The 2018 season didn’t exactly end how the Wolfpack would have hoped, but here are the top five moments of the NC State football campaign.
2018 was another good chapter in history of NC State Wolfpack football. Quarterback Ryan Finley and head coach Dave Doeren led the team to nine wins and a bid in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
There were extreme highs and difficult lows to deal with as a Wolfpack fan. The 2018 season tested the mental resolve of Wolfpack fans who had to deal with one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in state history ramming the state and cancelling the Wolfpack’s game with West Virginia, a brutal Thursday night loss to Wake Forest at home, and Trayveon Williams rushing for 236 as Texas A&M ran right through NC State in the Gator Bowl.
However, there were many high points in this season, ones that won’t easily be forgotten. Here were the top five moments of the 2018 NC State football season.
5. Beating North Carolina in overtime
There was no sweeter ending than watching Reggie Gallaspy II batter his way into the end zone to give the Wolfpack a 34-28 overtime victory over its biggest rivals on a rain-soaked day. The game maybe shouldn’t have been that close, but the Wolfpack rode Gallaspy II and his five rushing touchdowns to a victory.
The game started with a blocked punt in the end zone by wide receiver CJ Riley, which allowed NC State to jump out to a quick 7-0 lead. The two teams would go back and forth, with UNC taking the lead 28-21 in the fourth quarter. Gallaspy II and the Wolfpack offense answered, marching down the field during a four-play 74-yard drive that tied the game. A missed field goal in UNC’s overtime possession opened the door for NC State, who punched in a one-yard score for the victory.
In his final regular season game in a Wolfpack uniform, Gallaspy II did it all, rushing for 129 yards and his career high five touchdowns. The two teams combined for 835 total offensive yards, with Gallaspy II and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (seven catches, 111 yards) leading the way for the Wolfpack.
The win improved the Wolfpack to 4-2 under Doeren and marked the third straight win for the Wolfpack over the Tar Heels