RALEIGH, N.C. – A late touchdown drive from Boston College helped the Eagles snap NC State’s 16-game home winning streak as the visitors earned a 21-20 comeback victory Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium.
FIRST HALF (17-7 NC State)
The Wolfpack jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead behind a pair of lengthy scoring drives on its first two offensive possessions. MJ Morris connected with Trent Pennix for a 27-yard score to make it 7-0 before Morris tucked his first-career rushing touchdown from 10 yards out to double the Pack’s lead at 14-0.
Boston College trimmed NC State’s lead to seven late in the first quarter when Emmett Morehead found Zay Flowers for a 17-yard touchdown. Christopher Dunn remained perfect on the season with a 30-yard field goal with 1:36 left in the half, extending the Pack’s advantage to 17-7.
Cyrus Fagan helped maintain the Pack’s 10-point lead heading into halftime when he picked off Morehead’s pass at the Wolfpack 3-yard line with 44 seconds left in the half.
SECOND HALF (21-20 Boston College)
Dunn extended the Pack’s lead to 20-7 with 11:11 left in the third quarter when he nailed a 45-yard field goal. Boston College answered on its next offensive possession when Morehead connected with Flowers for a 35-yard touchdown to trim NC State’s lead to 20-14.
Following a fumble from Morris, Devan Boykin forced an errant throw from Morehead on third down, resulting in a Payton Wilson interception at the 25-yard line with 4:41 left in the third quarter.
Boston College scored from the Wolfpack 2-yard line with 14 seconds remaining to take its first lead of the game. Morehead connected with Joe Griffin for the touchdown to give the Eagles the late victory.
STAT LEADERS
QB MJ Morris
12-of-24 for 135 yards, 2 TDs (1 rushing), 1 INT
RB Michael Allen
14 rushes for 77 yards
RB Jordan Houston
14 rushes for 71 yards
WR Trent Pennix
2 catches for 53 yards, 1 TD
DB Cyrus Fagan
8 tackles, 6 solo stops, 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception
LB Drake Thomas
6 tackles, 3 solo stops, 2 sacks, 3 tackles for loss and 5 quarterback hurries
NOTABLES
– With yet another sellout crowd on Saturday, NC State finishes the season with six straight sellouts at Carter-Finley Stadium. That’s the most since the Wolfpack sold out six games in 2003.
– MJ Morris recorded yet another first in his NC State career, recording his first-career touchdown run with a 10-yard TD rush in the first quarter.
– With a pair of made field goals, Christopher Dunn drilled the 88th and 89th field goals of his career. His 89 field goals made marks a new ACC career field-goal record. The previous record was held by Florida State’s Dustin Hopkins (88).
– Christopher Dunn remained perfect on the season, nailing both of his kicks to now sit at 20-for-20 for the season. Dunn drilled a 30-yarder in the first half before splitting the uprights from 45 yards out in the third quarter. Of Dunn’s 20 makes this season, 10 of them have been from 40 yards or longer.
– With two interceptions on the night, the NC State defense now has seven games this season with multiple picks. Cyrus Fagan recorded his second interception of the season, while Payton Wilson’s interception in the third quarter was his first of the season.
– Freshman Michael Allen paced the Pack with 14 carries for 77 yards. Allen’s 77 yards marked a career high.
– NC State recorded a season-high 200 rushing yards against an FBS opponent. The Pack rushed for a season-high 217 yards in its first home game against Charleston Southern and for 182 yards against Florida State earlier this season.
UP NEXT
The Wolfpack travels to Louisville, Kentucky, to open its two-game road trip to conclude the regular season. Saturday’s kickoff against the Louisville Cardinals is set for 3:30 p.m. and will be televised on ACC Network.
