NC State just defeated their archrival #17 UNC 30-27 in Double Overtime in Chapel Hill.
The Wolfpack did this with Redshirt Freshman Ben Finley starting at Quarterback. A couple of weeks back, Finley was the Quarterback for the Scout Team. Finley is the 4th player to start at Quarterback for NC State this season, and according to Wolfpack historian Tim Peeler, he can’t find a season in school history where that has ever happened.
How often does an unranked team beat a ranked team on the road against their archrival with their 4th string Quarterback?
That isn’t meant to be an insult to Finley…the young man was not intimidated by the opportunity placed in his lap. Finley was 27 of 40 for 271 yards and 2 touchdowns (0 interceptions) with a Passing Efficiency Rating of 140.9.
Junior Wide Receiver Devin Carter played his best game of the season, with 6 receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown.
True Freshman Terrell Timmons flashed once again, flying past UNC’s secondary for a 28-yard touchdown.
The Wolfpack defense did what they’ve done all year long, and they exposed the seemingly “unstoppable” Tar Heel offense. NC State held UNC Quarterback Drake Maye to his worst performance of the season, posting a season-low Passing Efficiency Rating of 101.8.
The reality is, UNC hadn’t played a legit defense all season, and it showed today.
Per usual, the Wolfpack were led by their elite Linebackers, with Payton Wilson and Drake Thomas collecting 11 and 10 tackles respectively.
The Wolfpack defense had 9 tackles for loss against the Heels.
UNC will play in the ACC Championship game against #8 Clemson, but they will likely do so as an unranked team, and I freaking love it.
Dave Doeren and his staff had the challenge of preparing an injury riddled team to finish their season with an exclamation point prior to the bowl, and they did their jobs exceptionally. The Wolfpack played with grit and determination, and were fearless.
The Wolfpack have beaten UNC two years in a row in dramatic fashion, and have beaten their archrivals in 5 of the last 7 games.
NC State owns the state of North Carolina!
It’s a proud day to be an NC State fan!
Unbelievable! Our 4th string QB out passed their Heisman trophy candidate.
Most unlikely win in my experience
What an awesome win! Love snatching hope away from the holes.
Great effort all the way around. Finley was calm and cool the entire game, with few mistakes. We still hurt ourselves with penalties on critical downs, but it was an intense road game.
Great coaching job. Beck made up for some headscratching red zone calls in the end, and give him credit for having Finley ready to go.
Great to see Carter back in action.
The endless gushing of the announcers over Maye was embarassing, and somewhat nauseating.