NC State football quick hits and notes from win over Wake Forest

Here are quick hits and notes from then No. 22 NC State football’s 30-21 win over Wake Forest. The game was played in front of an announced sell-out at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

Column: NC State football delivered

NC State Football Home Winning Streak Continues

The record for most home wins in a row for NC State football is 16, set by Lou Holtz’s teams in the 1970s. That mark has held by itself for nearly 50 years after Wake Forest, ironically, ended the streak in 1975.

Now, after Saturday evening’s victory over the Demon Deacons, the 2020-22 versions of NC State football has tied that mark. The Pack can set a new record next Saturday against a Boston College squad that is 2-7 overall and 1-5 in the ACC. NC State is likely to be a healthy favorite for that contest.

A win over BC would also mark a second straight unbeaten home slate for NC State. The last home loss was Nov. 6, 2020, when the Pack blew a 41-31 fourth quarter lead to No. 11 Miami in a 44-41 setback. That was the lone home defeat that year.

Here is a look back at the active 16-game winning streak.

Date	Opponent	Score
Nov. 14, 2020	Florida State	38-22
Nov. 21, 2020	No. 21 Liberty	15-14
Dec. 5, 2020	Georgia Tech	23-13
Sept. 2, 2021	South Florida	45-0
Sept. 18, 2021	Furman	45-7
Sept. 25, 2021	No. 9 Clemson	27-21
Oct. 2, 2021	Louisiana Tech	34-27
Oct. 30, 2021	Louisville	28-13
Nov. 20, 2021	Syracuse	41-17
Nov. 26, 2021	North Carolina	34-20
Sept. 10, 2022	Charleston Southern	55-3
Sept. 17, 2022	Texas Tech	27-14
Sept. 24, 2022	Connecticut	41-10
Oct. 8, 2022	Florida State	19-17
Oct. 27, 2022	Virginia Tech	22-21
Nov. 5, 2022	No. 21 Wake Forest	30-21

Offense Keeps Showing Signs Of Life

On the first 16 plays of the game, NC State had just 24 yards of total offense (1.5 yards per play) and accounted for 3 points, creating fears that the year-long grind of trying to move the football was continuing.

Then came the rest of the game.

Over the next 51 plays, NC State had 311 yards, or 6.1 yards per play, and scored 27 points. Two more plays after those that lost 10 yards due to kneel downs ended the contest.

The 30 points is a season-high for a Power Five game, topping the 27 scores in a home win over Texas Tech. Last week’s 356 total yards vs. Virginia Tech is the only time NC State had more yards than Saturday (325) in such contests.

Defense Keeps High-Powered Wake Forest In Check

Wake Forest finished with 21 points, falling under 30 for just the fourth time in the past two seasons, a span of 23 games. That also tied a season-low for them.

The Demon Deacons were additionally tracking for a season low in total yards until the fourth quarter, when WFU scored on a 99-yard touchdown drive (which included 104 total yards due to a 5-yard penalty on the Deacons) and an additional 41 yards after the game was practically decided.

That allowed Wake Forest to have 414 total yards vs. NC State, still 20 below their season average and only 13 yards away from being the second fewest in a game this year.

The 17 yards rushing allowed by the NC State defense was a season-low for the Demon Deacons.

Spotted At The Game

The popular NC State wrestling team was honored during the game.

NFL scouts from the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers were at the game.

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.

Receiver Terrell Timmons Jr. became the first NC State player to officially burn his redshirt. Quarterback MJ Morris will join him next Saturday, and running back Michael Allen is starting to gain traction towards burning his.

Defensive lineman Brandon Cleveland, who assisted on a sack, and linebacker Daejuan Thompson joined those three in true freshmen to play multiple games,

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

• Wide receiver Terrell Timmons Jr. — 5 games (Connecticut, Florida State, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest)

• Quarterback MJ Morris — 4 games (Charleston Southern, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest)

• Running back Michael Allen — 3 games (Connecticut, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest)

• Defensive lineman Brandon Cleveland — 2 games (Connecticut, Wake Forest)

• Linebacker Daejuan Thompson – 2 games (Virginia Tech, Wake Forest)

• Defensive lineman Nick Campbell — 1 game (Connecticut)

What The Win Means

NC State football is 7-2 overall and 3-2 in the ACC, while Wake Forest falls to 6-3 and 2-3.

NC State head coach Dave Doeren improved to 5-5 all-time in games against the Demon Deacons. Overall, NC State leads the series 68-42-6, including 46-22-5 in games played in Raleigh.