NC State Wolfpack: State Clips Cardinals
The Wolfpack lights up the Cardinal defense for over 500 yards as No. 24 NC State holds off No. 17 Louisville on ESPN Thursday Night Football.
No. 24 NC State (5-1, 3-0 ACC) got the definitive, high-profile win the program needed in the Dave Doeren era as the Wolfpack knocked off No. 17 Louisville (4-2, 1-2 ACC) Thursday night at Carter-Finley Stadium, 39-25.
Wolfpack Offensive
Ryan Finley continued his streak without an interception, bringing his total to 288 attempts since his last pick. He finished Thursday’s contest 20-for-31 for 367 yards and a touchdown.
“Ryan really has done what he’s done every game,” Doeren told the media following the game. “He’s consistent, and he knows where to go with the football.”
Jaylen Samuels caught seven of Finley’s passes for 104 yards, including a 79-yard strike that set up a second-quarter field goal. Kelvin Harmon hauled in six catches for 133 yards and a touchdown.
State’s leading rusher was Nyheim Hines who carried the ball for touchdowns twice. He finished with 18 carries for 102 yards.
The Defensive Edge
The Wolfpack defense managed to contain last year’s Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson to only 73 yards on the ground. However, Jackson finished with 354 yards through the air on 26-of-47 passing. That said, State’s defense managed to make Jackson’s time at Carter-Finley horrendous.
Eurndraus Bryant led the Pack in sacks with two while Bradley Chubb and Shawn Boone each reached Jackson twice in the pocket. Germaine Pratt also took advantage of a tipped pass and picked off Jackson for a 25-yard interception return for six points.
Scoring Summary
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After both teams were held scoreless in the first quarter, Finley got the Pack on the board first with a 48-yard strike to Harmon for a touchdown. Jackson responded on the next drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Seth Dawkins.
After getting stopped in the red zone, State settled for a 21-yard field goal from Carson Wise before the Wolfpack tacked on seven more points with an 11-yard scamper from Hines. Louisville’s Blanton Creque booted a 28-yard field goal at the end of the second quarter to set the score at 17-10 going into halftime.
After both teams fell short on the first drives out of the half, Creque cut the Pack’s lead to four with a 48-yard field goal late in the third quarter. Hines followed that with a seven-yard rushing touchdown on the following drive.
Jackson managed to score two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter, both from less than five yards out. However, Louisville failed to convert on the two-point try on the first, and Chubb blocked Creque’s PAT on the second. Reggie Gallaspy II reached the end zone on a three-yard score, and Finley connected with Hines on the two-point conversion with 10 minutes left in play. The final nail in the coffin came with Pratt’s pick-six with less than three minutes remaining in the fourth.
Next Up
The Wolfpack will travel to Pittsburgh next weekend to take on the Panthers at noon on Oct. 14. NC State’s next home game will be on Nov. 4 as the Pack hosts No. 2 Clemson for what will likely result in the ACC Atlantic title.
“The sky’s the limit for this team,” Chubb said following the Louisville game. “I sincerely believe that. That’s the main reason I came back. I knew we weren’t done.”