It’s not always about how you start a game, but oftentimes how you finish it. That was certainly true for the NC State football team Saturday in a 37-20 win over visiting Marshall at Carter-Finley Stadium.
After an abysmal first quarter, the Wolfpack (1-1) settled in and scored 27 unanswered points, including a second-half shutout to come up with a win over the Thundering Herd (1-1).
“I’m really proud of the way we played in the second half,” head coach Dave Doeren said. “… We forced two turnovers; we didn’t turn the football over … I’m just proud of the way the guys responded … It was a good football game and I’m proud of the way we finished it.”
The Pack played an awful first quarter in this one, with Marshall leading 166-88 in total yards and 6-4 in first downs converted for a 10-3 lead, as the Pack’s offense was stagnant and the secondary allowed several big plays.
Marshall opened the second quarters’s scoring with a 45-yard field goal, extending its lead to 13-3. The Pack’s offense finally got things going on its next drive, marching 68 yards down the field on six plays, finishing with a 24-yard strike from redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Finley, who finished the game with 29 completions on 36 attempts for 341 yards and three touchdowns, to redshirt junior receiver Stephen Louis to cut the Thundering Herd’s lead to 13-10.
“This week we’ve been really focusing on getting that one win and being 1-0 this week,” Louis said. “It feels good to break that tackle and it feels good to get that win.”
The inexperienced secondary hurt the Wolfpack again on Marshall’s ensuing possession, however, as receiver Tyre Brady, who finished with 11 catches for a whopping 248 yards (a Carter-Finley Stadium record) torched the State defenders for a 75-yard catch and run, putting Marshall up 20-10. Redshirt junior cornerback Johnathan Alston was burned again on the play, as he continues to struggle with the transition from wideout to corner.
The Pack broke out the trickery on its next drive to again cut the deficit to three, with Finley hitting senior all-purpose back Jaylen Samuels for a 39-yard score on a triple flea flicker play to make it 20-17.
The Pack ran an excellent two-minute drive to wrap up the first and take the lead, culminating in a beautiful grab for a 34-yard touchdown by sophomore receiver Kelvin Harmon, who finished with nine catches for 121 yards and a touchdown to make it 23-20 State for the Wolfpack’s first lead of the season. Wise’s PAT was no good, leaving the Pack up by a field goal at the break.
“My coach, [wide receivers coach George MacDonald], he told me to trust my technique,” Harmon said. “I just know if I use my technique, there’s a great chance I’ll get the ball.”
The Pack’s second half-opening drive featured a highlight-reel catch by Samuels, who secured a juggling grab that was not fully in his possession until he was lying on his back on the turf for a 23-yard gain. The Pack then faced fourth-and-goal, and elected to go for it. Finley tossed it to junior running back Reggie Gallaspy in the backfield, who ran it in to make it 30-20, giving the Pack 20 unanswered points to take command.
“I thought we stayed positive on the sideline, which is important,” said Finley, who is the first NC State quarterback since Philip Rivers in 2003 to record back-to-back games of 300 or more passing yards to start a season. “There was never a doubt in our mind that we were going to pick it up and get into a rhythm.
The Pack’s defense stepped up on Marshall’s next possession, forcing the Thundering herd to attempt a 46-yard field goal that went wide left, allowing the NCSU offense to take over with a 10-point lead.
NC State again went for it on fourth and one, this time from Marshall’s 15, on its next drive, but could not convert, turning the ball over on downs. The defense was ready to respond, however, coming up with another stop, capped off by a sack of Thundering Herd quarterback Chase Litton for a loss of 11 yards by senior defensive end Bradley Chubb.
“We’ve got to start off as fast as we finish,” Chubb said of NC State’s defense. “We had a great second half, and we need to build on that and start off strong like we did to end.”
NC State’s defense again came up big, with Marshall attempting to make it a one-score game late in the fourth quarter, with senior linebacker Jerod Fernandez forcing a fumble that senior defensive tackle Justin Jones recovered at Marshall’s 23-yard line. The offense immediately cashed in, with Gallaspy picking up a 23-yard rushing score to put the Pack up 17 and all but wrap up the game.
The Pack came up with a goal-line stop with 1:34 to play to preserve the second-half shutout, with senior linebacker Airius Moore picking off Litton in the end zone.
The Wolfpack will be back in action next Saturday, against Furman, at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Sophomore wide receiver Kelvin Harmon drags two Marshall defenders into the end zone with him for a touchdown with seconds left in the first half. Harmon led the team with 121 yards through the air during the 37-20 win over Marshall on Saturday, Sept. 9 in Carter-Finley Stadium.
