9/30/2017 football Edit

Quick hits from NC State football’s win over Syracuse

Matt Carter • TheWolfpackCentral

Editor

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Quick hits and notes from NC State’s 33-25 win over Syracuse in front of 56,197 fans on a pleasant Saturday afternoon at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

Syracuse head coach Dino Babers impressed

During his postgame press conference, Syracuse coach Dino Babers went out of his way to compliment NC State, comparing the Pack favorably to LSU, who the Orange lost to 35-26 in Baton Rouge the week before:

Records watch

Senior defensive end Bradley Chubb was credited with two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. He moved past Carl Reeves and Willie Young into second all time at NC State in career tackles for loss with 46. He needs 10 to pass former defensive end and No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick Mario Williams.

Chubb also moved past Young, Manny Lawson and Mike Jones into fifth place for career sacks with 21.5. Williams has the record with 25.5.

Redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Finley, for the second straight week, had an interception wiped away by a defensive penalty. Thus he finished the afternoon with an active streak of 257 straight passes without an interception. That is now the third longest in ACC history. Russell Wilson holds the school and conference record with 379.

Finley also moved past Dave Buckey into ninth all time at State in career passing yards with 4,464 yards. Erik Kramer (4,602 yards) is next on the list.

Senior H-back Jaylen Samuels had a touchdown run to give him 21 rushing scores in his career and 39 overall. He needs one more score to tie Matthew Dayes in third place for most career touchdowns with 40.

Physical game

At various points in the game, Samuels, junior running back Nyheim Hines, sophomore wide receiver Kelvin Harmon and senior linebacker Airius Moore needed attention from the trainers, and fifth-year senior running back Dakwa Nichols, a valuable special teams performer, has been lost for the season with a leg injury that will require surgery on Sunday.

NC State, though, did welcome back officially senior corner Mike Stevens, who missed the first four games of the season with an injury. Stevens did not start, but he finished with three tackles. Redshirt junior safety Dexter Wright, who has not played since starting the opener and then leaving in the first half with a groin injury, did not play Saturday.

Ground attack

Led by Hines’ first career 100-yard rushing effort (19 carries for 115 yards and a touchdown), NC State rushed for a season-high 256 yards on 47 carries, a strong average of 5.4 yards per rush. That total included three kneel downs that lost a net of four yards.

The Pack’s total eclipsed the 242 yards NC State had against Furman for a season high in rushing yards. It is also the most yards allowed in a game by Syracuse, topping the 151 it gave up against LSU last week.

NC State’s offensive line also did not allow a sack for the first time in a game this season.

Finley’s highlight moment

Spotted at the game

It was military appreciation day at Carter-Finley Stadium, and the patriotic pageantry was fully displayed by NC State, including the traditional unfurling of the 100-yard American flag at halftime.

Scouts from the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings were in the press box. Word is that more requests have been made by pro scouts than there are available credentials for Thursday’s game against Louisville.

Some notable recruits made the trip, including a four-star committed to another ACC school. For a list of those, click here.

What the win means

NC State is 4-1 on the season and 2-0 in the ACC for the first time since 2006. Syracuse is 2-3 and 0-1 in the conference. The Pack gets its 200th all-time win at Carter-Finley Stadium and improves to 10-1 in the series against Syracuse.