NC State advanced to 7-3 (6-3 ACC) with a 36-29 win over Syracuse Saturday in the Carrier Dome.

Here is the best and worst from the Wolfpack's win over the Orange:

Similarly to the Florida State game, Saturday was another instance in which redshirt junior quarterback Bailey Hockman put up career numbers, but redshirt junior wide receiver Thayer Thomas stole the show.

There was some bad, but mostly good for Hockman Saturday. Thomas delivered nothing but good in the Carrier Dome, however.

The 6-0, 195-pounder reeled in a team-high nine receptions for 102 yards and scored a career-high three touchdowns, two of which in the second half.

On an afternoon in which NC State converted 8-of-13 third-down conversions, Thomas moved the sticks three times on third downs.

Redshirt sophomore linebacker Payton Wilson had a team-high 10 tackles, but his last of the afternoon was the most important.

In the final seconds of the game, Syracuse faced a third-and-goal situation from the NC State seven-yard line with a chance to tie the game down seven points. Syracuse quarterback Rex Culpepper dropped back to pass, but Wilson was able to sack him in the backfield for an 11-yard loss.

The Orange were out of timeouts and the sack forced the clock to keeping ticking, so Culpepper frantically lined up and forgot he was in a fourth-down situation before spiking the ball, turning it over on downs and effectively handing NC State the victory.

With 14:14 remaining in the fourth quarter down two, NC State faced a third-and-eight situation from the Syracuse 26-yard line. Hockman dropped back to pass and found senior wide receiver Emeka Emezie on a 50-50 ball just beyond the front left pylon.

Emezie made a leaping two-handed grab and held on for the touchdown that gave NC State a 33-29 lead early in the fourth quarter. The Wolfpack never looked back and held on to the lead for the remainder of the game.

Down 28-20 midway through the third quarter, NC State faced second-and-seven from its own 28-yard line.

That's when Hockman found redshirt sophomore wide receiver Devin Carter for a 39-yard connection that flipped the field, giving the Pack a first down and the ball at the Syracuse 33-yard line.

Later in the drive, Hockman found Thomas in the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown to pull the Wolfpack within two.

NC State held Syracuse to just three rushing yards Saturday, by far its lowest total allowed on defense of the season.

The Orange were stopped to just 0.1 yards per carry on 25 attempts with a long run of six yards. The Wolfpack outrushed Syracuse 95-3 and won time of possession 34:03-25:57.

The Orange had 16 rushing yards entering the fourth quarter, but the Pack held Cuse to -13 yards on the ground in the final 15 minutes of the game.

After taking a 7-0 lead following its first possession of the afternoon, NC State knew it was in for a roller coaster of an afternoon when Syracuse freshman Trebor Pena returned a Wolfpack kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to tie the game 7-7 midway through the first quarter.

Prior to that point, NC State had yet to allow a kickoff return past the opponent's 35-yard line all season. Head coach Dave Doeren said it started with junior punter Trenton Gill's kickoff, and the special team unit's inability to make a play only made matters worse.

Late in the first quarter, NC State appeared to have taken a 14-7 lead on an 11-yard run by Hockman which was signaled a touchdown on the field. Hockman had reached the ball across the pylon as a Syracuse defender close him out, hoping to force him out of bounds at the one-yard line.

After an official review, the call was overturned and ruled a fumble in the end zone, therefore ending in a touchback which gave Syracuse possession. The Wolfpack's points came off of the board and the Orange took over at their own 20-yard line. Syracuse turned the takeaway into points with an early second-quarter field goal that put the Orange ahead 10-7.

The replay indicated that Hockman's fumble was very close. While the quarterback undoubtedly lost possession in the process of reaching the ball across the pylon, it was unclear whether he crossed the pylon before losing possession or not. Because the call on the field was a touchdown, and the evidence to overturn was not undisputable, the touchdown should have stood.

Playing with a 14-12 lead late in the second quarter, NC State forced a third-and-five situation on defense at the Syracuse 40-yard line. The Pack needed one stop to get the ball back and try to grow its lead before halftime.

Instead, there was a coverage breakdown in the secondary. Syracuse wide receiver Nykeim Johnson was able to break loose down the field and caught a pass from Culpepper that allowed him to walk into the end zone for a 60-yard touchdown. The play gave Syracuse a 19-14 lead late in the second quarter and was the longest gain of the day for the Orange.

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