NC State and Virginia had a little bit of everything, but the Wolfpack kept its head straight and helmets on to produce the win.
NC State led the entire game Friday and were clinging to an eight-point lead, but Virginia freshman quarterback Anthony Colandrea has a little bit of that “it” factor or chutzpah, so the drama kept building in Charlottesville, Va.
Colandrea converted on a crucial fourth and one to keep the drive alive, and then on a third and goal at the three-yard line, he found Malik Washington for the touchdown with 36 seconds left. The problem was that offensive line teammate Ty Furnish committed an unsportsmanlike penalty to make the two-point conversion now go from the 17-yard line.
Colandrea wasn’t phased and found junior wide receiver Malachi Fields in the end zone for the two-point conversion and tied the game 21-21. In the celebration that immediately followed, Colandrea was whistled for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty, which was assessed on the kickoff.
In a contest where every yard was precious down the stretch, the Wolfpack seized on that penalty. Redshirt sophomore Julian Gray took the ensuing kickoff for NC State, and returned it 35 yards to the Virginia 48-yard line. NC State needed to get to at least the 35-yard line to give new kicker Brayden Narveson a chance to avoid overtime.
“That penalty [assessed to the kickoff] helped us on that play,” NC State coach Dave Doeren said. “All the stuff came together on that return [by Gray].”
Narveson was able to zero in on a 48-yard attempt with three seconds left, but Virginia was called for leaping on the play, which is a 15-yard personal foul penalty. Narveson then calmly made the 33-yard field goal and the Wolfpack were thrilled to leave town with a 3-1 record. NC State hosts Louisville next Friday.
Doeren said the psyche of seeing a kick just get blocked due to the leaping penalty could have played tricks with Narveson, but the veteran was all business.
“That was a great moment for Brayden,” Doeren said. “I’m proud of him. ACC wins are hard to come by.”
In a way, both offenses turned a freshman loose and hoped they would lead the team to victory. NC State freshman wide receiver Kevin Concepcion had the first touchdown of the game on a 12-yard toss from senior Brennan Armstrong, the former UVA standout.
Armstrong later connected with Concepcion with a 48-yard touchdown that gave the Wolfpack a 21-13 lead with 11 seconds left in the third quarter.
Colandrea was the key cog for everything Virginia tried to accomplish. He went 18-of-30 for 271 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed 13 times for 43 yards. Colandrea was marred by throwing crucial interceptions to redshirt sophomore safety Sean Brown and junior cornerback Aydan White, who was back in action after missing last week.
“Their quarterback will be a very good football player in this league,” Doeren said. “He’s an exciting guy for them.”
NC State had to make do with a rebuilt secondary Friday. Starting safety Devan Boykin got injured and then replacement Cecil Powell, a redshirt junior, quickly got injured. That was on the heels of losing Jakeen Harris for the season, and Rakeim Ashford is just coming back.
NC State junior middle linebacker Devon Betty had the birth of his daughter this week, and that led to redshirt sophomore Caden Fordham starting his first college game and nothing 12 tackles, which was second behind senior teammate Payton Wilson, who had 13.
Doeren also pointed out that freshman running back Kendrick Raphael got injured, and that wasn’t ideal with senior Jordan Houston electing to redshirt this week and have an option of using that extra year elsewhere next fall.
NCSU also had to essentially play without starting center Dylan McMahon for the second straight week. He had gotten a “lower body injury” 12 snaps into the VMI game last week.
Doeren said a lot of the offense comes down to being more efficient and strong in the run game. NCSU rushed 36 times for 139 yards and a score, but the three backs combined for 21 carries for 75 yards.
“There are always questions and concerns,” Doeren said. “A bunch of guys had to play because of injuries.
“I thought we played well under the circumstances we had.”
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