NC State Wolfpack football opened up its season with a 45-42 win over Wake Forest before an empty Carter-Finley Stadium Saturday.
The Pack rushed for 270 yards and produced 463 total yards in the high-scoring victory.
Here are the Top Five plays from the Wolfpack in the win:
1. Alim McNeill's forced fumble and recovery at the end of the third quarter
Alim McNeill's forced fumble and recovery couldn't have come at a more crucial time for the Wolfpack. NC State had led 35-21 earlier in the third quarter, but a Wake Forest pick-six followed by a Demon Deacons touchdown drive tied the game at 35.
The Wolfpack was forced to punt on the following offensive possession and gave the Deacs an opportunity to take the lead early in the fourth quarter. McNeill's forced fumble was the only takeaway of the night for the Wolfpack defense and set up a field goal to give the Pack a 38-35 lead early in the fourth quarter.
2. Zonovan "Bam" Knight's opening drive 30-yard TD run + Ikem Ekwonu's pancake block
Zonovan Knight's opening drive touchdown was the second punch in the first two minutes of the game from the Wolfpack rush attack. We'll get to the first landed punch later.
The 30-yard run was Knight's longest of the night, but it wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for left guard Ikem "Ickey" Ekwonu's devasting pancake block on the Wake Forest middle linebacker (see just below the pancake graphic in GIF above). According to head coach Dave Doeren, Ekwonu earned five bottles of syrup representing five pancake blocks in the win.
3. Ricky Person's jump pass TD to Devin Carter in the third quarter
Ricky Person Jr. did a little bit of everything Saturday night, including the completion of this two-yard jump pass to wide receiver Devin Carter to mark the first score of the second half. Wake Forest started the half receiving the kickoff, but the Pack defense forced a stop and set up the offense to take a 28-21 lead early in the third quarter.
“We worked on that play all week,” Carter admitted. “I wouldn't say it was as stressful as it may have seemed. I was kind of calm during the play.”
4. Vi Jones' strip sack of Sam Hartman on second down of the final Wake Forest drive
One of two sacks on Wake Forest's final offensive possession with time expiring, outside linebacker Vi Jones delivered a bone-crushing hit on Wake Forest's Sam Hartman which forced a fumble that bounced out of bounds.
On the very next play, defensive end Daniel Joseph sacked Hartman once again to force a fourth-and-long which the Deacs failed to convert, turning the ball over to the Pack and sealing the NC State victory.
5. Ricky Person's 33-yard run on the first drive of the game
As previously mentioned, Person did a little bit of everything in the 45-42 win over Wake. His first big play of the night came on the second play of the contest, a 33-yard run that would hold as the Wolfpack's longest in a night filled with explosive plays. The run set the tone of the game in which NC State averaged 5.5 yards per carry and scored four of its six touchdowns on the ground.
Credit to wide receiver Thayer Thomas, center Grant Gibson, and Ekwonu for registering the blocks to make the run possible.
——
• Talk about it inside The Wolves' Den
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolfpacker
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolfpacker
• Like us on Facebook
