Scoring was going to be hard to come by with NC State and Syracuse both having top defenses, but the Orange made their chances count.
NC State kicked three field goals and Syracuse found the end zone three times, helping the Orange win 24-9 on Saturday. The No. 15-ranked Wolfpack fell to 5-2 overall, and the No. 18-ranked Orange improved to 6-0.
Syracuse’s defense got beat up in the process of the game, but NC State was already the walking wounded going into the contest. NC State announced before the game that redshirt junior quarterback Devin Leary was done for the season and will have surgery Tuesday for a torn pectoral suffered last week against Florida State.
NC State coach Dave Doeren knew Sunday about Leary’s injury, but was hoping rehabilitation could be an option. By Monday afternoon following his Noon press conference, he knew Leary was done for the season.
“At that point, I decided not telling people was best for our quarterbacks to get ready for Syracuse’s defense,” Doeren said. “It is not his shoulder, that is the good news. He has through it before [with a broken leg].
“I’m proud of him and he immediately turned to [offensive coordinator] Coach [Tim] Beck and the quarterbacks and said, ‘How can I help you guys?’”
The Wolfpack were also without injured backup running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, redshirt junior H-back Trent Pennix and redshirt junior wide receiver Devin Carter. Starting senior left guard Chandler Zavala suffered an injury during the contest.
Doeren split on his two main goals coming into the game, with the defense taking away two potential scoring scenarios with interceptions by senior safety Tanner Ingle and sophomore cornerback Aydan White.
“We thought if we won the turnover margin and the line of scrimmage, we’d win the game,” Doeren said. “They did a better job of running the football and controlling that part of the game.
“The margin for error is small when you are in a position like we are.”
Syracuse’s offense struggled in various ways, but converted drives into touchdowns, rather than field goals. Between sophomore running back Sean Tucker and sophomore receiver Oronde Gadsden II, the Orange made enough plays to scratch out 24 points.
The Orange struck first with Tucker ripping off a 38-yard run, and then Gadsden completed the drive with a 12-yard jump ball touchdown.
Gadsden later added a 17-yard touchdown catch that gave Syracuse a 17-6 lead with 1:28 left in the third quarter.
Tucker finished off the scoring with a 25-yard touchdown run downs the left side with quarterback Garrett Shrader blocking for him along the way.
Tucker finished with 13 carries for 96 yards and a score, and Gadsden caught eight passes for 141 yards and his two scroes.
It was unknown how NC State would handle the quarterback spot, but both senior Jack Chambers and freshman MJ Morris saw action, with Chambers playing the majority of the snaps.
Two things became clear was that nothing was going to come easy for NC State’s offense against the Orange defense, and the style of the game was going to shorten the number of possessions in the contest. The longest play from scrimmage for NC State was redshirt sophomore H-back Christopher Toudle catching a 21-yard pass.
NC State finished with nine drives and Syracuse had eight. Doeren was frustrated by some self-inflicted wounds on offense, some affected by the crowd noise in a sold-out dome stadium.
“We really had some penalties and some negative plays on offense that set us into some second and longs,” Doeren said. “Their crowd was fantastic for them.”
Chambers finished going 18-of-30 for 160 yards, and he rushed 19 times for 58 yards. Many of the rushes were on passing plays, where he left the pocket. Doeren said the Charleston Southern graduate transfer is expected to start against Virginia Tech on Oct. 27.
“I’m proud of Jack,” Doeren said. “I thought he played hard and did some good things in the game. We didn’t do enough.
“The plan is to play them both.”
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