NC State Football: Wolfpack survive late comeback against Boston College

NC State football’s early lead of 28-3 would prove to be enough for the Wolfpack to win against the Boston College Eagles at home with a final of 28-23.

NC State looked dominant against Boston College early on in the game by jumping out to a 28-3 lead early on. The pack looked incredible yet miserable on offense at the same time. At the end of the game, NC State had earned a total of 34 first downs and gained a total of 533 yards from scrimmage which came predominately from the trio of quarterback Ryan Finley, running back Reggie Gallaspy II, and senior wide receiver Kelvin Harmon.

Where the offense fell flat was in the turnover margin. Ryan Finley threw for 300-plus with two touchdowns but negated a lot of his efforts by throwing two interceptions. Ricky Person Jr., who rushed for 92 yards today, fumbled the ball on the Boston College 36 late in the game and gave the Eagles great field position that they would, in turn, capitalize on with a five play, 64-yard drive.

Just as I had speculated in my preview, Anthony Brown’s performance would ultimately decide the game. AJ Dillon was unable to compete today and former-wide receiver Ben Glines took over the starting running back duties. Brown has proven to be a suitable quarterback with excellent performances against Wake forest and UMass but screwed the pooch against Purdue with four interceptions.

This week, Brown needed to show the same moxie that he showed against Wake Forest and couldn’t get the job done when the Eagles needed it most. The Sophomore quarterback went 14-for-25 with under 200 yards and a single touchdown. If the Eagles expect to take the next step and become the next step down from Clemson and Miami in the ACC, they must find ways to win without having AJ Dillon save the day.

North Carolina State has the tools to get the job done but they must stop turning the ball over. After this game, the Pack are now even in the turnover margin with an 8-to-8 ratio and they can’t have that happen against Clemson if they expect to upset the Tigers at home in two weeks.

Stat Leaders

NC State

Passing: Ryan Finley — 25-for-34 with 308 yards, two TDs and two INTs
Rushing: Reggie Gallaspy — 25 carries for 104 yards and two TDs
Receiving: Kelvin Harmon — 9 catches for 128 yards and one TD

Boston College

Passing: Anthony Brown — 14-for-25, 198 yards, one TD
Rushing: Ben Glines — 16 carries for 90 yards and one TD
Receiving: Michael Walker — 3 catches for 72 yards

NC State takes to the road in two weeks to take on the No. 4 Clemson Tigers in what could be College GameDay if the Tigers pull out the victory against Wake Forest.

Boston College looks to bounce back next week against a Louisville team that was slaughtered by the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at home 66-31.