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NC State Football

Pack Crushes Critics, USF 49-17

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10 years ago

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TAMPA, Fla. – Both the NC State offense and defense came out and dominated first half action, as the Pack cruised past USF for a 49-17 road win at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The Wolfpack raced to a 35-7 halftime lead, and finished with 589 yards of total offense including 315 on the ground (most since 1994).

WOLFPACK DRIVE OF THE GAME – 1ST HALF
7 plays, 88 yard TD drive to open the game.

Hard to play favorites when NC State had five first half TD drives, but the Pack’s opening series march down the field set the tone for the game. After holding USF to 17 yards on their opening drive, the Wolfpack took the ensuing punt and went 88 yards in seven plays over 2:50 to get on the scoreboard first for the first time this season.

Bra’Lon Cherry capped the drive with his first of three TDs on the day, as he took the read-option handoff for a 17 yards rushing score. On the opening series, the balanced offensive attach put up both 49 yards rushing and 49 yards passing.Tony Creecy had three rushes for 32 yards, while Jacoby Brissett was 2-of-3 for 49 yards, including a 42 catch and run by Bo Hines.

PLAYER OF THE GAME
• WR Bra’Lon Cherry: 3 catches for 50 yards and 1 TD – 2 rushes for 20 yards and 2 TDs

The first three times he touched the ball on offense, sophomore Bra’Lon Cherry found himself in the Pack’s end zone. On the opening drive, Cherry rushed for a 17-yard TD, the next drive was finished with a 17-yard TD reception, and the third drive was another Cherry rushing TD. In the season opener, he caught two TD passes in the win over Georgia Southern.

Honorable Mentions
– NC State’s 1st half defense – Held USF to just 94 yards, only two coming after the first two drives.
– QB Jacoby Brissett (20-of-29 for 266 yards and 2 Tds)
– NC State’s offensive line – Pack rushing attack had 315 yards (most since 1994) and five scores on the ground.

NOTABLES
• NC State has started the season 3-0 for the first time since the 2010 season (4-0).

• The Pack’s 35 points in the first half were the most for an NC State team on the road since scoring 38 at Navy in 2002. The 49 points scored were the most in a road game since scoring 51 at Texas Tech in 2002.

• USF posted 92 yards of offense on their first two drives, including a 75-yard score. But on the Bull’s final five drives of the first half the Pack defense held them to just two total yards.

• The Pack finished with five rushing scores on the day, the most in a road contest since having six at Texas Tech in 2002.

• QB Jacoby led nine Wolfpack drives before giving way to back-up Garrett Leatham in the middle of the third quarter – he later returned late in the third quarter. In those first nine drives of the game, the Pack scored seven TDs, punted once, and ran two plays before the end of the first half.

• The Pack’s 315 yards rushing were the most for an NC State team since 1994 against Maryland (327).

• For the second straight game, NC State rushed for over 200 yards – the first time in back-to-back games since early in 2012. Today, the Pack rushed for 315 yards after posting 242 on the ground last week against ODU.

UP NEXT
NC State returns to home action next weekend, as the Wolfpack will host Presbyterian Saturday at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.

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NC State Football

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

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19 hours ago

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April 24, 2024

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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

Published

4 days ago

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April 20, 2024

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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

Published

5 days ago

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April 20, 2024

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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

Published

7 days ago

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April 18, 2024

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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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