N.C. State’s (2-4, 0-2 ACC) 38-31 loss to Boston College (4-1, 1-1 ACC) on Saturday developed into a passing shootout as the two teams combined for 646 yards in the air. Senior quarterback Chris Crane exploded for the Eagles throwing for 428 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for a team-high 47 yards and three touchdowns.
Redshirt freshman Russell Wilson kept the Wolfpack in the game going 19-33 for 218 yards and one touchdown and rushing for two. Combined, the Eagles and the Pack had 84 pass attempts compared to just 52 carries. Sophomore wide receiver Owen Spencer said he expected this type of game.
“I personally thought it was going to be a shootout,” Spencer said. “They did what they had to do on the offensive side, and I know that we had to match that.”
Wilson returned to action after being sidelined from the South Florida game due to an injury. His presence on the depth chart (Wilson has missed 11 quarters at quarterback because of injuries) has been a week-to-week item for Wolfpack fans. But his ability to make plays with his feet and his arm, as the freshman was scrambling from Boston College’s big defensive line on nearly every snap, kept the Pack in the game on Saturday.
“[Wilson] did a real good job. He stepped it up,” sophomore wide receiver Owen Spencer said. “He made plays for us and he just tried to get the ball to the receivers. He did a real good job of being calm in the pocket and relaxing. He just kept his poise and that allowed him to make plays like he normally does.”
The 218 yards passing and 33 attempts were career highs for Wilson. He also scored his first career touchdown on the ground in the first quarter and followed it with a second in the fourth. Both rushing touchdowns were key plays that tied the game. While he has been put out of commission with injuries to his head and shoulder this season, he said the sting of defeat is what is hurting him after Saturday.
“I feel fine,” Wilson said. “It hurts a little bit to lose. Losing a game like that is tough”
Wilson’s second rushing touchdown tied the game at 31 with just over three and a half minutes remaining in the game. With State’s defense holding Boston College to zero points on their previous drives it appeared it had all the momentum.
“I never doubted our team,” Wilson said. “We were down the whole game pretty much. I never doubted, I always thought like it was our game.” Boston College then marched 70 yards down the field on seven plays to score seven points and seal the win, leaving only 22.8 seconds on the clock. Crane put the nails in the coffin on his third rushing touchdown of the game punching it in from 13 yards out.
“With the clock ticking, most teams would try and get the ball in the middle of the field [for a field goal] but they didn’t do that,” junior defensive back Clem Johnson said. “They might’ve caught us off-guard a little bit.”
Though it lost, the Pack’s offense was able to put up 31 points, gain first downs and make some spectacular plays. Freshman return-man T. J. Graham set an N.C. State record for the longest kickoff return in school history as he ended the first quarter with a 100 yard return for a touchdown. After putting up 160 yards on two returns in the first quarter, the Eagles did not put another kickoff in his direction.
“It really takes you out of the game a lot. You know that that is your strong point and you try to take advantage of it,” Graham said. “You just have to take your responsibilities and block for the other guys at the same time.”
