year. So he’s flipping the field too. He had a bomb on one of those punts. And so we’re very fortunate to have the specialist crew that we do right now.”
FSU struggled to get anything going in the first half, but came out after the break with a surprise onside kick that provided the Noles with some much-needed momentum.
In the first half, the Wolfpack held the Seminoles to negative one rushing yard and just 78 yards of total offense in the first half, as McKenzie Milton went 7 for 15 with no touchdowns and one interception. Milton started the game in place of usual starting quarterback Jordan Travis, who was out with the non-COVID-19 related illness that had already canceled other sporting events on FSU’s campus this week.
Doeren said after the game, the staff had no idea Milton would be starting over Travis this week and gave some credit to FSU for it not getting out in the news. With that knowledge not being public, Doeren said they spent the week preparing for a running quarterback.
“That’s one thing I like about our defensive scheme,” Doeren said. “It’s flexible. There’s a lot of things [Defensive Coordinator Tony Gibson] can do to add guys or pull guys out of the run game. … The 3-3-5 gives you a lot of variables. So when it becomes a passing game, regardless of who the quarterback is, it’s not hard for us to adjust that way.”
Leary went 21 for 32 with 314 passing yards, four TDs and one interception, despite the go-to wide receiver trio of redshirt sophomore Devin Carter, redshirt junior Thayer Thomas and senior Emeka Emezie combining for 11 yards on three receptions.
“Oh man, it’s like walking watching the artist out there,” said junior safety Tanner Ingle. “He just be dotting people up, man. It just keeps the morale up. It allows [the defense] to get a break. Leary does a great job managing the ball, so it allows us to not be winded when we go back on the field.”
Instead of those three, Leary found success going to graduate wide receiver C.J. Riley, redshirt sophomore running back Trent Pennix, redshirt freshman Christopher Toudle and freshman wide receiver Porter Rooks.
“It says a lot about guys seizing the moment,” Doeren said. “The guys that had opportunities, they took advantage of them, and Devon doesn’t care who he throws the ball to. He doesn’t. He trusts these guys, we wouldn’t put them on the field with each other if he didn’t.”
Riley burned his corner for a 62-yard touchdown on Leary’s first completion of the day, while Pennix and Toudle combined for some big chunk plays leading to the Pack’s second touchdown of the day, and Leary connected with Pennix for a 45-yard touchdown strike early in the second half.
Pennix ended the game with 97 yards on three receptions, while Toudle came away with 42 yards on four receptions. Rooks didn’t get one in the endzone, but was a consistent target in the first half as he racked up 39 yards on five receptions.
“A testament to Devin, finding the open guy,” Doeren said. “Porter took advantage of an opportunity and did some good things. He was targeted six times, had five catches. And so that was great to see. I think that’s what makes a good football team. If they’re going to take away option A, you have to have B, C and D. And right now we’re able to spread it around to a lot of different people.”
Adding to the Wolfpack’s laundry list of defense injuries, junior nickel Tyler Baker-Williams was announced as out just prior to kickoff and sophomore defensive end Savion Jackson went down in the first quarter.
After the game, Doeren said Baker-Williams will be back. He specifically called it a “short-term thing.”
Freshman nickel Joshua Pierre-Louis started in Baker-Williams’ spot and made an instant impact, picking off Milton in the first quarter.
The Wolfpack will now turn its attention to a massive, likely ACC Atlantic-deciding, showdown with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem on Saturday, Nov. 13. The game will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. on the ACC Network.
