Whatever fairy dust was left in the NC State football season was exhausted by the team’s 16-12 loss to Maryland in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

There were many magical, oftentimes lucky, moments this year for the Wolfpack (8-5), such as the lucky escape from ECU in week one, comeback victories over Florida State and Virginia Tech and an improbable double-overtime win at North Carolina in the final week of the regular season.

All of that came in spite of four different quarterbacks starting under center, but the Pack often just found a way to win.

The same couldn’t be said about the team’s final game of the season. Playing in its home state one last time against its longtime former ACC foe, NC State couldn’t pull off one more dramatic win as the Terrapins (8-5) denied the majority-Wolfpack crowd in Charlotte what it wanted.

All of NC State’s 12 points came via four field goals from graduate kicker Chris Dunn. He was perfect on the day and had to be as the Pack offense struggled, mustering only 93 total yards in the second half, just nine of which coming on the ground.

“Obviously disappointed with the outcome; you’ve gotta get Maryland credit defensively,” said head coach Dave Doeren. “They did a nice job and offensively we weren’t able to generate enough points for a variety of reasons.”

Making his second consecutive start, redshirt freshman quarterback Ben Finley had some solid moments, throwing for 269 yards and connecting on five plays worth 20 yards or more, but he and the offense were ultimately unable to get anything consistently going down the field, failing to score a single touchdown.

Just as it has done all season, the defense did all it could to try and carry the team to victory, picking off Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa twice, each of which resulted in field goals. Both were highlight-worthy plays, the first of which was made by graduate safety Cyrus Fagan on a toe-dragging, diving pick in the back of the endzone to deny the Terps.

“We fought until the very end; we didn’t give up, we didn’t quit and I think that showed,” said junior linebacker Drake Thomas. “I’m talking to the young guys, they’ve got to come back and get going in order to take this to the next level.”

The second interception, however, gave a glimpse of hope to the Wolfpack offense when it needed it most in the fourth quarter. Junior safety Rakeim Ashford made a strong catch as Tagovailoa lofted the ball into the secondary, coming down with a crucial takeaway that led to Dunn’s final field goal of the day, cutting the score to 13-12.

Maryland, however, returned the favor in the turnover department, intercepting Finley twice on the day, the latter of which ended the Pack’s hopes of pulling off one last miracle. Down 16-12 with 2:34 left to go, NC State’s offensive struggles came to a head. On the first play of the drive, Finley was picked off, shutting the door on the Pack’s hopes for its first bowl win since 2017.

While the offense struggled, it was Dunn who kept the team’s chances afloat, connecting on three field goals in the first half and one in the second. As the ACC’s all-time leading scorer and the greatest kicker in school history, it would have been a storybook ending for the game to end on a game-winning Dunn field goal. While that didn’t happen, this game highlighted Dunn’s greatness and what he has meant to the program.

“I think he’s just a great example of persistence; very talented,” Doeren said of Dunn. “He’s a clutch, consistent performer and a guy that is hard on himself but in a good way. He set a great example for our specialists.”

This game also highlighted the resilience of this NC State team despite the adversity it has faced throughout the season in the form of injuries, particularly at the quarterback position. For the Pack to come within one score in a bowl game with a fourth-string quarterback showcases the team’s depth and gives fans hope for the program’s future.

“If you told me when the season started that I was going to have all these quarterbacks play and we win eight games I’d call you a liar,” Doeren said. “That’s probably never happened in Power Five football so that says a lot about the fortitude of this group.”

As one of the most accomplished groups in school history, the senior class got to play one last time in North Carolina in front of Wolfpack nation. While it wasn’t the result the group wanted, for guys like Drake and graduate receiver Thayer Thomas, playing in this game and together on a team as brothers is an experience the two will cherish forever.

“It’s like a dream come true,” Drake Thomas said. “How often do you see what we’re doing? Two brothers playing on both sides of the ball. Both key players on the team, just couldn’t have written a better script.”

NC State finishes the season 8-5, marking Doeren’s sixth eight-win season as head coach and fifth in the last six years.