Brandon Lang
Coach Dave Doeren puts up his wolfies after the game against Louisville on Thursday, Oct 5, 2017. The Wolfpack won the game 39-25 at home in Carter Finley Stadium, after a 367 yard passing day for redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Finley.
This NC State football team is proving to be something special. The no. 24 Wolfpack defeated the no. 17 Louisville Cardinals 39-25 at Carter Finley Stadium Thursday night.
The game is the first in a ranked matchup for NC State (5-1, 3-0 ACC) at Carter Finley since 1992, and the second over a top-25 team this season since a victory at Florida State two weeks ago. It is the first 3-0 ACC start since 2002, and the first ACC win over Louisville (4-2, 1-2 ACC).
“We worked really hard to get to this point,” head coach Dave Doeren said. “I told our team it was coming; I told you all it was coming. … You can just feel it right now in our locker room. They believe they’re the best team. They’re playing hard; they’re playing together, and they’re tough. It’s a lot of fun. A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into it.”
Quarterback Ryan Finley led the way with another strong game, completing 20 of 31 passes for 367 yards and a touchdown. He was able to spread the ball around, as senior all-purpose back Jaylen Samuels caught seven passes for 104 yards, sophomore wide receiver Kelvin Harmon caught six for 133 yards and a score and redshirt junior wideout Stephen Louis caught three for 99 yards.
“We just feed off each other’s energy,” Harmon said. “Any time [Louis] makes a big play, I thought ‘Hey, I’ve got to match him.’ We had good chemistry out there and we were just on our game tonight.”
The Pack’s defense had a big night as well. The team was able to limit Louisville’s damage outside quarterback Lamar Jackson, who put up 427 yards of total offense. The team combined for four sacks and six tackles for loss. Redshirt junior defensive end Eurndraus Bryant had two sacks, and senior defensive end Bradley Chubb led the way with six total tackles, including two for loss with a sack.
“The sky is the limit for this team,” Chubb said. “I truly believe that. That’s the main reason I came back. I knew we weren’t done. It’s just good to see things come to fruition. We’re going to try and keep the momentum going into next game.”
The defense kept Louisville off the board for the first quarter and much of the second, and allowed the offense to take the lead despite some miscues, including a first-quarter red zone fumble.. The Pack finally got on the board 3:13 into the second quarter, with Finley showing off his new-and-improved deep ball, throwing a 48-yard bomb over the middle to Harmon for a 7-0 lead.
The Cardinals responded with a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive of their own to tie it, finished off by a juggling catch from receiver Seth Dawkins on a 23-yard tipped pass from Jackson.
The Pack’s answering drive opened with a beautiful play from Samuels, who took a catch-and-run play 79 yards, shaking multiple defenders, including a beautiful shed tackle at midfield to give the Pack its longest pass play of the year and set up the Pack at the Louisville 8, but the team would be forced to settle for a field goal.
Following a three-and-out forced by the defense, NC State extended its lead to 17-7 with a seven-play, 77-yard scoring play highlighted by an 11-yard scoring rush for junior running back Nyheim Hines, who finished with 102 yards and two scores on 18 carries.
“He just plays angry,” Doeren said of Hines. “He’s competitive, spirited. Super talented, and he’s the most competitive guy on the field at times. He hates not playing well.”
The Cardinals closed the half with a 28-yard field goal, leaving the Pack with a seven-point lead at the break.
The Pack opened the second half with a missed field goal from graduate kicker Carson Wise, and Louisville nailed a 48-yarder to cut the lead to four.
The Pack took an 11-point lead on a drive that was all about Hines. The elusive back set the team up at the 16 with a 45-yard burst down the sideline, and finished the nine-play, 78-yard drive with a seven-yard rush to make it 24-13.
The Cardinals cut the lead back to four to open the fourth quarter, with Jackson finishing off a 62-yard scoring drive with his elite rushing ability, evading multiple defenders on a 4-yard scramble into the end zone to make it 24-19.
Hines gave the Pack excellent field position on its next drive with a 48-yard return to set State up at the Louisville 45. The team cashed in, with a beautiful leaping catch by Harmon for 21 yards at the 3 setting up a scoring rush for junior running back Reggie Gallaspy. NC State went for two, and converted on a pass from Finley to Hines.
“It just comes from repetition,” Harmon said. “Just doing it all the time and just believing. Having great chemistry with Finley, he just puts the ball there.”
Louisville got within one again with another scoring rush from Jackson, but that’s as close as the Cards would get.
Following a three and out for NC State, Louisville took over from its 10 with 3:09 to play and a chance to tie the game, but redshirt junior Germaine Pratt came up with an interception on a pass tipped by senior safety Shawn Boone on second down and took it back for six, putting the Pack up 39-25 and icing the game.
“As a defensive player, we want to be on the field at the end of the game,” Pratt said. “So we seized it.”
The Pack will head to Pittsburgh next Saturday to take on the Panthers in a cross-division matchup.