NC State faced adversity by overcoming a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter and also got some much-needed luck.
California lost to Pittsburgh last Saturday when well-traveled senior kicker Ryan Coe missed a 40-yard field goal with 1:50 left, while trailing 17-15.
This week, brand new freshman kicker Derek Morris hit his first three field goals of the game, but with the game on the line, he missed a 28-yard field goal with 1:34 left in the game.
NC State held on for a 24-23 comeback victory to improve to 4-4 overall and 1-3 in the ACC. The Wolfpack will have a bye week and then host Stanford in the march to become bowl eligible.
“We needed some luck and we haven't had any all year,” NCSU coach Dave Doeren said. “So thankfully, they missed a kick and it still was a game.
“Resilient bunch of guys, man, gritty, tough, banged up, time for a bye week. Excited we have one and it's a long trip out here.”
NC State freshman quarterback Cedrick "C.J." Bailey was squarely in the middle of the comeback. He finished going 25-of-36 passing for 306 yards and two touchdowns, but was sacked six times by the California.
“He stays positive,” Doeren said. “He's just got that it factor when it comes to how he manages things and overcomes. Even when he makes a bad play, it doesn't rattle him and he’s tough. He’s going to be a [heck] of a player.”
The Wolfpack emptied the offensive bag when trailing by 13 points, with a 29-yard pass to redshirt junior tight end Justin Joly, followed by a trick play pass from sophomore Kevin Concepcion to Daylan Smothers for 28 yards. That led to a fourth and one one-yard touchdown pass to redshirt junior wide receiver Dacari Collins to make it 23-17 with 11:33 left.
NC State surged to a 24-23 lead when Bailey found Smothers, who broke free for a 41-yard touchdown with 6:41 left.
“Coach Doeren said, ‘If you're a playmaker, go make plays,’” Smothers said.
Smothers finished with six catches for 87 yards a touchdown, and helped make up for the Wolfpack’s woeful production on the ground — 30 carries for 29 yards with a long run of 10 yards.
“The run game weren't working, so they was able to give me space with the ball,” Smothers said.
Joly caught four passes for 95 yards, and Concepcion complemented his crucial pass by running for a two-yard touchdown and catching four passes for 53 yards.
Bailey was able to spread the ball around to various offensive weapons.
“It feels really great to know that I got good playmakers and good guys around me that's gonna help the team out,” Bailey said. “Guys like Hollywood Smothers and Justin Joly, Kevin Concepcion, all those guys I can count on.”
The irony about California’s missed 27-yard field goal was NC State’s own special teams miscues greatly aided the Bears.
NC State’s special teams had a rough game with redshirt junior Jalen Coit fumbling a punt return at his 16-yard line, two poor punts by redshirt junior Caden Noonkester, and allowing a 40-yard kick return.
NCSU also missed a 53-yard field-goal attempt, but that receives a pass.
The Coit fumble appeared to be a dagger, with California turning it into a seven-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Jaivian Thomas, who started the game off with fireworks, sprinting for a 49-yard score on the fifth play of the game.
NC State’s other big turnover was when redshirt freshman wide receiver Noah Rogers fumbled at the NCSU 33-yard line. California turned it into a 24-yard field goal attempt.
Doeren said the team’s mental toughness helped it fight through the errors.
“The Wolfpack's not for soft people, and sometimes we don't play the way that we need to, and it's on me to get that right,” Doeren said.
NC State’s defense certainly got tested, but also had its moments. California was just 2 of 14 on third-down conversions.
“In a way, yeah, winning's hard,” said senior defensive end Davin Vann, who had two big sacks. “Being able to come out here this long trip and secure a win is very great. I don't know if I'd say I'd let go of a sigh of relief, but we still have four games left that we're trying to win out.”
NC State returns to action Nov. 2, and has four regular season games remaining.
“Every win for us is vital right now,” Smothers said. “We're tired of losing our games. It's one in a row, and we just had to do what we had to do.”
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