Here is a rundown of how NC State football’s scheduled opponents did this past week during week three of the season.
Aug. 31 vs. East Carolina (1-2), W 34-6
East Carolina proved no match for Navy, losing 42-10.
The stats were not pretty. Navy outran ECU 315-84 on the ground and had 27 first downs compared to only 10 for East Carolina. Pirates quarterback Holton Ahlers struggled throwing the football, completing only 11 of 23 passes for 138 yards with an interception. Navy actually had more passing yards (153) despite only attempting eight passes.
Sept. 7 vs. Western Carolina (1-2), W 41-0
The Catamounts picked up their first win of the year by scoring on a six-yard touchdown pass with 5:04 left to defeat North Greenville State, 20-17. WCU played another week without star quarterback Tyrie Adams, but his replacement Will Jones completed 27 of 37 passes for 207 yards and a score.
It helped WCU's cause that North Greenville quarterback London Johnson was just 3-of-17 passing for 78 yards. Overall, WCU's defense held them to 204 total yards.
Sept. 14 at West Virginia (2-1), L 44-27
NC State lost by 17 on the road to WVU. You can read some of the fallout from the game courtesy our coverage below.
• The Wolfpacker — Dave Doeren hopes his football team learns lessons from West Virginia loss
• The Wolfpacker — Dave Doeren's press conference transcript
• The Wolfpacker — Updated NC State football depth chart
• The Wolfpacker — Audio/video: Wolfpack football coach Dave Doeren press conference
• The Wolfpacker — Monday morning quarterbacking: West Virginia 44, NC State 27
• The Wolfpacker — Column: A missed opportunity for young NC State squad
• The Wolfpacker — Notebook: Matthew McKay, passing game struggles
• The Wolfpacker — Quick hits from NC State’s loss to West Virginia
Sept. 21 vs Ball State (1-2)
Playing at home for the third straight week, Ball State fell 41-31 to Florida Atlantic. FAU led 21-17 at halftime, and then it put the game out of reach with a pair of third quarter touchdowns.
Ball State quarterback Drew Plitt continues to throw well, completing 26 of 38 passes for 303 yards and three scores with just one pick. Despite allowing five sacks, Ball State also ran for 167 yards as a team.
But once again its defense had trouble stopping its opponent. FAU quarterback Chris Robison completed 33 of 41 passes for 366 yards and four scores without a pick, and running back Larry McCammon nearly had a 100-yard game on the ground (25 rushes for 99 yards and a score).
Sept. 28 at Florida State (1-2, 0-1 ACC)
The fourth quarter continues to not be FSU's friend. The Noles had a 17-10 lead entering the final quarter at Virginia. After giving up a game-tying TD, FSU responded with a score to lead 24-17 with 11:42 left. But the final two touchdowns belonged to Virginia, who won 31-24.
FSU was at the Virginia 4-yard line with the final seconds ticking off but star running back Cam Akers was stopped for no gain on the last play of the game. Akers finished with 18 rushes for 78 yards, and quarterback James Blackman completed 22 of 37 passes for 234 yards and three scores without a pick.
The FSU defense continues to struggle. Virginia quarterback Bryce Perkins was 30-of-40 passing for 295 yards (although he was picked off twice), and the Cavs added another 120 yards rushing.
FSU has now been outscored 69-24 in the second halves of games this year, including 48-21 in the fourth quarter.
Oct. 10 vs. Syracuse (1-2, 0-1 ACC)
Syracuse pulled a NC State in a certain way against Clemson. After the Pack had played CU competitive twice (in 2016 and 2017), the Tigers blew out NC State last fall. Syracuse had back-to-back great games versus Clemson entering the season, including a win at the Carrier Dome in 2017. But this year was not close. Clemson crushed the Orange 41-6.
Syracuse quarterback Tommy DeVito completed just 15 of 27 passes for 172 yards and an interception, and he was sacked an astounding eight times. Thus the ground game was held to 15 total yards.
The Orange have been outscored 104-26 in its last two games.
Oct. 19 at Boston College (2-1, 1-0 ACC)
BC were heavy favorites against Kansas, but they were stunned 48-24 at home. The Eagles trailed 28-24 at halftime, and then all the scoring in the second half belonged to Kansas.
Boston College star running back A.J. Dillon did his part with 27 rushes for 151 yards and a score, and the passing game produced 219 yards (although it completed just 21 of 41 passes).
The issues were more on defense, which was thought to be a question mark for Boston College this year. Kansas ran for 329 yards in the game, and quarterback Stanley Carter complemented that by completing 20 of 27 passes for 238 yards and three scores.
This came a week after BC let Richmond from the FCS ranks run for 215 yards on them.
Nov. 2 at Wake Forest (3-0)
The Demon Deacons raced out to a 21-0 halftime lead on visiting UNC in a non-conference game between the two squads before allowing the Heels to climb back to within 21-18 in the fourth quarter.
With the game on the line though, the Deacons responded with a drive that resulted in a 32-yard field goal with 1:09 left for the final points in a 24-18 win.
Wake had a balanced attack with 222 rushing yards and 214 passing yards, and its defense was able to pile up six sacks. The star of the game was receiver Sage Surratt, who caught nine passes for 169 yards and a score.
Nov. 9 vs. No. 1 Clemson (3-0, 2-0 ACC)
The Tigers have rolled to three straight wins by a combined score of 117-30, the latest a 41-6 thumping at Syracuse.
Star quarterback Trevor Lawrence completed 22 of 39 passes for 395 yards and three scores (but also two picks). Receivers Tee Higgins (seven receptions for 150 yards) and Amari Rodgers (four catches for 121 yards) provided big plays. Clemson had passes of 48, 58 and 87 yards in the contest.
Yet its defense continues to shine, holding Syracuse to 187 total yards while the offense piled up 612 yards.
Nov. 16 vs. Louisville (2-1)
The Cardinals jumped out to a 31-7 halftime lead at Western Kentucky and did not look back en route to a 38-21 win. Malik Cunningham started at quarterback for an injured Jawon Pass and completed 8 of 13 passes for 119 yards and two scores and added 46 rushing yards.
Louisville finished with 210 yards rushing in the victory, while its defense held WKU to just 43 yards on the ground.
Nov. 21 at Georgia Tech (1-2, 0-1 ACC)
This was not the start that new head coach Geoff Collins probably envisioned. His team fell to 1-2 after being stunned at home by The Citadel from the FCS ranks in overtime, 27-24.
The offense that was held to just 257 yards in a week two win over South Florida gained only 301 total yards Saturday. It also allowed The Citadel to rush for 320 yards in the contest.
Georgia Tech's 301 total yards though was a season-high for its offense.
Nov. 30 vs. UNC (2-1, 1-0 ACC)
UNC tried to make another of what is becoming its trademark fourth quarter push, but time ran out on their chances at Wake Forest (although the ACC later admitted the Heels should have had one more second to try to get a snap off for a Hail Mary).
UNC had previously rallied from 20-9 down in the fourth quarter to upset South Carolina in its opener, and then scored on a game-winning touchdown with 1:01 left against Miami in week two.
For the second straight week, UNC allowed significantly more total yards than it gained, 436-333. Miami had a 488-389 yard advantage in total yards. Heels freshman quarterback Sam Howell overcame a slow start to finish completing 17 of 28 passes for 182 yards and two scores.
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