NC State had to survive a real scare Saturday night, but the Wolfpack did just enough when it mattered most.
With the game tied at 31-31 in the fourth quarter, Duke Scott ripped into the end zone to put the Pack back in front for good, and NC State held off Appalachian State’s late surge for a 41-31 win at Carter-Finley Stadium. The Wolfpack stayed undefeated at home in the process.
The lead that looked comfortable early nearly disappeared. NC State built a 21-point cushion in the first half and still carried a 14-point edge into the fourth, but App State kept punching back. After a Wolfpack interception and a surprise onside kick from the Mountaineers, the game was dead even at 31 in the closing minutes.
That’s when Scott delivered again. His touchdown was followed by NC State’s defense forcing a turnover on downs in App State territory as time drained away, and Kanoah Vineseet later added a field goal to stretch the margin back to double digits.
Scott was the engine for the offense all night. He finished with 148 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries, marking the second-most rushing yards of his career and his second 100-yard game this season.
Quarterback CJ Bailey was sharp as well, completing 24 of 33 passes for 253 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for a score. His top target was sophomore tight end Preston Douglas, who caught five passes for 46 yards on seven targets.
It was a family matchup for the Douglas brothers, too. The game was the second time Preston has played and beaten his older brother Luke, also a tight end, in college. Luke played for Florida State and lost to Preston in November of last year at Carter-Finley before moving to Boone.
NC State spread the ball around through the air, with ten different players recording a catch. Keenan Jackson led the group with four receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown. That was his fourth touchdown in two games, and he’s now led the Wolfpack in receiving yards in three straight contests after back-to-back 100-yard performances.
Ashton Locklear added the other receiving touchdown, a 10-yard grab for the first score of his college career.
On defense, Popo Aguirre again paced the Wolfpack with ten tackles. Jackson Vick, Jaren Sensabaugh, and Brian Nelson II each finished with five, and Vick also had a team-high two pass breakups. Freshman outside linebacker Elijah Satchell posted NC State’s only sack, his second of the season.
The Wolfpack started fast. The offense moved quickly in hurry-up mode, using chunk gains from Victor Snow and Scott before Bailey ran in from five yards out. After the defense forced a pair of punts, Scott struck again late in the first quarter with a nine-yard score to make it 14-0.
App State finally found some traction after that, moving into NC State territory for the first time before Ronnie Royal III and Tristan Teasdell stopped a runner short on a fourth-and-one try. Bailey then went to work, hitting Jackson for 23 yards on the way to Locklear’s touchdown catch.
The Mountaineers answered with their first score on a drive highlighted by a 30-yard screen pass that set up a goal-to-go chance. Two plays later, they were in the end zone.
NC State had one more answer before halftime. Satchell’s third-down sack forced a punt, and Bailey led a two-minute drive that included a 23-yard throw to Tyran Warren before Jackson finished it off with a 17-yard catch-and-run touchdown with 39 seconds left. App State cut into the margin at the horn with a 48-yard field goal, trimming the deficit to 28-10.
The second half turned into a grinder. App State opened with a 54-yard bomb on the first play after the break, then converted a fourth-and-one at the NC State 12 before scoring from two yards out. The Pack responded with a 69-yard drive that ended with Vineseet’s 23-yard field goal.
Then came the turnover that gave App State life. Bailey was hit while throwing, and the ball landed in the hands of a Mountaineer lineman at the NC State 42. App State cashed it in for a touchdown on a contested catch near the front pylon from 18 yards out, cutting the lead to seven.
A roughing the passer penalty on that score set up a kickoff from midfield, and App State took advantage by recovering a surprise onside kick with 11 minutes left. The Mountaineers then tied it at 31 with a nine-yard pass.
But NC State answered the pressure with the play that decided it. Scott bounced outside for a 16-yard touchdown run to restore the lead, and when App State later failed on fourth-and-two at its own 33, Vick’s breakup helped the Wolfpack seize control for good.
App State had one last chance to make it a one-score game, but its 42-yard field goal try sailed just wide in the final minute. That let NC State finish in victory formation and seal the 41-31 win.
The result pushed NC State to 7-0 all-time against App State, in the first meeting between the teams since 2006.
In Other News...
NC State Faces A Pride Game Fans Cant Ignore Against App State
A long-running in-state series gets another chapter Saturday night when N.C. State hosts Appalachian State at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. The matchup is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and will air nationally on ESPNU, giving the Wolfpack a chance to play in front of a wider audience in a game that carries plenty of local interest.
N.C. State has controlled the series since it began in 1932, winning all six previous meetings, which adds a little extra weight to a meeting that already has pride-game feel. With App State coming to Raleigh and a national broadcast attached, it is the kind of late-September test that can sharpen attention inside the program and across the fan base alike. [Read more 🡒]
NC States Backcourt Could Change Fast If Darius Adams Breaks Through
Darius Adams arrived at NC State with the kind of rsum that makes people pay attention, but the more interesting part has been how quickly he has started to look comfortable in his new setting. The former five-star guard and McDonalds All-American transferred in from Maryland after Justin Gainey had spent time recruiting him, and the early buzz around him has centered on offseason growth in his ball-handling, shooting and physicality. Around the program, teammates have described a player with a clear edge, the sort of motivation that can travel well in a new backcourt.
For the Wolfpack, the timing matters because the guard rotation already has pieces in place, and Adams is expected to be part of that mix rather than a passenger. If his progress carries over when the games count, NC State could see its backcourt sort itself out faster than expected, with Adams pushing for a bigger role and giving the staff another option to lean on. The appeal is obvious: a talented newcomer with proven pedigree, a fresh start and something to prove. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Has An Obvious Davion Dozier Opportunity Tonight
Davion Dozier came to NC State from Appalachian State with a reputation as a receiver who could threaten defenses down the field, and that profile still makes him an easy name to circle when the Wolfpack need a spark. Through three games, though, his role has been far quieter than expected, with less production, fewer targets and a shorter average depth of target than he posted in his previous season.
Even so, the underlying grades have suggested he has done enough with the opportunities hes gotten, which is why tonight stands out as a chance for the Wolfpack to lean into what he does best. He has also played fewer snaps than several other receivers on the roster, leaving the door open for a bigger workload if NC State wants to stretch the field and make use of the speed it brought him in for. [Read more 🡒]