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OUR TAKE on NC State’s 37-20 takedown of Marshall

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Ryan Finley was clicking on all cylinders and the Wolfpack secondary was in shut-down mode as the Pack rolled to a 37-20 win over Marshall.

Finley was elite
Ryan Finely showed why so many think he’s one of the nation’s top signal callers. He did it all in this one, throwing for a season-high 377 yards and adding a TD. This was his 13th 300-yard game at NC State. That puts him in sole possession of 2nd place in that category, only trailing Philip Rivers (19).

Finley was on-target all night. He was great in the pocket, he was accurate on the run, and CBS Sports couldn’t stop talking about his ability to throw the back-shoulder fade. He connected with Kelvin Harmon 6 times for 150 yards and with Emeka Emezie 6 times for 69 yards and a score. Here is one of those more impressive hook-ups.

Harmon keeps showing big play ability
Coming into the season, Kelvin Harmon was the WR everyone was talking about, but after week one the story was Jakobi Meyers and even after his big week 2, the story was Thayer Thomas. This week, however, it’s all about Harmon. The junior WR made big play after big play for the Pack, and while he still hasn’t gotten into the end zone this season. He’s making it clear that time is coming sooner rather than later. Harmon finished the night with 6 receptions for 150 yards.

The NC State secondary stood their ground
In last year’s meeting between these two teams, the NC State secondary got destroyed by WR Tyre Brady who went for 248 yards and a TD. Then QB Chase Litton threw for 350 yards and 2 TDs and the Pack’s corners looked helpless. Things looked a lot different this year.

NC State held Marshall QB Isaiah Green to 270 yards and a TD. They picked him off twice and forced him into a 23.1 QB rating. As for Tyre Brady? He had a quiet evening, going for 3 catches and 25 yards.

NC State can kick FGs again!!
Football is a tough game. It’s even tougher when the only way to score is to get in the end zone. Over the past 2 seasons, NC State has been downright awful in the kicking game. Those days, however, seem to be over.

Freshman kicker Christopher Dunn went 3/4 on FGs in this one, and while his long was only 34 yards, it’s nice to finally have the option of going for 3 and getting some points on the board when a drive stalls.

Emeka Emezie gets the toughness award
As good as Ryan Finley was in this one, he did hang Emezie out to dry a few times in the first half. In the span of 10 minutes Emezie caught a pass across the middle (thrown high) and was sandwiched between 2 defenders (he made the catch) and was forced to head to the sidelines holding his lower back. When he returned Finley threw to him again, high and across the middle. This one he didn’t come down with, but was hit during his jump and flipped over by the safety sending him to the sidelines once again.

Emezie, however, would have the last laugh as he put the nail in Marshall’s coffin with this TD catch.

Wolfpack running game decent, but still not where it needs to be
Reggie Gallaspy wasn’t bad in this one, and even finished with 2 TDs, but his 81 yards on 22 carries leaves room for improvement. Trent Pennix got into the mix a lot more with 9 carries, be he too only could muster 3.7 yards per carry and finished with 33 yards.

With freshman RB Ricky Person still injured, this NC State backfield needs to start coming together as stiffer competition approaches. If the Pack is going to successful, they need teams respecting the run and not just dropping back to slow down Finley.

With that said, you have to give Gallaspy credit around the goal line. The dude ran hard.

Next up, ACC play
The non-conference schedule is over and NC State finishes it out 3-0. They face Virginia next Saturday at 12:20. The Cavs will come to Raleigh 3-1, with a win over Louisville and a loss to Indiana.

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NC State Football

WATCH QB Grayson McCall’s Tape from the 2024 NC State Spring Game

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NC State will have a new Quarterback in 2024 in Coastal Carolina Transfer Grayson McCall. A few weeks back, McCall looked sharp in the 2024 Spring Game, completing 16 of his 20 pass attempts for 205 yards and a touchdown. McCall was accuracy and composure were evident in his first time playing in Carter-Finley Stadium.

Check out McCall’s tape from the Spring Game.

 

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NC State Football

NC State Legend QB Roman Gabriel Passes Away at the Age of 83

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NC State legend Quarterback Roman Gabriel has passed away at the age of 83.

Gabriel’s Accolades

  • 2 time ACC Player of the Year (1960 & 1961)
  • 2 time 1st Team All-American (1960 & 1961)
  • 2 time 1st Team All-ACC (1960 & 1961)
  • 1st ACC QB to throw for 1,000 yards in a season
  • Left NC State with 22 school records and 9 ACC records
  • #1 pick in the AFL and #2 pick in the NFL
  • 16-year NFL career with the Rams & Eagles
  • 4 time Pro Bowler
  • NFL MVP in 1969
  • Led the NFL in Passing Yards in 1973
  • Led the NFL in Touchdown Passes in 1969 & 1973
  • Inaugural member of the NC State Hall of Fame
  • Ranks 1st all-time in Rams history in Touchdown Passes & 3rd in Passing Yards
  • First player to have their jersey number retired at NC State, on January 20, 1962.

Praying for the Gabriel family!

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NC State Baseball

NC State has Dominated UNC in Athletics in 2023-24

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After NC State clinched a series victory over UNC last night in Baseball, I thought it would be a good time to relish in how the Wolfpack has dominated the Tar Heels Athletic Program as a whole in 2023-24.

The Wolfpack Baseball team has won the first two games in the series against the Tar Heels, clinching a series victory over UNC for the first time since 2021. It marks the first time NC State has won a series against the Tar Heels in Raleigh since 2016.

NC State defeated UNC in Volleyball 3-1, winning in Chapel Hill for the first time in 25 years. The Tar Heels had won the last 5 matches against the Wolfpack.

The Wolfpack defeated the Tar Heels 39-20 in Football in Carter-Finley Stadium. It marked the 3rd consecutive win over UNC.

NC State lost both regular season games to UNC in Men’s Basketball, but when it mattered most, the Wolfpack defeated the Tar Heels in the ACC Championship Game 84-76, winning their first title since 1987.

The Wolfpack Women’s Basketball team lost to their rival in Chapel Hill, but defeated UNC 63-59 in Reynolds Coliseum. NC State has won 5 of the last 7 against UNC.

In Gymnastics, NC State defeated UNC 196.725-194.925 in Raleigh. This marked the 3rd straight victory for the Wolfpack over the Tar Heels.

NC State’s Men & Women’s Swimming & Diving teams both beat UNC. The Men won 258-93, and the Women won 196-157.

The Wolfpack Wrestling team defeated UNC 33-6 in Reynolds Coliseum. NC State has won 11 straight Duals against the Tar Heels.

The NC State Men’s Tennis team defeated UNC 4-0, winning against their rival in back-to-back years.

The Wolfpack Women’s Tennis team has defeated the Tar Heels 4-3 on two occasions thus far this season, and will face their rival again today.

The Cross Country teams didn’t have individual meets against UNC, but the Women obviously beat them, because they won the ACC Championship. The Men didn’t, finishing 8th in the Conference, with the Tar Heels finishing 1st.

The only other NC State athletic team that didn’t taste victory against UNC this year was the Women’s Soccer team, losing 0-4 in Raleigh.

Of course, each of these NC State athletic teams has much higher goals than just beating their rival, but there’s no denying how sweet it is to beat the Tar Heels.

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NC State Football

WATCH: Hollywood Smothers Leads NC State in Rushing at the Spring Game

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Redshirt Freshman Hollywood Smothers seemingly was the 3rd string Running Back in NC State’s 2024 Spring Game a few weeks back, but at the end of the game, he had more rushing yards than any other back.

Smothers rushed the ball 8 times for 75 yards. He possesses explosive speed, as well as excellent vision.

Check out Pack Insider’s Tape of Smothers from the Spring Game.





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