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NC State Football

NC State Can’t Overcome Slow Start, Falls to Syracuse 41-51

Published

6 years ago

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NC State was half asleep at the start of the game tonight, and by the time they realized what was happening, Syracuse held a 24-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Wolfpack was dominant in the 2nd quarter, and went into the half only down a touchdown (20-27).

Ultimately, there would be nearly no punting in the second half. It was an offensive showcase. One of the commentators prophesied during the game that it would come down to a turnover, and that’s exactly what happened.

After trading touchdowns the first 4 possessions of the 2nd half, NC State broke the cycle, and held the Orangemen to a 41-yard field goal with 9:39 left in the 4th quarter. The Wolfpack responded with a 75-yard drive that climaxed with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Finley to Kelvin Harmon.

Despite the Wolfpack’s defensive woes, on the next possession, they were able to force the Orangemen to punt, which was the only punt by either team in the second half.

Finley had the opportunity for a storybook comeback victory in the palm of his hands, but he saw those dreams fade away when he threw an interception on third down.

The Wolfpack secondary was a mess, giving up 480 yards through the air, along with 3 touchdown passes. Eric Dungey was 27 of 38 for 411 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also had 32 yards rushing with a touchdown. Syracuse slot receiver Sean Riley was the bane of NC State’s existence tonight, destroying every linebacker and nickelback to the tune of 10 receptions for 164 yards. Nykeim Johnson also chipped in 7 receptions for 136 yards and a touchdown. Syracuse had 4 receivers with 80+ yards receiving.

With their backs against the wall, the Wolfpack didn’t crumble like they did the week before. They fought, and put themselves in a position to win the game at the end, but fell short.

NC State’s stars played like stars tonight.

Ryan Finley, Kelvin Harmon and Germaine Pratt all posted career highs.

Quarterback Ryan Finley was 26 of 44 for 473 yards (career high) and 3 touchdowns (1 interception). The 473 passing yards are the 4th most by an NC State player in a single game.

Wide Receiver Kelvin Harmon had 11 receptions (career high) for 247 yards (career high) and 2 touchdowns. The 247 receiving yards are the 2nd most by a Wolfpack receiver in a single game.

Linebacker Germaine Pratt had 16 tackles (career high), 3 tackles for loss (career high) and 2 sacks (career high).

Despite their efforts, NC State is now 4-7 in games after suffering a 24+ loss the week before.

There are a lot of things that need to be addressed after this game, primarily on defense. The secondary room is going to be humbling this week. With that being said, this was projected to be the hardest game left on the Wolfpack’s schedule.

There are six more winnable games on the schedule,

As Harmon says on his Twitter account after every game, win or lose, “back to the lab.”

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Matthew is Publisher and Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He is also the Lead Pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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NC State Football

Does the Addition of the UVA Series Equal the Elimination of NC State’s Series with App St.?

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2 days ago

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May 17, 2024

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Earlier this week it was announced that NC State and Virginia would play one another in a home-and-home series, with the Wolfpack hosting in 2025, and the Cavaliers hosting in 2026.

Prior to the announcement, NC State already had their non-conference slate booked for both of those seasons.

As a result of the addition of the Virginia series, a previously scheduled non-conference game from each season would need to be dropped. While it hasn’t been officially announced by the school, Joe Giglio and David Glenn seem to think that the series with Appalachian State is going to be dropped.

It would make the most sense, considering the Mountaineers were the only opponent the Wolfpack was scheduled to play in both 2025 and 2026. It would also make sense, considering the fact that ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips isn’t a fan of ACC teams playing Group of 5 schools on the road.

I will tell you this much. The Mountaineer faithful certainly believe NC State is dropping the series with App State, and it just takes a little scrolling on X (formerly Twitter) to get a read on their feelings on the situation.

This situation brings to mind the bill that has been proposed in the North Carolina House of Representatives that would force NC State and UNC to play App St., ECU and UNC Charlotte in Football, Men’s Basketball and Women’s Basketball.

If the addition of UVA means the elimination of App St. on NC State’s schedule, what are your thoughts? Share in the comments.

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NC State Football

CBS Sports Ranks Dave Doeren as 1 of the Top-20 Coaches in College Football

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3 days ago

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May 16, 2024

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CBS Sports released their Top-25 Power 4 Coaches in College Football, and NC State’s Dave Doeren came in at #16. Heading into last season, he went into the season ranked #25.

16) Dave Doeren: The NC State coach finally gets some overdue credit. He’s always hovered around the bottom of our top 25 or just outside it, and now he finds himself firmly entrenched in it thanks to all the changes at the top. Coaches who take mid-tier programs and overachieve never get enough credit, in my estimation, and the consistency Doeren has established at NC State — where he spent most of his time in a division with Clemson and Florida State — is one of the most impressive things any coach in the country has done. I’m glad to see Doeren getting closer to the top 15. 2023 rank: 25 (+9) (CBS Sports)

Numerous CBS Sports’ analysts voted in the poll, and Tom Fornelli actually ranked Doeren #8.

ACC Coaches that made the Top-25

3. Dabo Swinney (Clemson)

8. Mike Norvell (FSU)

16. Dave Doeren (NC State)

19. Jeff Brohm (Louisville)

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NC State Football

NC State vs. Tennessee Kickoff Time & TV Network Revealed

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4 days ago

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May 15, 2024

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Kickoff time and TV Channel details have been revealed for NC State and Tennessee’s game in the Duke Mayo Classic in Week 2 of next season.

The game will be a primetime game on Saturday 7th, at 7:30pm on ABC.

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This game has the makings to be a Top-25 matchup.

Here’s a look at some of the Way-Too-Early Preseason rankings for the Wolfpack and the Volunteers:

Action Network: NC State #24/Tennessee #17

ON3: NC State #22/Tennessee #15

247: NC State #21/Tennessee #11

ESPN: NC State #17/Tennessee #15

DraftKings released their way-too-early odds for the game, and Tennessee is currently a 5.5-point favorite.

Here’s the deal, as NC State fans, if we want to be a big time Football program, NC State fans need to gobble up tickets to this game. Let’s do our part and make sure that Bank of America Stadium is painted RED. Buy Tickets HERE.

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NC State Football

NC State and UVA Agree to Home-and-Home Non-Conference Games

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4 days ago

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May 15, 2024

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NC State announced this morning that the Wolfpack and UVA will play in a home-and-home non-conference series, with the game in 2025 being in Raleigh, and the game in 2026 being in Charlottesville.

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To reiterate, despite the fact that both teams are in the ACC, these games are considered non-conference games, and won’t count toward conference records. This is similar to what UNC and Wake Forest did a few years back.

Here’s what’s interesting about the addition of these games in 2025 and 2026. Prior to the announcement, NC State already had 4 non-conference games scheduled for both years.

It would be my assumption that one of the previously scheduled non-conference games for each season will not take place now.

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