NC State Defied All Odds Beating Boston College Yesterday with a -3 TO Margin

If you turn the ball over 4 times, have a turnover margin of -3, have a field goal blocked, and a punt blocked that is recovered in the end zone for a touchdown, the odds of winning the football game are next to impossible.

NC State beat all the odds yesterday defeating Boston College 28-23, because the above was their reality.

The last time that NC State had a turnover of -2 or more and managed to win the game was in Dave Doeren’s first season as head coach, defeating Richmond 23-21 on September 7th, 2013, with a -2 turnover margin.

The Wolfpack has never won a game under Doeren with a -3 turnover margin.

The last time NC State had a -3 turnover margin, and found a way to win the game, was back in 2009, when the Wolfpack beat Maryland 38-31.

From 2000-2014, teams that had a turnover margin of -3 won the football game only 16% of the time.

Throw in the fact that the Wolfpack had a punt blocked that was recovered for a touchdown, as well as a field goal blocked, the odds of NC State winning yesterday was definitely in the single digits.

The odds of NC State finding a way to win the game yesterday with all of these factors accounted for, were next to impossible.

How did they do it?

533 yards of total offense helped beat the odds. So did having the ball for more than twice as long as they did (41:30/18:30). The Wolfpack offense only punted one time all game.

The NC State defense also held Boston College to only 318 yards of total offense. The Golden Eagles only converted 1 of their 10 3rd down opportunities. The Wolfpack held BC to 23 points scored, and 10 of them came off of turnovers, and 7 more came from a blocked punt recovered in the end zone.

As a Wolfpack fan, you could be tempted to be mad about almost finding a way to lose the game yesterday, by seemingly collapsing after leading 28-3. Are there things to be frustrated with? Absolutely. But get it right. NC State didn’t collapse yesterday. To use Doeren’s postgame words, through their “resiliency” and failure to “flinch”, the Wolfpack did the impossible.