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#22 NC State 30 #21 Wake Forest 21: Quick Hits

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#22 NC State took care of business tonight against in-state rival, #21 Wake Forest, defeating the Demon Deacons 30-21 on Homecoming in Carter-Finley Stadium. Here are a few Quick Hits from the game.

MJ Morris became the first True Freshman to start at Quarterback for NC State since 2000, when Philip Rivers made his first snap. Morris was 18 of 28 for 210 yards and 3 touchdowns, with a Passing Efficiency Rating of 162.6.

Morris became the 3rd Wolfpack QB since 2000 to throw at least 3 touchdowns in their first career start, joining Philip Rivers and Jacoby Brissett.

He also got the job done with his legs, especially at the end of the 4th, icing the game with his ability to run. If you don’t count the 22 yards loss due to sacks, he rushed the ball for 65 yards.

Senior Receiver Thayer Thomas was Mr. Dependable as usual, snagging 8 receptions for 79 yards.

Junior Receiver Keyon Lesane was clutch in the 1st half. You could argue that it was the deep ball for 44 yards that got MJ Morris’ confidence clicking after overthrowing his receivers on the first drive or two. Later on that same drive in the 2nd Quarter, Lesane caught a 12-yard touchdown across the middle. He finished the game with 3 receptions for 71 yards.

Senior Receiver Darryl Jones had 3 receptions for 24 yards, but 2 of them were in the end zone.

Both Junior Jordan Houston and True Freshman Michael Allen were effective rushing the ball. Houston rushed for 53 yards, averaging 4.4 yards per carry, and Allen averaged 7.2 yards on 5 carries.

On the Defensive side of the ball, Senior Isaiah Moore was a machine, racking up 10 tackles, 1 sack, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 pass breakup and 1 QBH. Junior Drake Thomas splashed the Box Score as well, collecting 9 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, and 4 QBH.

The Wolfpack secondary intercepted veteran Wake Forest Quarterback Sam Hartman 3 times with Sophomore Aydan White, Senior Cyrus Fagan and Junior Jakeen Harris each grabbing one apiece.

As a Defensive unit, the Wolfpack had 4 sacks and 9 tackles for loss.

Wake Forest had more Total Yards (414/325), but NC State won the Time of Possession (33:22/26:38) and the Turnover Battle, turning over the Demon Deacons 3 times, while the Wolfpack offense didn’t turn it over.

I can’t forget to give Senior Place Kicker Chris Dunn his kudos. He remains perfect on the year, connecting on all 3 field goal attempts (33, 51, 25).

The Wolfpack have now won 16 straight games at home in Carter-Finley Stadium, tying the school record done under Lou Holtz back in 1972-75. NC State will look to break that tie, and set a new school record next week at home against Boston College at 3:30pm next Saturday.

Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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NC State Football

Former NC State Running Back Jordan Houston Signs with Marshall

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Former NC State Running Back Jordan Houston has officially transferred to Marshall for his final year of eligibility. NC State played Marshall this past season, but Houston didn’t play against the Thundering Herd, because he had already opted to redshirt the remainder of the season.

After playing in three games this past season, Houston opted to redshirt the remainder of the season (despite the fact that he was the starter at the time), giving him the ability to transfer with one year of eligibility remaining.

Houston played in 51 games for NC State over 5 years on the field, rushing for 1,392 yards (4.3 yards per carry) and 6 touchdowns. He also caught 60 passes for 398 yards and 1 touchdown.

Houston was a 3-Star prospect in NC State’s 2019 recruiting class out of Flint High School in Oakton, Virginia.

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NC State Football

Philip Rivers will Finally be Enshrined in the NC State Hall of Fame in April

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Wolfpack legend Philip Rivers will finally be inducted into the NC State Hall of Fame on April 20th!

Rivers was elected into the Hall of Fame back in 2013 (2nd year of the NC State Hall of Fame), but he has deferred his enshrinement over the years due to time constraints.

 

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Rivers pretty much owns every NC State record for Quarterbacks, and still has the most Career Passing Yards and Passes Completed in ACC history, and he ranks 3rd in Touchdown Passes. Rivers was the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2000, and the ACC Player of the Year in 2003.

You can buy your tickets here.

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NC State Football

DJ Burns Had a Word for Wolfpack Fans After Winning the ACC Championship

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When NC State’s DJ Burns was giving his acceptance speech after receiving the 2024 ACC Tournament MVP Award, Burns had the following quote to say when asked what he wanted to say to the fans.

“I’m going to keep it real simple. Thank you to the ones who’ve been consistent throughout the ride, and welcome back everybody else.”

Burns’ words struck a chord.

Throughout much of this season, it was embarrassing to see all the empty seats in PNC Arena.

As the Wolfpack lost 7 of their final 9 regular season games, it was clear that this team wasn’t just losing games, but they were also losing much of the fanbase.

It’s clear from Burns’ words that the empty seats were noticed, and so were the words of fans online.

NC State finished the regular season 10th, and much of the fanbase was frustrated, and rightfully so.

But, frustrated doesn’t have to mean giving up.

‘Never giving up’ is kind of supposed to be NC State’s thing.

The words of Jimmy V reverberate throughout the history of NC State basketball.

This team didn’t always put W’s in the Win column this season, and it wasn’t always an easy watch, but never for a moment were these players not playing as hard as they could for their school, one another, and their coach.

They never gave up.

Fans have a right to be frustrated, but you can still show up for a team, even when they struggle, because that’s what loyal fans do. When players wear a jersey with NC State across the chest, and they don’t give up, their fans shouldn’t either.

NC State fans aren’t known to be fair weather fans. Let’s not get in the business of leading our players to think we are.

But, like Burns said, whether you’ve been along for the ride all season or not, it’s time to hop on.

 

 

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WATCH: PackInsider’s 2023 Sean Brown Highlight Reel

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This past season was a breakout season for Junior Safety, now turned Linebacker, Sean Brown.

This past season, Brown started in 11 of the 13 games that he played in, and ranked 3rd on the team in tackles (66) and pass breakups (5). He also had 5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions and 1 forced fumble. Brown’s PFF Grade of 63.7 ranked 13th on the team. His Tackling Grade of 86.6 ranked 2nd on the team behind Payton Wilson.

As you will notice in our Highlight Reel ABOVE, Brown lived in the box, and is a very ferocious tackler. He will fit right in at Linebacker next year for the Wolfpack.

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