Quick hits from NC State Wolfpack football's win over Furman

Here are quick hits and notes from NC State football’s 45-7 win over Furman at Carter-Finley Stadium Saturday night in front of a crowd of 56,919 on a warm but pleasant evening.

By the time the reserves entered the game in the third quarter, NC State was up 45-0, identical to the score of its season-opening win over South Florida.

The domination was even more pronounced Saturday vs. Furman, however.

At that point in the game, NC State had 418 total yards compared to just 62 for Furman. The Wolfpack had 20 first downs while the Paladins had only two.

Head coach Dave Doeren noted after the game that some scout team players who were not expected to even play ended up being on the field for most of the fourth quarter.

The final tally was 505 total yards for NC State and 196 for Furman. The last time a Wolfpack opponent had less than 200 yards in a game was Western Carolina in 2019, when the Catamounts had a meager 106 yards.

Furman did reach the end zone with 2:09 left in the third quarter, becoming the first team to score in a pair of games at Carter-Finley Stadium this year. Thus far the Wolfpack has allowed 31 points to its opponents, seven of them coming on special teams. That is the fewest allowed through three games since the 2009 squad gave up 28 points to South Carolina, Murray State and Gardner-Webb combined.

Like 2021, that 2009 team was 2-1 as it lost its opener to South Carolina, 7-3, despite having Russell Wilson at quarterback.

One thing about the blowout is that a lot of firsts were recorded:

• Sixth-year senior tight end Dylan Parham reached the end zone for the first time, catching a four-yard pass from redshirt sophomore quarterback Devin Leary in the second quarter. Parham started his Wolfpack career at quarterback before switching positions.

• Two freshmen had their first receptions. Second-year frosh Jalen Coit caught a 12-yarder, while true freshman Jakolbe Baldwin had a 4-yard reception. Both catches were in the fourth quarter from passes thrown by Finley, who completed 5 of 8 passes for 28 yards in his most extensive action this season.

• NC State's only sack on the evening came from second-year freshman defensive lineman Davin Vann, who registered his first tackle for a loss and sack. Redshirt junior walk-on defensive end Danny Blakeman, who has earned his way onto the two-deep, also had his first career tackle for a loss.

• True freshman linebacker Caden Fordham, elevated on the depth chart after the season-ending injury to redshirt junior linebacker Payton Wilson, assisted on three tackles in his first career action.

• Redshirt freshman nickel Jalen Frazier, in his career debut on defense, had a pass breakup.

Players in the 2020 and 2021 classes, both listed as freshmen on the roster because eligibility was frozen a year ago, can play up to four games and preserve their redshirt status.

The following players in the freshmen class with astericks by their names played on Saturday.

We will keep track of this list throughout the season to see who burns their redshirt.

Linebacker Devon Betty (class of 2020) — 3 games played*

Safety Devan Boykin (class of 2020) — 3*

Quarterback Ben Finley (class of 2020) -— 3*

Nickel Joshua Pierre-Louis (class of 2020) — 3*

Receiver Porter Rooks (class of 2020) — 3*

Receiver Anthony Smith (class of 2020) — 3*

Defensive lineman Davin Vann (class of 2020) — 3*

Cornerback Aydan White (class of 2020) — 3*

Receiver Jalen Coit (class of 2020) — 2*

Center Lyndon Cooper (class of 2021) — 2*

Receiver Julian Gray (class of 2021) — 2*

Defensive lineman Claude Larkins (class of 2020) — 2*

Offensive lineman Patrick Matan (class of 2020) — 2*

Safety Sean Brown (class of 2021) — 1*

Offensive lineman Anthony Carter (class of 2020) — 1*

Receiver Joshua Crabtree (class of 2020) — 1

Cornerback Nate Evans (class of 2021) — 1

Linebacker Caden Fordham (class of 2021) — 1*

Quarterback Aaron McLaughlin (class of 2021) — 1*

Linebacker Jayland Parker (class of 2020) — 1*

Tight end Ezemdi Udoh (class of 2021) — 1*

Former NC State head coach Chuck Amato was seen in the crowd, and on the sideline was former NC State and NFL quarterback Ryan Finley, who saw his brother Ben get into the action.

In recruiting news, NC State offered class of 2022 receiver Terrell Timmons from Northern Guilford High in Greensboro, N.C., while he was visiting for the game.

NC State is 2-1, and head coach Dave Doeren improves to 8-0 in games against Football Championship Subdivision competition. The Pack has won those games by a combined score of 297-71.

Furman still leads the all-time series, 8-6-4. Doeren is 2-0 against the Paladins. There are no future known dates scheduled between the two teams.

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