N.C. State lost its first road game of the 2013 season on Saturday to in-state rival Wake Forest, 28-13. The Wolfpack drops to 0-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play after the loss.
Saturday’s game marked the 107th meeting between the two teams, with the all-time record of 63-38-6 favoring the Pack. State and Wake have played every year since 1910, making it the longest continuous series between two ACC teams.
While State has the historical advantage in Winston-Salem (21-17-1), it has now lost six consecutive games at BB&T Field.
“We talked about it all week, how we hadn’t won [at Wake Forest] since 2001,” junior quarterback Pete Thomas said. “We came down here and just didn’t get it done.”
The Wolfpack (3-2, 0-2 ACC) allowed four touchdowns against a Demon Deacons’ (3-3, 1-2 ACC) offense that consisted mostly of seniors. Wake’s senior quarterback Tanner Price was responsible for all four touchdowns, throwing for three and rushing for the other.
Price finished the afternoon with 24-39 for 268 yards passing and an interception to go along with his four total touchdowns. The senior also ran for a career-high 82 yards
Both teams looked fairly matched in the first half. The Pack’s frontline pressured Price and the Deacon offense early, but Wake adjusted quickly. The Deacs used designed quarterback runs and quick slants to get the ball out of the pocket quickly before State’s defensive linemen could get to Price.
Wake surprised the Pack with these changes and scored early off a quarterback sneak by Price.
“Wake changed up a lot of things today,” head coach Dave Doeren said. “There are a lot of things that you can do if you know it’s coming, game-plan-wise, but with the injuries that we had in the secondary, it was hard to get into any substitution packages.”
State’s offense resembled its schemes from previous games: sweep runs and screen passes to utilize the speed of its receivers, including junior Bryan Underwood and senior Rashard Smith.
But late in the first half, Smith was injured by a big hit on a kickoff return following a Wake touchdown. Smith did not return to the game.
“It hurt [losing Smith],” Thomas said. “He’s a big playmaker for us.”
Wake led 7-3 until State got the ball with less than two minutes remaining in the first half. State marched 67 yards down the field to take a 10-7 lead, with Thomas capping off the drive by finding senior receiver Quintin Payton in the end zone with 0:33 left.
Payton had his best outing of 2013, racking up six receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown against the Deacs. Payton only had six receptions for 61 yards in the Pack’s four previous games combined.
But the Wolfpack couldn’t hold onto its lead, giving up a 54-yard catch and run play before Price connected with senior wide receiver Michael Campanaro for a touchdown. Campanaro’s first score of the afternoon gave the Deacs a 14-10 lead going into the halftime break.
“That was a big drive that we had to score a touchdown, and they came back with a really good drive.” Thomas said. “That stuff happens in football.”
Campanaro, a second-team All-ACC wide receiver in 2012, punished the Pack all afternoon, finishing with 12 receptions for 153 yards and two touchdowns.
“[Campanaro] is a great player,” senior cornerback Dontae Johnson said. “He sees doubles and all these different coverages every week, and he’s done a great job of [adjusting to them].”
Penalties were another factor in the Pack’s loss. Penalties have been a consistent shortcoming for State this season, finishing three of its last four games with eight or more fouls.
Against the Deacs, State totaled eight penalties for 74 yards, including four defensive penalties that resulted in automatic first downs.
“For us to grow as a team, we have to be more disciplined from a penalty standpoint” Doeren said. “We have to be able to stay focused on the road.”
“[Details are] one of those things that we have to play attention to more during the week of practice, making sure guys are where they need to be,” Johnson said. “It’ll translate onto the field.”
The Pack drops to last place in the ACC’s Atlantic Division, while the Deacons move up to fourth. State’s next contest is against ACC newcomer Syracuse (2-3, 0-1 ACC) at Carter-Finley Stadium on Oct. 12.
