Saturday, September 21
Raleigh, N.C.
7 p.m.
NC State
3-1
34
vs
23
Ball State - Parents & Families Weekend
1-3
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Ball State
7
0
6
10
23
NC State
6
14
7
7
34
Special Teams Plays Crucial in Pack’s 34-23 Win Over Ball State
9/21/2019 10:23:00 PM | Football
Final Stats | Photo Gallery | Postgame Quotes
RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State used two huge special teams plays in each half and downed visiting Ball State, 34-23, at Carter-Finley Stadium.
NC State opened the scoring with a 39-yard Christopher Dunn field goal in the first quarter. Ball State answered on the ensuing possession with an 11-yard TD run to take its lone lead of the game. Dunn's second field goal of the quarter made it a 7-6 score after the first.
NC State scored the first pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to build a 20-7 halftime lead. Ricky Person, Jr., rushed in from three yards out midway through the quarter, then Matthew McKay had a five yard run in the final two minutes.
Thayer Thomas took back a Ball State punt 76 yards for a score to push the Pack's lead to 27-7 early in the third quarter. The Cardinals tacked on two field goals to cut the lead to 27-13 at the end of the third.
A third straight Ball State field goal made it 27-16 with 12:21 left in the contest.
Another huge special teams play came when WR Max Fisher blocked a Ball State punt midway through the fourth quarter, and gave the Pack the ball on the seven-yard line. Three plays later, McKay scored his second rushing TD of the game.
Ball State cut the lead to 34-23 with 4:49 left with a 75-yard scoring drive, and that proved to be the final score of the contest after a Chris Ingram interception sealed the game.
WOLFPACK SPOTLIGHT DRIVE
8 plays, 55 yards in 3:29 – Ricky Person, Jr. 18-yd TD run.
Trailing 7-6, NC State scored its first touchdown of the game halfway through the second quarter with an 8-play, 55-yard drive. NC State rushed for 33 yards on the drive, and Ricky Person, Jr., capped it with a three yard rushing score.
STAT LEADERS
QB Matthew McKay
17-of-30 for 175 yards and six rushes for 24 yards and 2 TDs
RB Jordan Houston
6 rushes for 55 yards
WR Thayer Thomas
4 catches for 51 yards and 1 punt return for 76 yards, 1 TD
CB Chris Ingram
9 tackles, 1 INT
S Tanner Ingle
11 tackles
NOTABLES
• NC State has now won 16 straight games against non-conference foes at Carter-Finley Stadium, and Dave Doeren improves to 18-1 overall as head coach of the Wolfpack in such games.
• Head coach Dave Doeren improves to 19-1 all-time against MAC schools (17-1 while coach at Northern Illinois and now 2-0 at NC State).
• NC State was a perfect 4-of-4 on scoring in the red zone today, and remains perfect on the season (19-19).
• WR Thayer Thomas returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter. It was the Pack's first non-offensive score of the season, and the first punt return for a touchdown since Nyheim Hines at Pitt in 2017, a span of 22 games.
• The Wolfpack also blocked a punt midway through the fourth quater. WR Max Fisher was credited with the block, and it was the first blocked punt by NC State since Tyrone Riley vs. Boston College in 2017.
• Ball State's first quarter touchdown was the first for an opponent at Carter-Finley Stadium since last season's home finale against East Carolina (371 days). NC State had gone 12 straight quarters dating back to last season without giving up a TD at home (ECU last year and ECU and Western Carolina this season).
• NC State's second quater INT was its first turnover of the season. Coming into today, only NC State and
Appalachian State were the only two schools nationally without a turnover this season.
• With his first career interception thrown, Matthew McKay had a streak of 149 pass attempts with an INT snapped.
• For the 10th straight home contest, NC State held a halftime lead (20-7). The last time NC State was not leading at half at home was the home finale in 2017 vs. UNC.
• NC State was without three of its four season-long captains, as TE Dylan Autenrieth, CB Nick McCloud, DE James Smith-Williams all missed the game.
FROM THE LOCKER ROOM
"It wasn't pretty but it was a good win. We did some really good things with our punt return unit, which I thought sparked our football team in the second half. Thayer (Thomas) with the punt return for a touchdown and Max Fisher with a punt block and our ability to get a touchdown off of that. In the first half, I thought our defense did some good things, got some fourth-down stops." - NC State head coach Dave Doeren
UP NEXT
NC State opens its ACC schedule next weekend with a trip to Florida State. The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and be televised on the ACC Network.
RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State used two huge special teams plays in each half and downed visiting Ball State, 34-23, at Carter-Finley Stadium.
NC State opened the scoring with a 39-yard Christopher Dunn field goal in the first quarter. Ball State answered on the ensuing possession with an 11-yard TD run to take its lone lead of the game. Dunn's second field goal of the quarter made it a 7-6 score after the first.
NC State scored the first pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to build a 20-7 halftime lead. Ricky Person, Jr., rushed in from three yards out midway through the quarter, then Matthew McKay had a five yard run in the final two minutes.
Thayer Thomas took back a Ball State punt 76 yards for a score to push the Pack's lead to 27-7 early in the third quarter. The Cardinals tacked on two field goals to cut the lead to 27-13 at the end of the third.
A third straight Ball State field goal made it 27-16 with 12:21 left in the contest.
Another huge special teams play came when WR Max Fisher blocked a Ball State punt midway through the fourth quarter, and gave the Pack the ball on the seven-yard line. Three plays later, McKay scored his second rushing TD of the game.
Ball State cut the lead to 34-23 with 4:49 left with a 75-yard scoring drive, and that proved to be the final score of the contest after a Chris Ingram interception sealed the game.
WOLFPACK SPOTLIGHT DRIVE
8 plays, 55 yards in 3:29 – Ricky Person, Jr. 18-yd TD run.
Trailing 7-6, NC State scored its first touchdown of the game halfway through the second quarter with an 8-play, 55-yard drive. NC State rushed for 33 yards on the drive, and Ricky Person, Jr., capped it with a three yard rushing score.
STAT LEADERS
QB Matthew McKay
17-of-30 for 175 yards and six rushes for 24 yards and 2 TDs
RB Jordan Houston
6 rushes for 55 yards
WR Thayer Thomas
4 catches for 51 yards and 1 punt return for 76 yards, 1 TD
CB Chris Ingram
9 tackles, 1 INT
S Tanner Ingle
11 tackles
NOTABLES
• NC State has now won 16 straight games against non-conference foes at Carter-Finley Stadium, and Dave Doeren improves to 18-1 overall as head coach of the Wolfpack in such games.
• Head coach Dave Doeren improves to 19-1 all-time against MAC schools (17-1 while coach at Northern Illinois and now 2-0 at NC State).
• NC State was a perfect 4-of-4 on scoring in the red zone today, and remains perfect on the season (19-19).
• WR Thayer Thomas returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter. It was the Pack's first non-offensive score of the season, and the first punt return for a touchdown since Nyheim Hines at Pitt in 2017, a span of 22 games.
• The Wolfpack also blocked a punt midway through the fourth quater. WR Max Fisher was credited with the block, and it was the first blocked punt by NC State since Tyrone Riley vs. Boston College in 2017.
• Ball State's first quarter touchdown was the first for an opponent at Carter-Finley Stadium since last season's home finale against East Carolina (371 days). NC State had gone 12 straight quarters dating back to last season without giving up a TD at home (ECU last year and ECU and Western Carolina this season).
• NC State's second quater INT was its first turnover of the season. Coming into today, only NC State and
Appalachian State were the only two schools nationally without a turnover this season.
• With his first career interception thrown, Matthew McKay had a streak of 149 pass attempts with an INT snapped.
• For the 10th straight home contest, NC State held a halftime lead (20-7). The last time NC State was not leading at half at home was the home finale in 2017 vs. UNC.
• NC State was without three of its four season-long captains, as TE Dylan Autenrieth, CB Nick McCloud, DE James Smith-Williams all missed the game.
FROM THE LOCKER ROOM
"It wasn't pretty but it was a good win. We did some really good things with our punt return unit, which I thought sparked our football team in the second half. Thayer (Thomas) with the punt return for a touchdown and Max Fisher with a punt block and our ability to get a touchdown off of that. In the first half, I thought our defense did some good things, got some fourth-down stops." - NC State head coach Dave Doeren
UP NEXT
NC State opens its ACC schedule next weekend with a trip to Florida State. The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and be televised on the ACC Network.
Team Stats
BALL
ST
Total Yards
417
371
Pass Yards
333
185
Rushing Yards
84
186
Penalty Yards
55
62
1st Downs
25
22
3rd Downs
9
10
4th Downs
0
0
TOP
30:00
30:00
1st Quarter
BALL 0, ST 3
ST - Dunn, C. 39 yd field goal 9 plays, 23 yards, TOP 3:18
BALL 7, ST 3
BALL - Hall,Justin 11 yd run (Rimmler,Ryan kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:01
BALL 7, ST 6
ST - Dunn, C. 34 yd field goal 12 plays, 62 yards, TOP 5:14
2nd Quarter
BALL 7, ST 13
ST - Person, R. 3 yd run (Dunn, C. kick), 8 plays, 55 yards, TOP 3:29
BALL 7, ST 20
ST - McKay, M. 5 yd run (Dunn, C. kick), 10 plays, 82 yards, TOP 3:14
3rd Quarter
BALL 7, ST 27
ST - Thomas, T. 76 yd punt return (Dunn, C. kick)
BALL 10, ST 27
BALL - Rimmler,Ryan 43 yd field goal 11 plays, 49 yards, TOP 3:22
BALL 13, ST 27
BALL - Rimmler,Ryan 43 yd field goal 7 plays, 16 yards, TOP 2:45
4th Quarter
BALL 16, ST 27
BALL - Rimmler,Ryan 28 yd field goal 8 plays, 59 yards, TOP 2:26
BALL 16, ST 34
ST - McKay, M. 3 yd run (Dunn, C. kick), 3 plays, 7 yards, TOP 1:17
BALL 23, ST 34
BALL - Huntley,Caleb 2 yd run (Rimmler,Ryan kick), 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:52
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
Players Mentioned
TE
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PK
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WR
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RB
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RB
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SAF
/ FootballCB
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CB
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QB
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RB
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OT
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DE
/ FootballWR
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