NCSU Archives - WPTF-AM

Mensah, Castle lead Duke to comeback past N.C. State, 45-33

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Darian Mensah threw three touchdown passes and Duke snapped a two-game losing streak, overcoming a 13-point deficit to beat N.C. State 45-33. The Blue Devils scored 21 points in a span of less than four minutes of game time spanning the two halves to surge into the lead. Anderson Castle added three rushing touchdowns, including a clinching 66-yard dash on third down with 2:19 remaining. CJ Bailey tossed two touchdowns passes to Terrell Anderson and was intercepted three times for N.C. State. Hollywood Smothers rushed for 123 yards and one touchdown and Will Wilson had two 1-yard TD runs. Anderson picked up 166 yards on six catches.… Continue Reading

Bailey, Smothers lead N.C. State comeback against Virginia, 35-31

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — CJ Bailey rushed for two touchdowns and threw for another as North Carolina State defeated visiting Virginia 35-31 in a non-league clash between the two Atlantic Coast Conference teams. Bailey completed 16-of-22 passes for 200 yards and rushed for 44 yards on six carries for the Wolfpack. N.C. State running back Hollywood Smothers added 136 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Virginia was powered by J’Mari Taylor’s 150 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries. The Wolfpack outscored Virginia 21-7 in the third quarter after falling behind by 10 points in the first half.… Continue Reading

NC State’s Dave Doeren enters Year 13 driven by milestones yet reached for the Wolfpack

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Dave Doeren is entering his 13th season at N.C. State. He’s the winningest coach in program history and is tied for the sixth-longest tenure of any coach in the Bowl Subdivision ranks. Yet he’s still chasing a 10-win season or a trip to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game after close calls before. This year’s team is picked to finish 10th in the 17-team ACC race. N.C. State opens the season Aug. 28 against East Carolina in an instate rivalry. It’s a rematch of the bowl game won by ECU last season.… Continue Reading

McNeese State’s Will Wade confirms he’s been in contact with NC State about its coaching job

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — McNeese State coach Will Wade knows his name is in the mix during the college basketball coaching carousel. And unlike some coaches during this time of year, he’s not being coy talking about it. Asked Wednesday if he or his agent had been in contact with N.C. State about its opening, the second-year McNeese State coach confirmed that he had been. Though he didn’t elaborate on the extent of his contact with N.C. State, Wade name has since been linked to the Wolfpack job and other schools after finishing up his second straight 20-win season at McNeese that ended with an NCAA tourney berth.… Continue Reading

Smothers’ late TD helps NC State edge rival North Carolina 35-30 in Brown’s farewell at UNC

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Hollywood Smothers slipped through the middle of the line for a 2-yard touchdown with 25 seconds left to help N.C. State beat rival North Carolina 35-30 on Saturday night in the Tar Heels’ final game under Mack Brown. Smothers’ short TD run capped the go-ahead 75-yard drive that pushed the Wolfpack to bowl eligibility. That capped a wild finish that saw the Tar Heels take a 30-29 lead on Omarion Hampton’s 47-yard catch and run to the end zone with 1:51 left. Hampton ran for 185 yards and a touchdown to go with four catches for 78 yards.… Continue Reading

N.C. State blasts Stanford 59-28 behind explosive offense led by CJ Bailey

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Hollywood Smothers and Jordan Waters each rushed for two touchdowns, and quarterback CJ Bailey added three more while being nearly perfect through the air as North Carolina State crushed Stanford 59-28. Bailey, who took over the starting job in midseason after Grayson McCall retired because of head injuries, completed 18 of 20 passes for 234 yards. The Wolfpack ended a two-game home losing streak while handing Stanford its sixth consecutive defeat. North Carolina State scored three touchdowns on four plays, capped by Waters’ 94-yard run that was the second-longest rushing TD in school history. Stanford also lost quarterback Ashton Daniels to injury.… Continue Reading

NC State’s Grayson McCall gives up football, says he can’t come back from latest head injury

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina State quarterback Grayson McCall has announced his retirement from football less than three weeks after a vicious hit knocked him out of a game for the second time this season. McCall was a sixth-year player who was a graduate transfer following five seasons at Coastal Carolina, where he threw for more than 10,000 yards and 88 touchdowns, but also had concussion issues. McCall was knocked out of the Sept. 14 game against Louisiana Tech and in his first game back left on a cart after taking a helmet-jarring hit in the first quarter against Wake Forest on Oct. 5.… Continue Reading

Klubnik, No. 21 Clemson beat NC State 59-35 in Atlantic Coast Conference opener

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Cade Klubnik threw for three touchdowns and added a 55-yard scoring run as No. 21 Clemson continued its offensive revival with a 59-35 victory over NC State to start Atlantic Coast Conference play Saturday. Klubnik and the Tigers scored eight first-half touchdowns in a 66-20 victory over Appalachian State two weeks ago. This time, Clemson had six first-half TDs and led the Wolfpack 45-7 by halftime. It was Clemson’s 800th victory in program history, the first ACC team to reach that mark.… Continue Reading