Facing its second FCS opponent in as many weeks, NC State wasted little time finding its offensive rhythm in a 45-14 win over the Runnin’ Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb. One week after scoring 65 points on an outmatched Murray State team, the Wolfpack once again looked dominant against Gardner-Webb. NC State totaled 455 offensive yards and allowed only 213.
Russell Wilson broke the record for consecutive passes without an interception during the third quarter of the lopsided victory, passing Kentucky’s Andre Woodson on the all-time list.
A 13-yard completion to James Washington across the middle set the new mark. Wilson finished the night with yet another impressive stat line, going 26 of 36 for 345 yards and four scores. He finished with career highs in completions, attempts and yards while tying his career high with the four touchdowns tosses.
The Wolfpack defense played well for the third week in a row, holding Gardner-Webb to 14 points and controlling the line of scrimmage for most of the night. Following the impressive showings against South Carolina and Murray State, the Wolfpack defense has proven to be a strong point.
Questions about the effectiveness of the defense, especially in the secondary, appear to have been answered through the first three contests.
N.C. State scored 21 points in the first quarter while piling up 213 yards of offense during the frame. Toney Baker scored on touchdown runs of 11 and two yards to start the scoring before Russell Wilson hit T.J. Graham for a 24-yard touchdown pass with 2:11 left in the first quarter.
The Pack tacked on ten more points in the second quarter to push the score to 31-0 by the end of the first half. State finished the first 30 minutes with 313 offensive yards on 45 plays, averaging nearly 7 yards per play while keeping the ball for almost 18 minutes. The Gardner-Webb attack mustered only 82 offensive yards during the first half.
Perhaps the only negative for the Wolfpack early in the game came by way of the injury bug, as defensive back Rashard Smith and receiver Owen Spencer both left the game. Smith sprained an ankle in the first quarter while Spencer left the game with a concussion late in the first half.
Not much changed following the halftime break, as George Bryan caught his second touchdown of the game from Russell Wilson early in the third quarter. Gardner-Webb got on the board with 6:30 left in the third quarter on an 18-yard run by Marquis Sanders. Following the touchdown the Bulldogs successfully recovered an onside kick which seemed to catch the Wolfpack off guard. Despite the hiccup, N.C. State kept GW out of the end zone.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, on a fourth and six no less, Russell Wilson found Jarvis Williams in the end zone for a 16 yard touchdown to push the score to 45-7. Gardner-Webb tallied its second touchdown with 2:42 left in the fourth quarter on a quarterback sneak by Stan Doolittle.
The impressive showing against Gardner-Webb will likely be the last time this season the Wolfpack will face a foe it can completely dominate across the board. Pittsburgh visits Carter-Finley stadium next week before ACC play begins the following week at Wake Forest.