NC State didn’t play a perfect football game Saturday. But the Wolfpack made the plays that mattered most.
Harvey Dyson III forced a critical fourth-quarter fumble with Louisville threatening to take the lead, Kanoah Vinesett followed with his third field goal of the game and NC State survived one final scare to beat Louisville 31-28 at Carter-Finley Stadium.
The win improved NC State to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the ACC and sets up a fascinating in-state matchup next Saturday when Wake Forest comes to Raleigh. Louisville fell to 2-3 and 1-2.
🔑 How It Happened
- NC State controlled much of the first half. Kanoah Vinesett opened the scoring with a 46-yard field goal before CJ Bailey found Keenan Jackson for a 19-yard touchdown. Vinesett added a 29-yarder late in the half to give the Wolfpack a 13-7 lead.
- The Pack stretched the lead to 28-14 in the third quarter. Bailey connected with Tyran Warren for a 34-yard touchdown, then Will Wilson scored from a yard out and Davion Gause caught the two-point conversion. It was the sixth touchdown of the season for Wilson, NC State’s short-yardage specialist.
- Louisville came roaring back. The Cardinals scored late in the third quarter, then Isaac Brown broke a 70-yard touchdown run with 12:27 remaining to tie the game at 28.
- Harvey Dyson III delivered the game’s biggest defensive play. Louisville seemed set up at the NC State 13 after a long Kayjuan Brown run, but Dyson forced the ball loose. At first Brown was ruled down, but replay review revealed the ball came loose on the way to the ground. The Wolfpack recovered with 9:39 remaining, denying the Cardinals a chance to take their first lead.
- NC State turned the takeaway into the winning points. The Wolfpack answered with a 10-play, 76-yard drive that consumed 4:09 before Vinesett’s 28-yard field goal put State ahead 31-28 with 5:30 left. Louisville went three-and-out on its final possession, and the Pack ran out the clock.
- One more scare: Wilson appeared to fumble while battling for extra yardage with a little over a minute left, bringing back haunting memories of how the Vanderbilt game got away a few weeks ago. But replay review again was kind, showing that the ball popped loose after Wilson’s knees were on the ground. Chaos averted. Wolfpack wins.
📊 Numbers That Matter
- 373: Passing yards for CJ Bailey, who completed 24 of 40 passes with two touchdowns and one interception.
- 3-for-3: Vinesett’s field-goal performance. He connected from 46, 29 and 28 yards, with the final kick providing the winning points.
- 3: Fumbles lost by Louisville. NC State turned the Cardinals’ three lost fumbles into 10 points and did not lose a fumble itself.
- 493-485: NC State’s advantage in total offense. The Pack ran 84 offensive plays to Louisville’s 55 despite the Cardinals averaging 8.8 yards per play.
- 37:20: NC State’s time of possession. Louisville possessed the ball for only 22:40, including just 3:52 in the fourth quarter.
- 231: Louisville’s rushing yards on just 25 attempts. Isaac Brown rushed for 125 yards on nine carries while Keyjuan Brown added 88 on eight attempts.
- 9-of-17: NC State’s third-down conversion rate. The Pack also converted its only fourth-down attempt, helping it sustain those long possessions.
⏭️ What’s Next
NC State doesn’t have much time to celebrate. The Wolfpack hosts Wake Forest next Saturday at noon at Carter-Finley Stadium in a matchup between two teams who have won multiple games in a row.
State won 34-24 at Wake Forest last season, Jake Dickert’s first with the Demon Deacons. Now Wake comes to Raleigh at 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the ACC after demolishing Stanford 57-3 on Saturday, the largest margin of victory in an ACC game in program history.
Louisville, meanwhile, has dropped two consecutive ACC games and returns home needing to regroup. The Cardinals host Florida State on Friday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
