NC State’s 34-20 win in Greenville was the Pack’s first road win since 2005 at Florida State and their first non-conference road win since 2002 at Texas Tech.
The Pack went back to the basics during their off week and came out a different team to kick off the second half of the season against East Carolina. How was State going to be able to keep pace with a Pirate offense that averaged 44 points the last 3 games? The answer is by playing on a short field thanks to turnovers.
The Wolfpack scored 14 points off of turnovers and tacked on another special teams touchdown. They had not been able to do that in the first 6 games of the season. Quarterback Daniel Evans said it’s not just good enough for the defense to force turnovers. The offense has to generate points off of the miscues to really make the turnover margin work in your favor.
Watching Evans from field level, it seems to take his passes an extra second to get to the receiver…almost as if he is throwing a change-up to the receivers. But what he lacks in arm strength, Evans makes up with the timing of his passes. He finished 29 of 44 for a career-high 335 yards…3 touchdowns and only 1 interception. As critical as it was for Evans to protect the football, it was equally important to protect the Pack’s quarterback. Kudos to the Wolfpack’s offensive line for allowing only 1 sack.
“We’re 1 and 0,” said Pack head coach Tom O’Brien, referring to the start of the new season. After going 1-5 in their first 6 games, that’s the only approach for NC State. Things could have turned sour in a hurry had the Pack lost this one. But they hit ECU with 21 quick points after a quarter and change. State endured a rally by the Pirates to win by 14 leaving five games on the schedule and that’s five more chances to win. Pack players have done the math and a 6-0 record in their new season qualifies for a bowl. It’s a long shot but so were State’s chances of winning at East Carolina.
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