NC State Wolfpack football scored its third consecutive win by rallying and then holding off Syracuse on Saturday afternoon at the Carrier Dome.

It’s time for a final look at the contest with some Monday morning quarterbacking:

It came down to the final seconds.

Syracuse was out of timeouts, driving for a potential game-tying score and made a questionable decision to run the football on first-and-goal at the NC State 9-yard line. The played gained just two yards and cost the Orange a lot in terms of precious time.

On second-and-goal, senior quarterback Rex Culpepper could not find anyone and eventually stepped out of bounds at the 7-yard line with 24 seconds left. That's when Culpepper did something he absolutely could not afford to let happened.

On third-and-goal, Culpepper was sacked after scrambling around with valuable time ticking away. NC State redshirt sophomore linebacker Payton Wilson eventually got to Culpepper back at the 18-yard line. That was the first big no-no.

Perhaps in a bit of a panic, Culpepper lined everyone up to spike the football in an attempt to stop the clock and get one last shot at the end zone. Problem was it was fourth down. Spiking the football meant Syracuse turned it over on downs to NC State with one second left.

1. Letting the receivers make plays: The one position where NC State has a veteran presence is in its receiving corps. Tight end Cary Angeline is a fifth-year senior. Receivers Emeka Emezie (senior) and Thayer Thomas (redshirt junior) are both in their fourth years in the program and have been mainstays in their playing careers. Redshirt sophomore Devin Carter was a starter last season.

All four had big games on Saturday and each seemed to make either contested or high degree of difficulty catches. Thomas led the way with nine receptions for 102 yards and three scores. Emezie had an impressive 26-yard TD among his four catches for 33 yards. Carter hauled in three receptions for 76 yards, an average of 25.3 yards per haul.

Angeline added five catches for 88 yards.

2. Stopping the run: NC State's defense held Syracuse to just 257 yards of total offense, and only three of that came on the ground. Freshman running back Sean Tucker, who had been averaging more than 80 rushing yards per game in his previous six contests, was a non-factor with 16 runs for 18 yards.

3. Responding in the second half: As noted in our postgame column, this game was simply a matter of avoiding mistakes and not allowing big plays by Syracuse in the second half. That allowed NC State’s talent to take care of business. NC State outscored the Orange 22-7 after trailing at halftime thanks to a combination of turnovers and big plays that gave upset-minded Syracuse an opportunity to pull off a surprise.

1. Playing a clean first half: There were basically five plays in the first half that allowed Syracuse to make this a four-quarter game:

• The Orange had a kickoff return for a score.

• Redshirt junior quarterback Bailey Hockman for NC State fumbled going into the end zone, resulting in a touchback for Syracuse.

• A turnover by the Pack was returned to the NC State 5-yard line, leading to an Orange field goal.

• Hockman, under pressure, threw a backwards pass out of the end zone for a safety.

• Syracuse connected on a 60-yard pass behind the defense.

Big plays and turnovers were Syracuse’s best hope, and NC State gave it to them for half the game.

2. Covering Taj Harris: NC State’s defense gets a strong grade for its effort, with one exception. Harris, a junior and former high school teammate of Pack receiver Kelvin Harmon, torched the Wolfpack with 13 receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown.

3. Kick coverage: Syracuse can probably attribute 14 points to its special teams. One was a kickoff return for a score by freshman receiver Trebor Pena. The other was a 27-yard punt return by senior wideout Nykeim Johnson that gave the Orange possession at NC State’s 43-yard line. The Orange used the short field to score its only points in the second half.

NC State’s offensive line vs. Syracuse’s defensive front

Against a team known for giving up big rushing yards, NC State finished with just 95 yards. Part of that is because of six sacks, which matched the season high allowed by the Wolfpack offensive line. The running backs actually had a productive afternoon, running 29 times for 121 yards and 4.2 yards a rush. But the lack of pass protection left this as a draw.

Syracuse’s offensive line vs. NC State’s defensive front

Technically, NC State finished with just two sacks, but it had more pressure on Culpepper than that would indicate. It also absolutely crushed the Orange’s rushing attack. This was a nice win for the Wolfpack.

NC State’s wide receivers vs. Syracuse’s secondary

The Orange have a solid cornerback combination, and yet the Pack wideouts deserve a lot of credit for playing a strong game and helping Hockman completed 23 of 31 pass attempts for 313 yards with four touchdowns. This was another nice victory for the Wolfpack.

Syracuse's wide receivers vs. NC State’s secondary

Everyone beside Harris, NC State easily won the battle. Harris, though, almost made this a draw by himself.

Quarterbacks

Hockman had the bad decision on the safety and needed better ball security, but the bottom line is he overall played a strong game and easily outshone his counterpart, Culpepper. That's not a knock on Culpepper, who appeared to have played one of his better games in a Syracuse uniform.

Running backs

Knight ended with 11 runs for 57 yards and a touchdown, while junior Ricky Person Jr. added 17 carries for 61 yards and also had a 20-yard reception. NC State got what it needed out of their tailbacks. Syracuse did not.

Tight ends/fullbacks

As noted previously, Angeline was a top target for Hockman on this afternoon. Meanwhile, Syracuse's tight ends combined to make just three total receptions for six yards.

Special teams

One thing Syracuse can boast is strong special teams, and it showed. In addition to the aforementioned coverage issues NC State faced, the Pack also had a five-yard running into the punter penalty, and Knight made a questionable decision to return a kickoff out of the end zone that reached just the 12-yard line on the play prior to Hockman's safety.

Knight did start the second half strong with a 44-yard kickoff return, but overall Syracuse won the day on special teams.

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