NC State did its part to make sure the regular season finale could mean something.
NC State overcame a sluggish start to blow out Syracuse 41-17 in front of 54,083 fans at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday. The Wolfpack improved to 8-3 overall and 5-2 in the ACC, while the Orange fell to 5-6 and 2-5 in the league.
Clemson was able to defeat Wake Forest 48-27 on Saturday, so the lines are clear for NC State. The Wolfpack can win the Atlantic Division title if it defeats rival North Carolina at home Friday, and the Demon Deacons lose at Boston College on Saturday.
“Obviously, we now have a chance to move forward and have a championship week, Senior Day and play our rival, and all those things,” NC State coach Dave Doeren said. “We don’t control obviously with what happens with Wake Forest, but on our end, we have a chance to put ourselves in position if they lose and we win, we are in. A lot to play for.”
NC State passed for two touchdowns, ran for one, scored on linebacker Drake Thomas’ pick-six and running back Zonovan Knight went 97 yards on a kickoff return for a touchdown during a wild second quarter.
“It is pretty cool to be in a game where you score in all three phases of the game,” Doeren said.
Knight had returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score against Wake Forest and went 72 yards on another return against the Demon Deacons. The Wolfpack had set up a scenario on what to do in case the Orange avoided kicking to Knight.
“To be honest, I was surprised,” Knight said. “We put in a whole game plan in case they cross-kicked it to Jordan [Houston]. I was surprised they kept kicking it to me over and over again.”
NC State has struggled running the football the last three games, but balance was created against Syracuse. The Wolfpack rushed the ball 30 times and passed for it 24 times Saturday. NCSU had to grind it out with 96 yards for a 3.2 average.
Running backs Ricky Person and Knight both reached the end zone, which was the first time they achieved that since the Louisiana Tech contest Oct. 2. The duo also combined for two catches for 53 yards.
“It was good to see our run game get better and improve,” Doeren said.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Devin Leary proved to be as smooth as can be, though he joked is baseball slides aren’t the greatest the few times he takes off and runs. He went 17-of-24 passing for 303 yards and two touchdowns in an efficient performance. Leary also passed for at least 300 yards for the fifth-straight game.
“The motivation to bounce back [from the Wake Forest loss] is always the priority,” Leary said. “Coming off a loss and responding the right way has always been a priority for me.”
Thomas’ interception allowed him to showcase his running back skills from when he played at Wake Forest (N.C.) Heritage high.
“It was definitely a momentum thing and we needed a play on defense and get some points on the board,” Drake Thomas said. “Just thinking about where me and my older brother came from, all the way up, it’s a dream come true to be able to make plays like that on a big stage. It’s a great feeling.”
Thayer Thomas caught an eight-yard touchdown catch to give the Wolfpack a commanding 38-10 lead with 2:15 left in the third quarter.
They are the first pair of NC State brothers to score in the same season since Dave Buckey and Don Buckey in 1975.
“To see the Thomas brothers both score touchdowns is pretty cool,” Doeren said.
Drake Thomas led the defense with eight tackles, two sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and his pick-six. Thayer Thomas had a team-high 80 yards on four catches and his lone score. Thayer Thomas believes Drake should be a candidate for ACC defensive player of the year.
Thayer Thomas remembered them both scoring touchdowns for Heritage in a 44-21 win over Raleigh Broughton High on Nov. 4, 2016.
"I think it was my senior year," Thayer Thomas said. "Just down the road, that's pretty cool. I don't know if it was a defensive touchdown for him. As you saw tonight, he's good with the ball in his hands.
"It was a special moment and a great team win to cap that off."
NC State’s defense was able to live in the Syracuse backfield.
The Wolfpack finished with 14 tackles for loss and five sacks. Drake Thomas had two of the sacks and defensive end Daniel Joseph added a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss.
“Defending them is the challenge with all the different run things they do,” Doeren said. “My hats off to [running back] Sean Tucker and [Syracuse quarterback] Garrett Shrader, both good runners, tough kids.”
Tucker had 13 carries for 105 yards and a 55-yard touchdown run. Shrader rushed 17 times for 70 yards and a score, and buoyed by a 48-yard run. Take the two runs out and the Orange had 31 carries for 67 yards.
“It looked like the guys did a good job of setting the line of scrimmage, shedding blocks and playing downhill, particularly in the first half,” Doeren said. “We tackled well for the most part.”
Shrader was inept throwing the ball, going 8-of-20 passing for 63 yards and the interception that Drake Thomas returned for a touchdown. The Orange went 3 of 12 on third-down conversions.
“We were trying to get them behind the chains and see if they could throw the ball down the field to win, which we didn’t think they could,” Doeren said. “That proved to be right. I thought it was a really good game plan, and a lot of adjusting going on.”
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