NC State football: What they're saying about Wake Forest win

NC State football pulled off maybe the best performance of the Pack’s season, prevailing 30-21 over No. 21 Wake Forest on Saturday evening. Here is some of what those who covered the game are saying.

Matt Carter, The Wolfpacker — Column: NC State football delivered

And then there was Morris, the new name who is quickly looking like an old head on the field after his first career start. He completed 18 of 28 passes for 210 yards and 3 touchdowns while adding 43 yards on the ground.

This is a week after he tossed 3 scores in leading a comeback from down 21-3 in the fourth quarter to beat the Hokies.

Virginia Tech, however, was not a good team. That was proven Saturday when the Hokies blew an 11-point fourth quarter lead at home to Georgia Tech.

Wake Forest is a good team. A couple of weeks ago they were in the top 10 of the polls. The stars have not aligned perfectly like they seemingly did a year ago for the Deacons, and there are clear issues surrounding the level of talent on their offensive front.

However, that was a quality team, and NC State was clearly better.

That was what NC State football was hoping to see.

Ethan McDowell, The Wolfpacker — NC State locker room report: Wake Forest

Last week, Wake Forest turned the ball over 8 times. NC State did not give Sam Hartman and the Demon Deacon offense a chance to breathe Saturday, intercepting him 3 times on crucial drives that helped keep the momentum on the Wolfpack’s side for the vast majority of the game.

One pivotal point of the night came at the end of the first quarter with Wake Forest knocking on the door of NC State’s end zone. Moore stepped up, making three tackles to force a missed field goal attempt that preserved the Pack’s 3-0 win.

“When they got down to the one, and then we knocked him back, knocked them back, knocked them back again, and then they missed the field goal, that was a huge moment in the game,” Doeren said.

The graduate student linebacker recorded 10 total tackles tonight, including 2.5 for loss, after his grandmother passed away Thursday. He knew she was with him during that goal line stand and all throughout one of his best games of the season.

“That wasn’t me at all,” Moore said. “That was all my Nana and God. I thank them for that. My teammates put me in a great position. All I had to do is just go make the play.”

Steve Wiseman, News & Observer — With MJ Morris at QB, here’s what we learned about NC State in win over Wake Forest

While completing 18 of 28 passes for 210 yards, the 19-year-old Morris fired three touchdown passes while not throwing an interception.

He finished the game on a roll, completing 12 of his final 15 passes as the Wolfpack took the lead for good late in the second quarter and held off the Demon Deacons.

“You couldn’t ask for any more from a true freshman quarterback,” Doeren said. “But he’s done it in practice. He’s done it in the games. He’s got the players playing hard for him. They believe in him.”

Outside of one delay of game penalty, Morris managed the game well. Again, that’s something outstanding for a first-year player.

“He’s way ahead of where we probably thought he would be at this point in his career,” Doeren said. “So I’m super proud of him.”

Luke DeCock, News & Observer — NC State wide receviers step up, help lead Wolfpack to 30-21 win over Wake Forest

It was exactly the kind of catch that had so often gone uncaught by N.C. State’s receivers this season. Darryl Jones went up for a jump ball with Wake Forest’s Gavin Holmes in the end zone, and the football disappeared for a moment between their jerseys. It was next seen in Jones’ hands, having wrestled it away from Holmes.

That was Jones’ second touchdown of the night, and the first came as he extended his route to get open as M.J. Morris bought time in the pocket. And then there was Keyon Lesane, shaking off a forearm shiver to hold on at the goal line for another touchdown.

These are exactly the kind of tough catches and big plays N.C. State’s receivers not named Thayer Thomas weren’t making early on, fatally so against Clemson, as N.C. State’s season took a turn for the worse. Now that they are, a world of opportunity has reopened for the Wolfpack, starting with Saturday’s 30-21 win over the Demon Deacons.

The quality of the defense was never in doubt, nor has it been more sharply honed than it was Saturday. Morris has adapted as well as could be asked since taking over for the injured Devin Leary, and continues to improve. The receivers were the missing link, the unanswered call at the other end of the line.

David Thompson, Fayetteville Observer — NC State football vs. Wake Forest report card: How Wolfpack earned straight A’s for first time this season

This was the game no one expected NC State to win, and the Wolfpack did more than just win, they dominated against a team that was ranked in the top 10 two weeks ago. Everything that seemed impossible two weeks ago against Syracuse – a 10-win season, a spot in a New Year’s Eve bowl game – is now back on the table.

John Dell, Winston-Salem Journal — NC State beats Wake Forest 30-21 in Raleigh on Saturday night

Wake Forest’s running game had nowhere to go against N.C. State’s veteran defense. There were very few slow mesh plays that worked mostly because it was obvious Sam Hartman wasn’t going to handoff the ball to his running backs. The Demon Deacons had just 17 yards rushing on 25 carries. One of the big keys to the success of one of the highest-scoring offenses in the ACC is being balanced between the run and the pass and that wasn’t the case on Saturday.

Ryan Henkel, North State Journal — Total team effort sees Wolfpack past Wake Forest

While the Wolfpack offense may have finally found its footing with Morris at the helm, the defense continued to rise to the occasion. NC State forced three turnovers and stuffed the Demon Deacons on a first quarter goal-line stand that changed the complexion of the game.

“When they got down to the 1 and we knocked them back, knocked them back and knocked them back again and then they missed the field goal, that was a huge moment in the game,” Doeren said of the stop. “It showed a lot of resiliency and toughness and grit, and that’s what we’re made of.”

The Wolfpack defense bent but didn’t break in the face of the high-octane Wake Forest offense.

“Wake’s been a team that’s been a headache for a lot of us that’s been here for five or six years, so to get a big win over them is huge,” said graduate linebacker Isaiah Moore. “As a defense, I think we had given up 87 points to them over the last two years, so we really took this game personally. So to hold them to 21 really meant a lot to us.”

On the offensive side of the ball, things started off slow for Morris as the Wolfpack offense ran several screen passes and QB draws before Morris was finally given the green light for a deep ball.

Facing a third-and-long after a Wake Forest touchdown early in the second quarter, Morris connected with junior receiver Keyon Lesane for a 44-yard reception. Junior running back Jordan Houston followed that up for a 16-yard run, and then Morris again found Lesane, threading a pass for a 12-yard touchdown pass.

After that first touchdown, NC State’s offense started rolling. 

Joe Giglio, WRAL — No. 22 NC State shines in win over No. 21 Wake Forest

The team NC State thought it could be showed up on Saturday night.

The defense was tenacious, the quarterback was free-wheeling and a veteran team was efficient and nearly mistake-free.

For one night, it all worked and at the expense of nemesis Wake Forest.

M.J. Morris threw for three touchdowns and NC State’s defense intercepted Sam Hartman three times to lift the Wolfpack to a 30-21 home win over the Demon Deacons.

It was an unseasonably warm November night and an unusual domination by the No. 22 Wolfpack (7-2) of the Demon Deacons. No. 21 Wake Forest (6-3) had won four of the past five games against NC State and usually in painful fashion for the Wolfpack.

Associated Press — Morris, defense lead No. 21 NC State past No. 20 Wake Forest

MJ Morris has given No. 21 North Carolina State the spark it needed.

The first-year passer threw for three scores while the Wolfpack’s defense thrice picked off Sam Hartman to beat No. 20 Wake Forest 30-21 on Saturday night. He threw for 210 yards in becoming the first true freshman in more than 22 years to start for the Wolfpack (7-2, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), following his three-TD effort in last week’s comeback home win against Virginia Tech.

This performance, though, came against a ranked instate foe featuring a veteran star quarterback in Hartman leading a high-scoring offense.

“He’s way ahead of where we thought he would be at this point in his career,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said of Morris.

Morris hit Darryl Jones for two of his touchdowns and Keyon Lesane for another to lead the offense. He also directed a key late drive that took four minutes off the clock and set up Christopher Dunn’s 25-yard field goal to make it a two-possession game with 2:54 left. And it was another boost for a team that lost preseason ACC player of the year Devin Leary at quarterback to a season-ending injury less than a month ago.

“That’s one of the things Coach Doeren told me last week: ‘Just bring that juice because the whole team is going to revolve around you,'” Morris said.

Noah Teague, Technician — NC State football extends home win streak to 16, upsets rival Wake Forest

Led by an emerging offense and stout defense, NC State football (7-2, 3-2 ACC) upset divisional rival Wake Forest (6-3, 2-3 ACC) on Saturday Nov. 5 in Carter-Finley Stadium. 

The Wolfpack tied a school record in this primetime matchup by winning its 16th consecutive home game, a feat only former head coach Lou Holtz achieved at NC State. After battling in the first half, the Wolfpack played a strong second half to put away the Demon Deacons.

Facing one of the better teams on the schedule, NC State needed to be able to score to pull off the upset. In his first career start, freshman quarterback MJ Morris impressed — throwing for 210 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Additionally, Morris was a threat in the run game, adding an extra wrinkle to the Wolfpack offense. With his dual threat ability, Morris was a step ahead of the defense all night long.

“He’s got the players playing hard for him,” said head coach Dave Doeren. “They believe in him. He’s taken care of the football. He’s way ahead of where we probably thought he would be at this point in his career, so I’m super proud of him.”