NC State football: What they're saying about FSU win

NC State football pulled off a comeback from down two touchdowns to prevail 19-17 over Florida State Saturday evening. Here is some of what those who covered the NC State football game are saying.

Matt Carter, The Wolfpacker — Column: Another strange NC State-Florida State game

Strange football games are part of the territory with NC State, especially when Florida State comes to Raleigh. What happened Saturday between the two teams, though, took all of that to a new level.

Maybe the earliest clues of what was to come was on an evening with a full moon in Raleigh, the fancy new lighting system wasn’t working, leading to a slight delay in the kickoff start time.

Who could have imagined that NC State, with an anemic first half offensive performance and down 17-3 at the break, would rally with fifth-year redshirt junior quarterback Devin Leary watching on the sideline with his right arm in a sling to a 19-17 win over Florida State?

Somehow (and strangley), NC State football won a game with a backup quarterback who did not complete a single pass.

FSU certainly helped.

Ethan McDowell, The Wolfpacker — NC State locker room reflects on exciting win over Florida State

NC State star signal caller Devin Leary left the game in the third quarter after an upper body injury. He returned to the sideline later in the game with his arm in a sling, and Charleston Southern graduate transfer Jack Chambers took the field.

“My first reaction when Devin went down was ‘dang’ just because that’s a guy that I’ve grown very close with since I’ve been here, like a brother to me now, and I just wanted to make sure he’s alright,” Chambers said after the game.

“Then I’ve got to step up and do my job, do what I came here to do. And I just knew that my team had my back my o-line, my running backs, and the defense, I knew what they were going to do, so we just had to step up and do our jobs.”

He was a vital part of the win, keeping the Wolfpack offense in rhythm following what was an extremely hot start to the half with Leary. His only pass of the game fell incomplete, but he picked up 39 crucial yards on the ground that helped NC State control possession and pull off the win.

“I’m very proud of Jack Chambers coming in and leading the team the way he did,” Doeren said after the game.

This was Chambers’ ACC debut at NC State, but he played a ton of football during his four seasons at Charleston Southern. As soon as he took a hit from a Florida State defender, the nerves were gone and he was ready to lead the team down the field for consecutive scoring drives.

“I was really fine just because, the first thing I did, I think I actually had a run and, once you get hit after that first time, you’re good to go,” Chambers said. “All the nerves are gone. They got beaten out of you.”

Luke DeCock, News & Observer — NC State mounts improbable comeback, refuses to let lights on its season go out

Devin Leary was standing in the very last place N.C. State needed him to be, watching from the sideline, his team trailing, throwing arm in a sling.

It was the kind of visage that tends to end up in the “when you know your season is over” montages when all is said and done, and it certainly felt in that moment like the Wolfpack might be in that spot. Even with Leary under center, N.C. State was down 14 at halftime and whatever the score was it felt worse.

And then, without Leary, without Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, without Devin Carter, N.C. State said not yet. Not tonight. On this field, on this evening, in the second half, N.C. State took a stand and said you’re not turning out the lights on us, not yet.

The Wolfpack had some help, too. Just as it watched East Carolina lose on a pair of missed kicks in the opener, it watched Florida State indulge in the kind of self-indulgent self-immolation that has too often been N.C. State’s own downfall. But, again, not this time.

“This team doesn’t quit,” N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said. “They don’t flinch. They believe in each other.”

David Thompson, Fayetteville Observer — NC State football vs. FSU report card: Wolfpack earn a B for gritty performance

The offense would’ve earned a failing grade if its first-half performance bled into the third and fourth quarters. The Pack combined for just three points and 133 total yards in the first half, failing to convert on all six third-down attempts while trailing 17-3 at the break.

In the third quarter, the offense opened the second half with its only touchdown of the night as Leary connected with Darryl Jones on a 10-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 17-10. After Leary left the game with an injury, it was Chambers who took control of the offense, using his legs to help set up three second-half field goals from Chris Dunn.

The offense finished the game without Leary, running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye and wide receiver Devin Carter, but still managed to secure the win. Junior running back Jordan Houston was a workhorse for the Wolfpack, rushing for 90 yards on 24 attempts and hauling in two catches for 41 yards.

Corey Clark, WarChant.com — It’s OK to be mad after Seminoles blow chance for marquee victory

But first, back to Norvell. He was shaken by that loss. I was sitting five feet from him during his postgame press conference (N.C. State has some tight confines for visiting teams), and I could just see it. He was devasted. He looked almost ashen.

Watch the press conference video on our site. He’s dealt with losses before. He is always affected. But this one just seemed different.

I think it’s because he genuinely couldn’t believe they lost that game.

Once the defense got him the ball back with under five minutes left, and once Johnny Wilson made another Johnny Wilson catch (he certainly didn’t make ALL the catches, though, did he?) and once the Seminoles were the benefactors for a targeting call, and once they picked up another first down to move inside the 25-yard line, Norvell was sure they were going to win the game.

On second-and-nine, he called the same play the Seminoles scored on in the first half. Now, understand, Mycah Pittman is one of five options on that route. It’s not as if Norvell told his team they had to score a touchdown on that play. Pittman wasn’t the only read. There were four other guys Jordan Travis could have thrown to. But Pittman got the one-on-one matchup, and Travis went back to it.

It didn’t work. N.C. State’s Devan Boykin knocked Pittman off his route right as Travis was throwing the ball. Travis didn’t know that Pittman broke back inside. And instead, it looked as if the FSU quarterback was throwing a corner route to the N.C. State defensive back.

Ira Schoffel, WarChant.com — FSU football team frustrated about self-inflicted wounds in second-half collapse

The Florida State football team got completely out-played in the second half Saturday night at N.C. State. In practically every statistical category.

After taking a two-touchdown lead into halftime, the Seminoles were dominated in total yardage for the second half, 174-93.

They converted just 1 of 5 third downs. They barely cracked 9 minutes of possession compared to nearly 21 minutes for the Wolfpack. They couldn’t run the ball effectively or pass it. And the defense, while stout at times, wasn’t quite good enough to save the day.

Some of that could be expected when playing against the No. 14 team in the country on the road. And squaring off against one of the nation’s best defenses.

So that’s not really what had FSU head coach Mike Norvell and some of his players so frustrated about the Seminoles’ 19-17, come-from-ahead loss here Saturday night. It was the numerous mistakes — the barrage of self-inflicted wounds — that turned a comfortable second-half lead into a devastating loss.

“Ultimately, we made a lot of mistakes there in the second half that we’ve got to be able to overcome,” Norvell said after the game. ”And it’s everybody. I just told the team that outcome is 100 percent on me. For us to come out in the second half, we just had missed opportunities.”

Carter Karels, Tallahassee Democrat — Florida State took a step back in deflating loss at NC State

Coming into this season, Florida State narrowly losing at NC State would not have been that deflating of an idea.

The Wolfpack received the second-most votes from the media to win the ACC. Their quarterback, Devin Leary, earned ACC Preseason Player of the Year honors. And their defense garnered a reputation as one of the nation’s best.

No one would have given the Seminoles much of a chance, either, if they knew about their ongoing rash of injuries.

But none of that context matters that much anymore.

Not after how badly FSU (4-2, 2-2 ACC) collapsed in its 19-17 loss to No. 14 NC State (5-1, 1-1) at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday.

What started as an impressive performance by the Seminoles ended with them blowing a 17-3 lead in stunning fashion. So stunning that FSU head coach Mike Norvell looked as shell shocked as he has ever been in a postgame press conference.

“I just told the team that the outcome is 100% on me,” Norvell said.

Associated Press — Boykin, defense help No. 14 NC State rally past FSU 19-17

North Carolina State’s offense sputtered, then lost the preseason Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year while facing a second-half deficit.

For Devan Boykin, that meant the defense would have to drive the 14th-ranked Wolfpack to its comeback Saturday night.

“After halftime,” he said, “we knew that the game was going to be on us.”

Boykin picked off Jordan Travis’ pass in the end zone with 38 seconds left, lifting N.C. State past Florida State 19-17 despite losing quarterback Devin Leary to injury.

Boykin’s clean catch in the end zone was the clinching play on a big — and gritty — performance by the Wolfpack’s veteran defense after halftime. N.C. State held Florida State (4-2, 2-2) to 93 yards after the break, helping the Wolfpack rally from a 17-3 halftime deficit.

Brian Murphy, WRAL.com — Without injured QB Leary, NC State rallies to beat Florida State

Chambers, a second-team Big South Conference selection in 2021, played in parts of four seasons with Charleston Southern before joining the Wolfpack in May. He was a two-time captain at Charleston Southern.

He said teammates were encouraging him on the sidelines, letting them know they had his back when he was pressed into action.

“This is the best feeling I’ve ever experienced in my college football career,” he said.

Chambers was 0-for-1 passing, but rushed for 39 yards on seven carries. Running back Jordan Houston had 90 yards on 24 attempts. Sumo-Karngbaye had 37 yards on eight carries before leaving the game.

“We ran the ball hard,” Doeren said.

Bryan Pyrtle, Technician — NC State defense stifles Florida State in second half, Leary injured in win

Good teams can win ugly, and No. 14 NC State football proved it was a good team in a 19-17 victory over the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday, Oct. 8.

The Wolfpack (5-1, 1-1 ACC) leaned on a resilient second-half defense to adjust to quarterback Jordan Travis and the Seminoles (4-2, 2-2 ACC). Led by 14 tackles from junior linebacker Drake Thomas, the Pack defense limited the Noles to 93 total yards in the second half after surrendering 294 in the opening 30 minutes.

“[The defense] fixed the things that were physical, which was tackling and getting out of our gaps; that happened multiple times in the game,” said head coach Dave Doeren. “We adjusted a few things design wise, disguise wise, and the guys executed, and then we made plays. Guys broke up passes, guys got to the quarterback.”

The offense faced a myriad of adversities, most notably a major injury to redshirt junior quarterback Devin Leary. In the latter half of the third quarter, Leary got hit hard as he let the ball fly and stayed down well after the pass fell incomplete, eventually getting escorted to the tunnel. He did not re-enter the game, but returned to the sideline with a sling on his throwing arm.

“There was nothing on the X-ray; that was clean,” Doeren said. “The MRI will tell us if it’s anything else. Hopefully it’s just a muscle strain and we’ll have him back soon … He’s a competitive dude; he wanted to be out there.”