The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/430118
32 ■ THE WOLFPACKER line and finished with a 45.0-yard average on eight attempts, with a long of 60. Best Running Play: Fifth-year senior wide receiver Bryan Underwood took a reverse pitch and raced down the right side, and then made his way to the left side of the field for a 75-yard touchdown that de- livered the knockout blow in the 42-13 win over Wake Forest Nov. 15. NCSU took a commanding 28-3 lead with 14:41 left in the third quarter, and went on to become bowl eligible. Biggest Defensive Play: Redshirt fresh- man defensive end Pharoah McKever might have altered the course of the Wolfpack's season Nov. 1 in Syracuse. He dropped back into coverage on a zone blitz, but the Orange's freshman signal-caller didn't see him and threw the ball right to him. McK- ever, a former quarterback and safety at Tabor City (N.C.) South Columbus High, sprinted 82 yards for a touchdown to give the Wolfpack a 17-14 lead with 2:52 left in the third quarter. Kudos to NC State sophomore nickel back Dravious Wright for escorting McKever into the end zone with key blocks. NC State went on to a seven-point victory, snapping a school- record 12-game ACC losing streak. Best Defensive Hit: Senior outside line- backer Rodman Noel caught UNC quarter- back Marquise Williams jogging near the sideline, but not yet out of bounds. Noel closed out and laid the lumber on Wil- liams near the sideline to force him out of bounds. Noel followed with a big sack on the next play. The tone was set and Wil- liams eventually departed the game with a lower-leg injury during the Wolfpack's 28-point win. Best Multi-Interception Game: NC State redshirt freshman middle linebacker Jerod Fernandez came through with two big in- terceptions against Florida State. The first pick at the Wolfpack's own 41-yard line led to an NCSU touchdown and 31-21 lead in the third quarter. He returned the second interception 19 yards to the FSU 12-yard line and the Wolfpack tacked on a 25-yard field goal to cut its deficit to 49-41 with 6:08 left in the game, but the Seminoles escaped with a 15-point triumph. Biggest Fumble Recovery: Georgia Southern was leading 20-10 in the fourth quarter, and drove down to the NC State 1-yard line. Quarterback Kevin Ellison fumbled the snap for the Eagles after go- ing under center, and NC State sophomore defensive tackle Monty Nelson came up with the crucial recovery with 11:03 left in the game. NC State drove 99 yards for a touchdown to make it 20-17, and eventu- ally escaped with a one-point victory. Best Hustle Play: NC State freshman fullback/H-back Jaylen Samuels ended up in the middle of a bizarre sequence ver- sus Georgia Tech. Brissett threw a pass to Underwood that went off the wide re- ceiver's hands, hit the foot of a defender and bounced into the hands of Yellow Jack- ets senior inside linebacker Quayshawn Nealy, who sprinted down the left sideline. Samuels gave chase and caught Nealy from behind him and stripped him and recovered the fumble in one motion at the Wolfpack 28-yard line. Nealy later scored a touch- down on a 43-yard fumble recovery in the Yellow Jackets' 56-23 win Nov. 8. Best Freshman Defensive Performance: Freshman middle linebacker Airius Moore arrived last August, but he was starting against Louisville after 12 players (seven suspended) were involved in a BB gun inci- dent. Moore responded with eight tackles, two stops behind the line of scrimmage, one sack and a quarterback pressure, plus a memorable 76-yard touchdown return on a fumble recovery that was called back after the UL player was ruled down. Louisville went on to win 30-18 Oct. 18, but Moore ended up starting four of the last five regu- lar-season games. Best Freshman Offensive Performance: Freshman wide receiver Bo Hines didn't take long to leave his mark on Florida State's secondary. The Seminoles were caught out of position on the second play of the game, and Hines raced down for a 54-yard touchdown reception from Brissett to take an early 7-0 lead. Hines caught a season-high eight passes for 103 yards and a score in the loss to the defending champs. Luckiest Break: The Georgia Southern fumble at the 1-yard line was one break, and an injury was another part of the puzzle during the comeback victory against the Eagles. Ellison sprinted 52 yards to the NC State 22-yard line, but came up injured on the play. The drive stalled and Geor- gia Southern settled for a 31-yard field goal to make it 23-17. A touchdown there would have likely ensured a GSU win, but it opened the door for NC State to rally for the victory. Unluckiest Break(s): Louisville had a trio of breaks lead to a 38-yard field goal that gave it a 20-9 lead in the eventual 12-point win over the Pack. The Cardinals threw a slant pass to star wide receiver DeVante Parker on third-and-four that was broken up, only to have the deflection go to UL wide receiver Eli Rogers for a nine-yard gain and a first down. Later, running back Michael Dyer accidentally kicked the ball out of quarterback Will Gardner's hand and Moore returned the fumble 76 yards for a touchdown. However, replays showed Gardner was already down on the play and the call was reversed. Two plays later, NCSU freshman safety Germaine Pratt dropped an interception in the end zone, and the Cardinals happily settled for the field goal. Best Performance By An Opponent, Of- fense: Clemson freshman quarterback De- shaun Watson passed for two touchdowns and rushed for two scores in the Tigers' 41-0 win Oct. 4 in Death Valley. Watson connected on 17 of 29 passes for 267 yards and rushed 15 times for 62 yards for the Tigers in the Wolfpack's worst loss of the season. Best Performance By An Opponent, De- fense/Special Teams: Florida State fresh- man defensive end Lorenzo Featherston of Greensboro, N.C., forced a crucial fumble against Brissett to help spark Florida State to a hard-fought win. Featherston finished with five tackles, one forced fumble and one sack in his homecoming game. ■ BEST PASSING PLAY: Few will forget the scrambling and strength Brissett showed in escaping the Florida State defense to throw an eight-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide re- ceiver Johnathan Alston to make it 24-7 with 2:06 left in the first quarter. The 6-4, 231-pound Brissett shook off two different FSU defenders and had the vision to spot Alston in the end zone, in what might be the offensive highlight of the season despite the Wolfpack fall- ing to the nation's top-ranked team. Sophomore wide receiver Johnathan Alston (No. 15) celebrated after hauling in a touchdown reception versus Florida State that gave the Wolfpack a 24-7 lead in the first quarter. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN