Halftime observations: State 10, UNC 6
Thirty minutes in the books and so far, NC State is doing everything it needed to do against rival North Carolina in building a 10-6 lead.
First and foremost, it has put pressure on Tar Heels quarterback Sam Howell. The star freshman has thrown for 216 yards, including completions of 57 and 45 yards. But he’s also been sacked three times -- twice by Alim McNeill -- and intercepted once while under pressure from freshman Joseph Boletepeli.
That interception, by the way, was by redshirt freshman linebacker Payton Wilson, who originally committed to UNC before flipping to State.
It’s a turnover the Wolfpack converted into points -- and a touchdown, not a field goals -- when Devin Leary (5 of 12, 76 yards) found a wide open Tabari Hines down the far sideline for a 39-yard scoring strike with just under two minutes remaining in the half.
While the touchdown came through the air, most of State’s offensive work thus far has been on the ground, with leading rusher Zonovan Knight amassing 45 yards on nine carries and fellow freshman Jordan Houston adding 42 yards on five tries.
Christopher Dunn opened the scoring with a 30-yard field goal in the first quarter and UNC’s Noah Ruggles countered with a pair of 3-pointers in the second period.
So far, so good.
But remember, State also led Louisville 10-7 at the half two weeks ago only to squander the solid effort by giving up three quick touchdowns in the third quarter. And it’s been seven weeks since it put together two good halves in the same game.
In other words, this one is far from over
But that having been said, the Wolfpack has to like the way things are going. Now all it has to do is finish.
