Quick hits from NCSUs loss at Miami

Quick hits and notes from NC State's heartbreaking 44-37 late-second loss in front of a supposed attendance of 38,510 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens Saturday afternoon.

You can't spell Miami or NC State with a 'D'

The above line was made by NCSU freshman guard Tyler Lewis' father Rick on twitter during Saturday's game.

For the winners, junior quarterback Stephen Morris lit up the Pack for a new ACC record 566 yards passing, breaking the mark of 545 set by former WFU signal caller Rusty LaRue in 1995, ironically against NC State. LaRue completed 50 of 67 passes in that game.

The previous Miami record for passing yards in a game was 485 by former Heisman Trophy winner Gino Toretta against San Diego State in 1991. Morris also became the first Hurricane to throw five touchdowns in a game since 2005, matching the school record.

Two of Morris' favorite targets were sophomores Phillip Dorsett and Rashawn Scott. Dorsett had 191 yards receiving, the third most ever in one game by a UM receiver. Scott had 180 for his first career 100-yard effort and ninth best in school history for a single game.

Overall Miami had 651 total yards, third most ever in a game for a Hurricanes offense and just 38 yards away from matching the most, 689 against UCLA in 1998. The Canes' 23 first quarter points were also the most State has allowed in the opening stanza since FSU piled up 27 in a 48-35 win in 1997.

State's offense made plays too

NC State actually outgained Miami with 674 total yards, which is a new school record for the Pack, breaking the mark of 653 in the 2003 Tangerine Bowl against Kansas.

Redshirt junior quarterback Mike Glennon threw for 411 yards, the most since Philip Rivers had 475 against Kansas in 2003. State also rushed for 233 yards, giving them back-to-back games over 200 yards on the ground for the first time since 1998.

Redshirt sophomore running back Tony Creecy got the start and ran 19 times for 120 yards and a score for his first career 100-yard rushing effort. Creecy's classmate, receiver Bryan Underwood, caught a pair of touchdowns, giving him five straight games with a score, matching the school record set by Koren Robinson in 2002.

Lacking discipline

So how did NC State lose this game? It's simple: no discipline. A litany of mistakes that carried on so long it went from disappointing to comical to maddening would haunt NCSU in this contest.

NC State had 14 penalties for 98 yards, the most flags against them since they had 14 in a home loss to Ohio State in 2004. The Pack had too many offside penalties to count, one of which resulted in a free play that went for a score when junior corner David Amerson quit the play, presumably thinking it was dead. Amerson was also guilty for jumping on a field goal attempt, which gave Miami a first down and eventually a touchdown.

The Pack had six turnovers, including five fumbles which were the most lost in a game since they had six against FSU in 1995.

Sophomore Niklas Sade had a costly missed extra point, snapping a string of 60 consecutive made extra points, which was the third longest in school history.

Those the mistakes that were tangible. There were also dropped passes, a missed interception at the goal line, mishandled kickoffs, and oh yeah, letting Dorsett with 19 seconds go get behind three defensive backs for a 62-yard touchdown.

Yet State still had a chance

Have to give State props for never quitting. A team that commits 14 penalties and turns it over six times is not supposed to win, and not supposed to even come close. Part of it was luck: a tipped pass in the end zone that would be intercepted by NCSU senior linebacker Sterling Lucas and three missed field goals by UM fifth-year senior kicker Jake Wieclaw.

But in the second quarter NCSU's defense was able to get quality wins to keep UM off the scoreboard when they could have potentially blown the game open. After allowing 304 yards in the first quarter, State gave up just 35 yards in the second and kept alive its streak of not giving up a point in the second quarter this year.

What the loss means

NC State falls to 3-2 and drops the ACC opener for the second consecutive year. Miami leads the all-time series against the Pack 8-5-1 and snaps a two-game skid to NCSU.