Here is a rundown of how NC State football’s scheduled opponents did this past week during week eight of the season.
Aug. 31 vs. East Carolina (3-4, 0-3 American), 34-6 NC State
Central Florida jumped out to a 35-3 lead with 8:23 left in the second quarter and cruised to a 41-28 victory.
Sophomore quarterback Holton Ahlers finished with 313 yards, one passing touchdown and a 20-yard rushing score. His 62.2 completion percentage was the best of the season.
Ahlers completed eight passes for 106 yards to his former Greenville (N.C.) Conley High teammate C.J. Johnson, a freshman wide receiver. Freshman running back Demetrius Mauney of Forest City (N.C.) East Rutherford High had a career-high 74 rushing yards and a touchdown for the Pirates.
UCF's defense had an impressive three sacks an 12 tackles for losses, and freshman quarterback Dillon Gabriel passed for 365 yards and two touchdowns for the 5-2 Knights.
ECU hosts 3-4 South Florida on Saturday.
Sept. 7 vs. Western Carolina (1-6, 0-4 SoCon), 41-0 NC State
Wofford crushed visiting Western Carolina 59-7 on Saturday.
WCU actually struck first with senior quarterback Tyrie Adams throwing a 69-yard touchdown pass to Jaylin Young on the first play of the game, but then it was all Wofford. Adams played the first two series of the game, and then Will Jones replaced him.
Wofford piled up 49 carries for 450 yards and five touchdowns, with three different players topping 100 yards.
WCU hosts 4-3 Furman on Saturday.
Sept. 14 at West Virginia (3-4, 1-3 Big 12), 44-27 WVU
No. 5-ranked Oklahoma crushed West Virginia in the second half to roll to a 52-14 victory. The Sooners outscored the Mountaineers 24-0 after halftime behind the wizardry of senior quarterback Jalen Hurts, an Alabama graduate transfer, who finished with three touchdowns passing and two rushing.
WVU redshirt junior quarterback Austin Kendall of Waxhaw, N.C., returned to Norman, Okla., where he was a member of the Sooners for three years. He passed for 182 yards and two first half touchdowns to wide receiver T.J. Simmons, an Alabama transfer.
West Virginia rushed 30 times for just 51 yards with a longest run of 13 yards, and allowed nine tackles for loss.
WVU returns to action at Baylor on Oct. 31.
Sept. 21 vs. Ball State (4-3, 3-0 MAC), 34-23 NC State
Ball State crushed Toledo at home 52-14 to remain the only undefeated squad in MAC action.
Junior quarterback Drew Plitt completed just 11 passes but made them count, throwing for three touchdowns and averaging 12.1 yards a completion. Wide receiver Malik Dunner rushed for a 51-yard touchdown and a 39-yard score, while fellow receiver Riley Miller caught a pair of first quarter touchdown passes Ball State led 38-0 at halftime.
Plitt has thrown for over 200 yards in all but the 27-20 win over Northern Illinois, and is completing 65.7 percent of his passes on the season.
Toledo, which fell to 4-3 overall, fumbled twice, threw an interception and were sacked four times.
Ball State returns to action Saturday vs. 3-4 Ohio.
Sept. 28 at Florida State (3-4, 2-3 ACC), 31-13 FSU
Wake Forest kicker Nick Sciba hit his fifth field goal of the game with 4:18 remaining to help the Demon Deacons top Florida State 22-20 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
FSU took a 20-19 lead on a 36-yard touchdown pass from Tamorrion Terry with 11:22 left in the contest, but Wake Forest found a way.
Florida State junior running back Cam Akers had a monster game in the loss. He rushed 30 times for 157 yards and a touchdown, and added four catches for 42 yards and a score.
The FSU defense didn't get a sack and only had two tackles for loss, and the Demon Deacons didn't turn the football over.
Florida State travels to 3-4 Syracuse on Saturday.
Oct. 10 vs. Syracuse (3-4, 0-3 ACC)
The Orange's struggles in the ACC continued with a 27-20 home loss to Pittsburgh last Friday.
The Panthers jumped the Orange 24-6 in the first half and finished the contest with nine sacks and 12 tackles for loss. Pitt fumbled while leading 27-20, but instant replay gave the ball back to the Panthers with 2:44 remaining.
Syracuse sophomore quarterback Tommy DeVito exited the game with an injury, and senior Clayton Welch finished the game out. The Orange finished with 277 passing yards and two touchdowns, but only mustered 51 rushing yards on 34 carries, with Welch getting 23 of his 36 yards on one play.
Syracuse plays at Florida State on Saturday.
Oct. 19 at Boston College (4-3, 2-2 ACC)
Here is some of our coverage from Saturday's game:
• The Wolfpacker — Column: NC State in regroup mode
• The Wolfpacker — Quick hits from NC State’s loss at Boston College
Boston College travels to Clemson on Saturday.
Nov. 2 at No. 25 Wake Forest (6-1, 2-1 ACC)
Wake Forest road the right leg of kicker Nick Sciba and didn't turn the football over as mentioned previously in this story, but also played with a backup quarterback and lost a star defensive player in the 22-20 win over visiting Florida State.
Linebacker Justin Strnad was lost for the season with a ruptured biceps tendon, and that departure from the lineup will be felt.
Sophomore quarterback Sam Hartman filled in for the injured Jamie Newman (shoulder), and performed capably. Hartman completed 21 of 38 passes for 308 yards, and rushed 15 times for 43 yards against the Seminoles.
The sophomore signal caller started the first nine games last year before getting hurt prior to playing NC State. Newman came in and won the last four games of the season last year.
Wake Forest hosts NC State on Nov. 2.
Nov. 9 vs. No. 4 Clemson (7-0, 5-0 ACC)
Clemson keeps winning but also has dropped in the polls to No. 4 in the country. The Tigers crushed Louisville 45-10, thanks to a huge second half. CU scored four touchdowns after halftime in the win.
CU sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw for three touchdown passes, and junior running back Travis Etienne had a 49-yard touchdown run en route to 192 rushing yards.
Clemson had six sacks with junior defensive end Justin Foster of Shelby, N.C., getting two of them, as did star junior linebacker Isaiah Simmons.
The win was overshadowed a bit by the national headlines on Clemson reserve defensive back Andrew Booth Jr. getting ejected from the game for punching a Louisville player, and then riding home by bus instead of the team plane.
Clemson hosts Boston College on Saturday.
Nov. 16 vs. Louisville (4-3, 2-2 ACC)
Louisville mustered an effective rushing attack against undefeated Clemson, but not much else worked in the 45-10 loss.
Louisville redshirt freshman running back Javian Hawkins rushed 26 times for 129 yards and a touchdown, but the Cardinals passing game only mustered 107 yards and threw two picks. Both Louisville quarterbacks went an identical 4 of 11 passing the ball.
Punter Mason King averaged 48.5 yards per punt with a long of 59, and the Cardinals defense did get two interceptions against Clemson star sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Louisville hosts 5-2 Virginia on Saturday.
Nov. 21 at Georgia Tech (2-5, 1-3 ACC)
The Yellow Jackets snapped a four-game losing streak by winning at Miami (Fla.) 28-21 in overtime.
The final minute proved to be dramatic. GT freshman quarterback James Graham tossed a 35-yard touchdown pass to Ahmarean Brown to tie the game with 53 seconds left. Six-foot-4 junior defensive lineman Antwan Owens blocked Miami's easy field-goal attempt in the final seconds of regulation.
Sophomore running back Jordan Mason plunged in from one-yard out to win the contest in overtime. Mason finished with 20 carries for 141 yards and the game-winning touchdown, hitting the century mark for the second-consecutive game.
Special teams played a crucial role for the Yellow Jackets besides the blocked field goal. GT faked a punt and junior punter Pressley Harvin III threw a 41-yard touchodwn pass to senior running back Nathan Cottrell in the second quarter. Miami finished with three missed field goals.
Georgia Tech hosts 5-2 Pittsburgh on Nov. 2.
Nov. 30 vs. UNC (3-4, 2-2 ACC)
Virginia Tech converted on a two-point conversion in the sixth overtime to top North Carolina 43-41 in the longest game in ACC history. The Tar Heels will now have to win three of their last five games to become bowl eligible.
Virginia Tech redshirt freshman quarterback Quincy Patterson II had a 53-yard touchdown run to tie the game 31-31 with 4:31 left, and he also threw a touchdown pass in overtime and ran for the game-winning two-point conversion. Patterson, who passed for 54 yards and rushed for 122, was filling in for the injured Hendon Hooker of Greensboro, N.C.
UNC freshman quarterback Sam Howell threw for 348 yards and five touchdowns, but he did get sacked five times. He has thrown for over 320 yard in three of his last four games. Junior wide receiver Dazz Newsome caught nine passes for 112 yards and two scores, all season highs.
Converted quarterback turned linebacker Chazz Surratt led the UNC defense with 17 tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss. Defensive lineman Tomon Fox and Xach Gill also had one sack apiece.
UNC kicker Noah Ruggles missed two costly field goals and has been replaced this week by Jonathan Kim.
North Carolina hosts Virginia on Nov. 2.
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