RALEIGH, N.C. — The most important part of Thursday night for the North Carolina State Wolfpack was escaping Winston-Salem with a 34-24 win over Wake Forest. The NC State rollercoaster experience continued, as the Wolfpack trailed 14-0 in the first quarter before coming all the way back.
The defense under first-year defensive coordinator DJ Eliot carried on its trend of improving in second halves of games. The Wolfpack forced five straight three-and-outs from the second quarter to the fourth quarter and completely shut out the Demon Deacons in the second half.
However, officiating soured the tremendous performance of the defense with an unfortunate call. Late in the fourth quarter, defensive end Sabastian Harsh combined with linebacker Cian Slone on a sack of Wake Forest quarterback Robby Ashford. The officials ended up reviewing the play and ejecting Harsh for targeting, a decision with major ramifications for the Wolfpack defense…