NC State had Syracuse on the ropes and let it slip away in brutal fashion, falling 34-31 after a late collapse erased what looked like a safe lead.
The Wolfpack were up 31-20 with six minutes left after forcing an Orange punt, and the path from there seemed simple enough: run the ball, drain the clock and finish the job. Instead, CJ Bailey threw a pick-six to Syracuse defensive lineman Tunmise Adeleye, and suddenly the game had life again. Syracuse missed the two-point try, but NC State’s offense went three-and-out, losing eight yards before punting back with 3:32 to play.
From there, the finish got even more painful for the Wolfpack.
On fourth-and-three from the NC State 29, Steve Angeli’s pass was broken up, but Justus Ross-Simmons stayed with the play and hauled in the deflection to keep the drive alive. Four plays later, Angeli found Ross-Simmons again for an 11-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone, giving Syracuse a one-point edge. The Orange then went for two and Angeli hit Ross-Simmons once more, stretching the lead to 34-31 with 52 seconds left.
NC State still had a chance to answer. Bailey helped push the Wolfpack into position with a 27-yard run, and a pass interference call against Syracuse moved the ball to the Orange 30.
But a holding penalty on center Teague Andersen knocked NC State back out of field goal range. On the final shot, with 11 seconds left, Bailey was hit as he threw, and Syracuse linebacker Chris D’Appolonia, who had a freaking cast on his arm, dove on the interception to end it.
The loss stings even more because NC State had built a 15-point lead with two minutes left in the third quarter. Syracuse’s rally marked its first comeback from a second-half deficit of at least 15 points since 2012.
There were bright spots for the Wolfpack, even in a loss this crushing. Duke Scott ran for 127 yards and a touchdown, giving NC State a strong ground presence and recording his first game back at full strength since the injury he suffered against Louisville earlier in the season. It was his third 100-yard rushing game of the year.
But the bigger picture is ugly. NC State is now 4-6 with two games left, and the road to bowl eligibility has narrowed to a steep climb. The Wolfpack must beat both Florida State and North Carolina on the road to get to six wins.
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