Freshman CJ Bailey passed for 156 yards and rushed for a score after replacing injured Grayson McCall, sparking North Carolina State to a 30-20 comeback victory over Louisiana Tech on Saturday afternoon in nonconference action at Raleigh, N.C.
DK Kaufman accelerated the rally from an 11-point deficit with an interception return for touchdown for the Wolfpack (2-1). Kendrick Raphael added a rushing score for North Carolina State.
Jack Turner completed 19 of 36 passes for 281 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Louisiana Tech (1-1). Tru Edwards caught four passes for 148 yards and one touchdown, and Donerio Davenport added a score on the ground.
North Carolina State took a 23-20 lead on Kanoah Vinesett’s 52-yard field goal with 12:32 left in the contest. Bailey tacked on a 1-yard run to make it a 10-point margin with 7:21 to play as the Wolfpack staved off the upset bid.
Bailey completed 13 of 20 passes and was intercepted once in his second college appearance.
McCall was 9-of-13 passing for 54 yards and rushed four times for 22 yards before exiting with just over 5 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter with an undisclosed injury.
McCall was hit by Louisiana Tech’s blitzing linebacker Zach Zimos and was slow to get up. He walked off the field after the third-down incompletion and soon headed to the locker room with team trainers.
Louisiana Tech held the momentum with an 11-point halftime lead, but NC State quickly seized it in the opening minute of the third quarter.
Turner dropped back to pass and Davin Vann put on a heavy rush and hit Turner as he started to throw. The ball fluttered toward Kaufman, who grabbed it and went 33 yards for a touchdown to pull the Wolfpack within 17-13.
Later in the quarter, Raphael capped a 13-play, 76-yard drive with a 3-yard run as NC State took a 20-17 lead with 4:23 left in the quarter. Louisiana Tech tied the score on Buck Buchanan’s 20-yard field goal with 36 seconds left.
On the play after McCall was hurt, Vinesett kicked a 35-yard field goal to give NC State a 6-0 lead. Louisiana Tech scored 17 unanswered points over the final 2:41 of the quarter for a 17-6 halftime lead.
Davenport began the spree by scoring on a 5-yard run. Then Edwards caught a short pass from Turner and turned it into a 71-yard touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 14-6 lead with 1:19 left.
Buchanan tacked on a 57-yard field goal with 13 seconds left. The boot tied the school record of Matt Stover (1987), who went on to kick in the NFL for 19 seasons.
–Field Level Media
