Pack Completes Comeback at Cal

For the third straight game, NC State found itself in a 4th quarter conundrum. Against Wake Forest the Pack held a 10 point lead they couldn't hold. Against Syracuse they trailed by 17 but fell 7 points short of a win.

On the road at Cal, the Bears took at 13 point lead into the final frame. But this time, the Wolfpack dug deep, found a solution and finished the job with a thrilling 24-23 comeback win.

"I'm really proud of our players, staff, and thankful for their grit, their perseverance, the way that they finished and didn't give up," head coach Dave Doeren said after the game.

Several factors were part of the fourth quarter comeback. The Pack converted three of five 3rd down plays and finished the game with a 47% success rate compared to 14% for Cal.

The Pack hit on a fourth and goal from the one when CJ Bailey rolled right and connected with Dacari Collins for his first score of the season. The deficit was down to 6 points.

Bailey found explosive plays (20+ yards) in the passing game in the fourth quarter. Two to Justin Joly, who continues to be a trusted receiver for Bailey. The one explosive to Hollywood Smothers proved to be the winning points. It was another third down conversion where Bailey avoided pressure and found Smothers in the flats. He used his speed and elusiveness along the way to a 41-yard touchdown.

"Are you a player or are you a playmaker?" Doeren said he asked his players. "And in these kind of games, players have to make plays to win, man, and you saw some of those things happen."

"We were down, we needed a touchdown right there," Smothers explained. "Coach Doeren said, 'if you're a playmaker, go make plays.' And I feel like that's what our playmakers were able to do today."

Freshman Bailey continued his growth, completing 69% of his passes for 309 yards- his second straight game over 300 yards. He tossed a pair of touchdowns and equally impressive, no interceptions, against a Cal defense that led the nation with 13 picks.

"He doesn't flinch," Doeren said about Bailey. "He believes in himself."

And his teammates believe in him.

"It comes natural to him," Smothers said of Bailey. "We just got to keep believing in him, believing in him. He's going to get the job done."

Another playmaker in the win was KC Concepcion who did a little bit of everything. He had 4 catches for 53 yards, ran for a 2-yard score on a direct snap and completed a 28-yard pass to Smothers that set up another touchdown.

There was a defensive element in the 4th quarter comeback as well: the relentless pressure the Wolfpack put on Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

All three of the Pack's sacks came in the final quarter. Travail Price got the first one and Davin Vann wrapped up the quarterback twice. Vann nearly finished the game with a 4th down sack but a superb, open-field tackle by DK Kaufman ended the Cal threat and secured a one-point win.

After eight straight weeks of competition, NC State gets a well-earned bye week. A time to rest, reflect and reload for the final four games of the regular season.

Next Event

Team Stats

CJ Bailey

KC Concepcion

Players Mentioned

CJ Bailey

Dacari Collins

KC Concepcion

Justin Joly

DK Kaufman

Hollywood Smothers

Davin Vann