CHAPEL HILL — NC State found a way in the game it wanted to win the most.
NC State was in a familiar place this season where it needed to make something happen or go down in defeat. With the season on the line and facing first down and 20 at its own 39-yard line, freshman quarterback Cedrick “C.J.” Bailey went deep to redshirt freshman wide receiver Noah Rogers, who caught the ball with two UNC defensive backs in vicinity for 44 yards to the Tar Heels’ 17-yard line.
Instead of leaving it to the kicker for the game-winning score, the Wolfpack ran the ball three straight times, and redshirt freshman running back Daylan Smothers scored on a two-yard plunge with 25 seconds left in the game to win 35-30. NC State improved to 6-6 overall and 3-5 in the ACC, and became bowl eligible.
"It shows the talent that we have and where we can be with it," Rogers said. "I'm a firm believer that there's multiple ways we can be a powerhouse offense. Playing with guys like that, it does nothing but better you."
Bailey had told the NCSU defensive players they had their back and would make it happen. The pass to Rogers helped deliver on that promise.
“I already told Noah, he had a couple of drops before that happened,” Bailey said. “I was telling him, ‘Get out of his head.’ I always trust him.”
Smothers credited Bailey’s leadership for making it happen.
“He’s back there calm,” Smothers said. “He's a leader in the huddle every time. He's got all that talent in him back there. You trust him with the ball.”
NC State won its sixth game of the season and became bowl eligible and the program won its fourth-straight game against the Tar Heels. NCSU coach Dave Doeren knows that if he goes 6-6, but one of the six is against North Carolina, he’ll make a lot of Wolfpack fans happy.
"Beating Carolina meant more to me than being bowl eligible," Doeren said. "That may sound weird. When I got hired, they didn't say, 'Win six and go to a bowl.' They said, 'Whatever you do beat Carolina.'
"There is a reason why I haven't worn blue for 12 years. I'm not allowed to wear the color blue. This game is deep."
The first half had the vibe that neither team was comfortable. NC State never got into a offensive rhythm and its drives would sputter. Even with the struggles, it seemed that if the Wolfpack could commit to the run game, their luck would change.
Offensive coordinator Robert Anae made a few halftime adjustments and the edict became clear — run the football. That has been the Achilles’ heel in many of North Carolina’s games this season.
Maybe it proved symbolic, but Smothers and Bailey combined to run six straight rushing plays before the drive stalled on a sack on the seventh play. The Wolfpack settled for a 41-yard field goal to make it 10-6, but the physical tone was set.
NC State scored on all six second half possessions with three touchdowns and three field goals. NCSU rushed 26 times for 150 yards, and all of sudden, Bailey and the passing game got going.
NC State’s offensive line paved the way for 46 carries for 220 yards and two touchdowns.
“It was great play calling from Coach Anae,” Bailey said. “I really didn't know how it felt to play in one of these games right here all week.
“They [the line] had full control the whole game. We just had to give those guys the chances to do it. Those guys, they dominated.”
Doeren was also proud of how his offensive line took the game over after halftime.
“Love the way we ran the football, 240 yards rushing,” Doeren said. “Our O-Line dominated their D-Line.”
The rushing attack helped NC State overcome the incredible performance of UNC junior running back Omarion Hampton, who tallied 22 carries for 185 yards and a score, plus four catches for 78 yards and a touchdown.
The offense was in high gear, but there was still one key issue — UNC’s offense was full of big plays.
NC State’s defense had a little bit of everything happen.
The secondary got hit hard with injuries, including having senior cornerback Aydan White miss the game, and then sophomore cornerback Brandon Cisse was injured early in the second quarter.
NC State also had a big, big problem in stopping Hampton. He rushed for 75-yard score to give the Tar Heels a 13-10 lead with 9:50 left in the third quarter. He then added a 47-yard reception on a shovel pass for the go-ahead touchdown to make it 30-29 with 1:51 left in the game.
If that wasn’t enough, UNC received a breakout game from sophomore wide receiver Chris Culliver, who caught a 50-yard touchdown reception to send the score to 20-13 Tar Heels with 2:19 left in the third quarter. For good measure, also threw a 46-yarder to Culliver in the beginning stages of the fourth quarter. That eventually led to a 25-yard field goal.
Where NC State caught a break is that its botched hold on a extra point didn’t come back to bite them. Conversely, UNC senior kicker Noah Burnette managed to miss an extra point and a 43-yard field goal.
NC State redshirt sophomore kicker Kanoah Vinesett made all three of his field-goal attempts.
“We've had a lot of crazy stuff happen this year,” Doeren said. ”You lose your your starting quarterback [senior Grayson McCall] to start the season. You lose your middle linebacker [redshirt junior Caden Fordham]. Two really good football players.
“We lose some tough one-possession games. Some freaky things just happened. Everything that could go against us at times has. The guys just fought. That is the DNA of our program.”
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