NC State football quick hits and notes from Connecticut win

Here are quick hits and notes from NC State football’s 41-10 win over Connecticut. The game was played in front of an announced crowd of 56,919 fans at Carter-Finley Stadium on a beautiful fall-like evening in Raleigh.

Column: NC State handles business

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NC State Dominates

The stats tell it all from the easy NC State win.

Stat	NC State	Connecticut
First downs	29	8
Rushing Yards	169	121
Passing Yards	323	39
Total Yards	492	160
Yards Per Play	6.2	3.4
Time Of Possession	35:29	24:31
Third Down Conversion	10 of 14	2 of 12
Punts	0	7

The truth is that the final drive actually padded the stats for the Huskies. Half of their first downs and 1 of the 2 third down conversions came during that possession. So did 70 of 160 total yards, with all of that coming on the ground.

This was the first time since 1994 NC State, when the Pack beat Maryland 47-45, that it did not punt in a game.

Health Watch

NC State football had two important players sit out after sustaining injuries in the win over Texas Tech last week.

Super senior nickel Tyler Baker-Williams, arguably the Wolfpack’s best defender through the first 2 weeks of the regular season, was seen on crutches and did not play. NC State football head coach Dave Doeren said after the game that Baker-Williams remains “day-to-day.”

Fourth-year junior running back Jordan Houston missed the contest, but Doeren said that he would return next week at Clemson. In his place, sophomore Demie Sumo-Karngbaye earned his first career start and rushed 4 times for 49 yards and a score before leaving the game with his own injury.

Doeren noted that Sumo-Karngbaye could have returned if game circumstances were different.

The Wolfpack tried a fake field goal with super senior kicker Christopher Dunn, but the play was well defended by Connecticut and did not reach first down yardage. After the tackle, Dunn did not return to kick. Instead, walk-on Collin Smith made an extra point and a 40-yarder but missed wide left from 47 yards in his final attempt.

Dunn had earlier made a 48-yard field goal.

“He’s good,” Doeren said of Dunn. “I don’t think he’s been tackled in a long time.”

Super senior center Grant Gibson also left the game and was replaced by fourth-year redshirt sophomore Dylan McMahon, but Gibson did leave the field under his own power.

Lots Of Firsts And Accomplishments

When he caught a 75-yard touchdown pass on the game’s first play, super senior receiver Thayer Thomas. That was the first time since 1991 that NC State scored on the game’s first snap, and in the process Thomas moved into second-place all-time for most career TD receptions in school history with 22.

Thomas would finish the game with 5 receptions for 115 yards.

NC State fifth-year redshirt junior quarterback Devin Leary completed 32 of 44 passes for 320 yards and 4 touchdowns with 1 interception. That included scoring tosses to fourth-year junior Keyon Lesane and third-year sophomore Porter Rooks, each of whom were making their first career TD receptions.

Earning his first career start for NC State was fourth-year redshirt sophomore right tackle Timothy McKay, who got the nod over super senior Bryson Speas.

Getting his first career action was On3 Consensus 4-star signing and true freshman running back Michael Allen. He entered the game in the second half and ended up leading the team with 10 rushes for 66 yards while adding a pair of receptions for 6 yards.

On defense, fourth-year redshirt sophomore nose tackle Joshua Harris notched his first career sack. Meanwhile, redshirt freshman safety Sean Brown, like Allen a second half reserve, ended up leading NC State with 7 tackles, including several noticeably hard hits.

Spotted At The Game

During the game, the NC State men’s basketball team was introduced to the crowd.

NC State Football Freshman Watch

We will keep track of this list throughout the season to see who burns their redshirt from the 2022 recruiting class, although early indications are there may not be many, if any.

Players can play up to 4 games to preserve a redshirt.

• Running back Michael Allen — 1 game (Connecticut)

• Defensive lineman Nick Campbell — 1 game (Connecticut)

• Defensive lineman Brandon Cleveland — 1 game (Connecticut)

• Quarterback MJ Morris — 1 game (Charleston Southern)

• Wide receiver Terrell Timmons Jr. — 1 game (Connecticut)

What The Win Means

NC State football is 4-0 on the young season and extends the home winning streak to 13 straight, the second longest in school history. The record is 16 from 1972-75.

This is the fourth time that NC State has started 4-0 under Doeren.

NC State is 3-0 all-time against Connecticut.