Game Summary: NC State defeats Wake Forest 30-21
No. 22 North Carolina State defeated No. 21 Wake Forest 30-21 Saturday night in front of a roaring crowd. The Wolfpack were 3.5 point underdogs at home, but they forced Sam Hartman into turnovers, and true freshman MJ Morris continues to be revelation at quarterback for NC State.
Keep reading for a summary of the game.
First Quarter:
After a big three-and-out from the Wake Forest defense to open the game, the Deacons’ offense temporarily silenced the crowd with an 18-yard pass completion to Justice Ellison out of the backfield. But then, the momentum was lost with a dropped catch by A.T. Perry and a false start. On third down, Sam Hartman failed to see a safety lurking under his intended receiver. He was intercepted and the ball was returned into Wake Forest territory.
After freshman MJ Morris connected with Thayer Thomas for 17 yards, the Wake Forest defense tightened up. With an eight-yard sack by Malik Mustapha, NC State was forced to kick a 33-yard field goal to take the lead, which bounced in off the left upright.
Despite three receptions by Perry on the next drive for a total of 49 yards, Wake Forest was forced to punt. The drive was significantly hindered by two false starts on the offensive line and an ineligible man downfield penalty.
Deep inside Wolfpack territory, the Wake Forest defense forced another three-and-out that included a sack. With NC State pinned in their own end zone, the punt only made it to about the 40-yard line and was returned to the 29, giving the Deacs fantastic field position. After a bail-out third-down reception from Jahmal Banks for 28 yards, Wake Forest could not convert from the goal line, posting two negative rushes and a sack for a net total of -16 yards.
Second Quarter:
To begin the quarter, Matthew Dennis missed the 35-yard field goal wide right, keeping the score at 3-0.
Once again, the Wake defense bailed out the offense with a three-and-out on the following drive. With that, the Deacons’ offense built their first successful drive of the game off two clutch third-down conversions — Christian Turner ran for 13 yards and Hartman found Ke’Shawn Williams in stride for 18. On the goal line, Turner ran up the gut and into the end zone to give the Deacs the lead.
On third down deep in their own territory, NC State avoided another three-and-out with a fantastic 44-yard catch in coverage by Keyon Lesane. Then, following a well-designed run by Jordan Houston for 16 yards, Lesane found a way to bounce off a defender and hang onto the ball for a touchdown reception.
Trailing 10-7, Hartman completed three pivotal passes to put Wake Forest back into the lead. Following 18 and 13-yard completions to Perry, along with a roughing the passer penalty, the Deacs took a shot on third-and-short. Taylor Morin was able to spot the ball through the cornerback and make an acrobatic catch for the touchdown.
After an 11-yard completion to Thomas, a pass interference on a pass intended for Thomas again brought NC State within striking distance. After two negative rushes, Morris had tons of time in the pocket and found Darryl Jones near the back of the end zone for a big touchdown before the half.
Third Quarter:
After a Wake Forest three-and-out to open the half, NC State marched down the field with completions of 15, 10 and 20 yards. On the fifteenth play of the drive, and in its seventh minute, NC State punched the ball in on a one-yard jump ball touchdown to Jones.
After a 31-yard completion to Donavon Greene, the Wake Forest offense went cold. On fourth down, head coach Dave Clawson kept Hartman on the field — he threw a deep ball into heavy coverage for an interception.
Following a big stop by Wake Forest, NC State kicker Christopher Dunn slammed home a 51-yard field goal to give the Wolfpack a 27-14 lead, nearly making it do or die time for the Deacs.
Trailing by 13, Wake Forest nullified a tough third down with a 13-yard completion to Williams, taking the two teams into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
On his third interception of the day, Hartman threw behind his receiver on what was either a poor pass or a miscommunication. Wake Forest stepped up on defense, using a holding penalty to force a punt.
With the game on the line, Hartman willed the team to a touchdown with several gutsy passes — Hartman connected on two fourth down throws for a total of 51 yards. The second was an incredible 29-yard back of the end zone ball to Perry that brought the Deacs within six points of the Wolfpack.
Behind a potent rush attack — 50 yards on the drive — NC State worked their way deep into Wake Forest territory and put three points on the board to make it a two-possession game.
In an attempt to get within a possession and go for the onside kick, Wake Forest turned the ball over on downs. From there, NC State ran the clock out for a 30-21 victory.
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Essex is the lead football writer and a managing editor for Deacons Daily. Essex served as the Sports Editor for the Old Gold & Black for two years, in addition to roles as a beat and feature writer.