Behind a stellar defensive effort, NC State football beat Georgia State 41-7 at Carter-Finley Stadium Saturday.
Graduate quarterback Ryan Finley played a strong game for the Wolfpack (2-0) with 31 completions on 38 attempts for a total 370 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Junior wide receiver Kelvin Harmon led the pack in receiving yards with 129 on eight catches, bouncing back well from a 33-yard performance against James Madison last week. Three different players scored their first career-touchdowns against the Panthers (1-1).
“A lot of stuff, first time things happening, guys scoring their first touchdowns and making big plays,” head coach Dave Doeren said. “It was good to see [graduate running back Brady Bodine] score a touchdown for us, just a guy that has been an awesome teammate and a good leader. [Freshman running back Trent Pennix] scored his first touchdown. Excited for those guys to get their first times in the end zone, and then [redshirt freshman quarterback Matt McKay] at the end.”
With redshirt junior receiver Jakobi Meyers out, redshirt freshman receiver Thayer Thomas was all over the field, leading the pack with a career-high nine catches for 114 yards and a touchdown. Thomas was also involved in some trickery for the Wolfpack, hitting Pennix for a 56 yards on a double pass in the first quarter.
“We have a lot of weapons,” Finley said. “It’s pretty special when I can just throw it out there to a lot of different targets. [We have] a lot of guys getting to touch the ball. We have a lot of different playmakers, and that’s pretty special.”
Georgia State took an early lead in the game, with a touchdown by running back Destin Coates just under three minutes into the first quarter. Despite giving up a score on the first drive; however, the Wolfpack’s defense rallied to stifle further scoring attempts from the Panthers.
NC State’s defensive line sacked Panthers quarterback Dan Ellington three times for a loss of 11 yards, including freshman defensive tackle Alim McNeill’s first career sack. Senior defensive tackle Eurndraus Bryant blocked a field-goal attempt early in the fourth quarter, redshirt senior cornerback Maurice Trowell recovered a late fumble and the Panthers did not score again following the first drive.
“Things started off a little rough, that first drive,” Bryant said. “But after that the boys locked in, kept doing their job, and held them on the seven points, which is good from a defensive standpoint. We just took points off of the board whenever we were able to capitalize, like the field goal for instance.”
It was not all roses for the Pack in this one, as the run game struggled again. After posting just 83 yards last week, NC State had just 115 on 31 carries today (under three yards per carry, barring the big play), 30 of which came on a breakaway touchdown late in the fourth quarter for Bodine.
“I know [the run game]’s not where we want it,” Doeren said. “We gotta continue to work at it and getting our offensive line — all of those guys playing together, continuing to get reps from those backs and the tight ends; and they’re still young so all that’s going to help over time. We obviously have work to do there and I know we’ll work hard to get better at it.”
Thomas scored the first touchdown of the game on a one-handed catch that will be all over the highlight reels.
“I feel like after I made that catch, Ryan was looking for me all game,” Thayer said. “I feel like that made him more confident in throwing me the ball and being able to make plays for him.”
The Pack took control in the second quarter, outscoring the Panthers 10-0, including a 25-yard field goal from freshman kicker Chris Dunn, who finished 2 for 2, following a missed 45 yarder for the Panthers. Pennix scored his first-career touchdown for the Wolfpack in the third quarter to put things further out of reach.
Graduate receiver Stephen Louis was injured in the fourth quarter and was down on the field, motionless, before getting up and walking to the locker room. He did return to the sideline without pads later on, but Doeren said after the game Louis would go through concussion protocol.
NC State could have put the game away for good in the fourth quarter, but Finley threw an interception at the goal line to give the Panthers the ball back. The Pack’s defense, however, came up with its second fourth-down stop of the day, allowing Bodine to salt it away with a 30-yard touchdown run, the first touchdown of his career.
Doeren put in McKay for the Pack’s last possession following Trowell’s fumble recovery, and last season’s Scout Team Player of the Year carried the rock for a two-yard score and his first career touchdown to cap the scoring.
NC State will continue its non-conference slate next week with a visit from No. 14 West Virginia.
Graduate center Garrett Bradbury lifts graduate running back Brady Bodine after his 39-yard touchdown run. Bodine lead the pack with 50 yards rushing and was the only one able to break a run of more than 10-yards. The Wolfpack took down Georgia State 41-7 on Saturday, Sept. 8 in Carter-Finley Stadium.
