Inside the Wolfpack's Clutch Game-Winning Play

The Final Drive

NC State failed to take control of the game late once again and Virginia had a pair of chances to steal the lead back from the Wolfpack. Following a booming punt from Caden Noonkester, the Cavaliers began the drive on their own 19-yard line.

After running the ball effectively throughout the entire game, Virginia turned to Morris with the clock ticking away. The quarterback dialed up the tempo and fired back-to-back passes for 14 and 17-yard first downs to move the Cavaliers right up to the 50 just inside the two-minute timeout.

Morris picked on Wolfpack cornerback Jamel Johnson multiple times and set the Cavaliers up inside the 15-yard line after a 20-yard pass to star receiver Cam Ross.

Holding the Line

Now on the Wolfpack 12, Virginia created an anxious atmosphere insider Carter-Finley Stadium. The crowd tried to rally behind the defense, but it had seen the group fail time and time again throughout the game. Because of the success with playing fast, UVA coach Tony Elliott opted to keep the drive moving fast rather than call a timeout.

Morris rushed to the line and snapped the ball. The Cavaliers ran a mesh concept with receivers crossing over the middle. They had dominated the Wolfpack defense with that very concept throughout the entire game. However, NC State's dormant pass rush finally applied some pressure, flushing Morris to the right out of the pocket quickly.

Running out of room, Morris' only option was Taylor, who snuck out of the backfield on a wheel route toward the end zone. Enter JACK linebacker Cian Slone, a converted edge rusher turned renaissance man within Eliot's defense. Slone picked up the wheel route and stayed with Taylor stride for stride all the way to the end zone. Morris, acting desperately, tried to put the pass over Slone's shoulder but didn't put enough under it. The linebacker turned at the perfect moment and snatched the pass for his first interception since junior college.

The Aftermath

Bailey and the offense kneeled and killed the clock and the Wolfpack moved to 2-0 after Slone's heroics. Despite a more difficult day for the defense as a whole, the transfer duo of Slone and defensive end Sabastian Harsh came up in critical moments of the game once again.

"We just had to not panic and not feel like we had to make a Superman play," Slone said. "If we're all doing our job, we got a great scheme in. We all found out trust and we all took a deep breath in the second half."

After giving up 24 points in the first half, the Wolfpack held Virginia to just one touchdown, which came courtesy of a 66-yard run by Taylor in the third quarter. The second-half adjustments were largely attributed to the halftime leadership of linebackers Sean Brown and Caden Fordham.

Slone's interception sealed the Pack's first 2-0 start since 2022. NC State has a lot to clean up and only a short period of time to do so. The Wolfpack will take a short road trip to face Wake Forest on Thursday night in Winston-Salem to open up league play for the first time in 2025.

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