With redshirt junior quarterback Harrison Beck coming in for the Wolfpack in the second quarter and the lingering threat of Andre Brown’s running game, N.C. State’s (1-1) offense proved to be a potent, multi-faceted force in a 34-24 victory over William & Mary (0-1) Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium.
“Our offense and defense played well all night,” coach Tom O’Brien said. “We had to make the switch at quarterback, but they were forcing us to throw the ball.”
Beck finished the game 17-of-25 for 246 yards with two touchdowns. The only red mark on Beck’s record came late in the fourth quarter when William & Mary’s Derek Cox picked an errant pass.
“[Harrison Beck] can attack vertically,” O’Brien said. “He helped us get up the field, but most importantly, we made good catches.”
The redshirt senior came into the game after State’s Keith Willis, Jr. forced a fumble in the second quarter and William & Mary was forced to punt on 4th and 29.
Two drives later on third down, under heavy pressure from the Tribe defense, Beck appeared to be throwing the ball away, but ended up finding redshirt sophomore Jarvis Williams in the endzone to put State ahead 14-0. The touchdown pass capped off two back-to-back 22-yard completions.
“We know Beck has a good strong arm and likes making the big plays,” Williams said. “He knew which defenses to look for and he just took advantage of it and found me in the endzone.”
In the first quarter, the Wolfpack got things started early when redshirt sophomore Nate Irving intercepted a pass by Tribe quarterback Jake Phillips on third and seven at the William & Mary 19-yard line. Two plays later, senior halfback Andre Brown burst into the endzone to break the Pack’s two game shutout streak.
“One of our defensive lineman managed to tip the ball and all I could think was to get it,” Irving said. “I wanted to give our offense a short field and the opportunity to put some points on the board.”
After the score, Brown was called for unsportsmanlike conduct, saluting the crowd on military appreciation day.
Brown however, wouldn’t be the only Pack player making a scene. Right after a William & Mary field goal in the third quarter that brought the Tribe within 11, Beck demonstrated his versatility, running for 15 yards and hitting his wide receivers on the move.
Later, on a high-risk pass from Beck, freshman wide receiver T.J. Graham bobbled a pass but managed to pull it in for a 47-yard gain.
“[Graham] has confidence in himself, and it sets him apart,” O’Brien said. “He’s not a normal freshman. He isn’t impacted by a large crowd. I’m glad he’s on my team.”
In addition to the freshman Graham, several other young players also stepped up. Sophomore Jarvis Williams and backup tight end George Bryan both caught their first career touchdowns on the night. Underwood would go on to complement their success with a first career touchdown of his own on a 10-yard rush in the fourth quarter.
“I went into the game tonight trying to make plays, trying to do my best and it worked out,” Bryan said.
Byran came in during the second quarter to replace injured tight end Matt Kushner. Kushner would remain out for the rest of the game with a knee injury. “Injuries are a big factor in the game, but somebody has to step up,” Bryan said. “Harrison was going through his reads, other receivers were running their routes, the line was doing a good job blocking. It was awesome.”
