Adams, Wake Forest hurdle N.C. State

WINSTON-SALEM – With one final chance to get the ball back, N.C. State couldn’t stop the guy who grew up near its campus.

Four tacklers had a shot at stopping Wake Forest running back Josh Adams of Cary before he plowed forward for the first down that clinched a 30-24 win for the Deacons on Saturday at BB&T Field.

After Adams caught a flare pass, cornerback DeAndre Morgan hit him square and hard, about 7 yards short of the first-down marker. Adams shook his way free of Morgan, then Alan-Michael Cash and two other would-be N.C. State tacklers.

Adams’ 10-yard gain for a first down allowed the Deacons (3-2, 1-1 ACC) to run out the clock.

"Once I got stopped, I was like, I can’t afford to be stopped by this one man,” Adams said. “I just kept my head down and kept my feet moving.”

The missed tackles were the final, decisive error in a mistake-filled game for the Wolfpack. N.C. State (3-2, 0-1) committed three turnovers.

Seven first-half penalties on N.C. State gave Wake Forest 80 yards. Russell Wilson’s Football Bowl Subdivision-record streak of consecutive passes without an interception ended at 379 as Josh Bush and Kenny Okoro intercepted him.

Still, the Wolfpack had a chance to get the ball back and win until Adams refused to be tackled.

"We’ve just got to make a tackle there at the end of the game,” said N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien. “Call a timeout, you get the ball back and take four more shots at it every time. We didn’t make the tackle. That kid wanted it more than we did.”

N.C. State would have liked to get the ball back for Wilson, who passed for 275 yards and two scores, and rushed for 41 yards and another touchdown. But Wilson had his chance.

He’d picked on redshirt freshman cornerback Okoro for most of the game and had Donald Bowens open on a post route on first-and-10 from the Wake Forest 29-yard line. But Wilson’s throw sailed over Bowens, allowing Okoro to hustle back and pluck the ball out of the air in the end zone.

"I don’t really know (what happened), to be honest with you,” Wilson said. “I got hit. I tried to give him a chance, and we didn’t come up with it. So it’s all right.”

Wake Forest senior quarterback Riley Skinner outdueled Wilson, throwing for 361 yards and three touchdowns despite intense pressure from the Wolfpack’s overwhelming defensive front. Willie Young sacked Skinner three times, causing a fumble on the second play from scrimmage that led to the game’s first touchdown.

Cash added two of N.C. State’s six sacks. But on third-and-23 from the Wolfpack 25 in the fourth quarter, Skinner zinged a scoring pass to Chris Givens on a post route to extend the Wake Forest lead to 27-17.

After Wilson couldn’t match Skinner late, the Wolfpack lost in Winston-Salem for the fourth straight time. Senior running back Toney Baker – who lost a fumble in the second quarter - called the loss “devastating” because of N.C. State’s mistakes.

O’Brien, who’d called the Wolfpack a “bad” football team the week before because of mistakes in a come-from-behind win over Pittsburgh, was disappointed again.

"We continue to self destruct,” O’Brien said. “We have to (correct) that on the practice field. We’ve got to do that with coaching. And some guys have to grow up, too. Some of it’s youth, and that’s no excuse. But they’d better grow up. Fast. Or we’ll have a long season.”

Wake Forest, which was coming off a devastating loss of its own, was facing a long season until Adams caught the ball and made sure he reached the first down marker. The Deacons had lost in overtime at Boston College the previous week.

Winning helped them avoid an 0-2 ACC start and gave Adams a reason to stand tall when he returns to his hometown.

"I think that’s self-explanatory,” Adams said. “I don’t have to talk too much about that, because I’m from that area. It means a lot to beat these guys, of course, for our team, overall.”

Ken Tysiac

Skinner leads Wake past Pack, 30-24

WINSTON-SALEM - Riley Skinner threw three touchdown passes – two to wideout Marshall Williams – as Wake Forest edged N.C. State 30-24 on Saturday at BB&T Field.

Wake Forest cornerback Kenny Okoro intercepted N.C. State’s Russell Wilson in the end zone with 2:02 remaining to preserve the lead.

N.C. State had a chance to get the ball back, but running back Josh Adams broke four tackle attempts on third down before to get the Deacons a new set of down and allow Wake Forest to run out the clock.

Skinner finished the day 31-for-45 for 361 yards and three touchdowns with a pair of interceptions.

The teams combined for five turnovers in a sloppy first half that ended with Wake Forest ahead 13-10. N.C. State committed seven penalties for 80 yards in the first half, including personal fouls on Natanu Mageo and J.R. Sweezy that led to a Deacons’ go-ahead field goal with 16 seconds remaining in the half.

Wake Forest stretched that lead to 20-10 on an 11-yard pass from Skinner to Williams.

Wilson’s Football Bowl Subdivision-record streak of passes without an interception ended at 379 in the second quarter. Cornerback Josh Bush intercepted Wilson when he threw deep into double coverage with the Wolfpack facing first-and-35.

Wilson hadn’t been intercepted since a game at Clemson on Sept. 13, 2008. He was 20-for-43 for 275 yards with two touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown, but threw two interceptions.

With three touchdown passes, Skinner broke the Wake Forest school record of 45 career scoring passes.

The Deacons improved to 3-2, 1-1 in the ACC. N.C. State (3-2) lost its ACC opener.

-- Ken Tysiac

Wake picks off Pack with 2:02 left, up 6

Wake Forest cornerback Kenny Okoro intercepted Russell Wilson in the end zone with 2:02 remaining in the 4th quarter.

Wake leads 30-24.

N.C. State has three timeouts left.

Wake up 6 after Pack goal-line stand

A goal-line stand by NCSU has set up an interesting finish at Wake Forest.

After facing first-and-goal from its 1, the Pack held Wake Forest to a 20-yard field goal by Jimmy Newman with 4:44 left 4Q. Wake leads 30-24.

-- Ken Tysiac

Penalty leads to Pack TD

A personal foul on Wake's Boo Williams after a third-down incompletion gave NCSU new life.

On the next play, Russell Wilson passed 5 yards to Toney Baker for a TD. Wake 27, NCSU 24.

-- Ken Tysiac

Skinner strikes for Wake

Riley Skinner made the best of a bad situation with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Chris Givens with 10:05 left 4Q to stretch Wake Forest's lead over NCSU to 27-17.

The scoring pass came on third-and-23. Skinner has 45 career touchdown passes, a school record.

-- Ken Tysiac

At end of 3, Wake leads N.C. State, 20-17

A pair of Riley Skinner touchdown passes to Marshall Williams have Wake Forest ahead of NCSU 20-17 at the end of the third quarter.

The Pack has sacked Skinner six times.

-- Ken Tysiac

Pack vs. Wake: In their own words

Tom O'Brien explains the direction of N.C. State's offense and Leroy Burgess talks about facing Wake Forest's defense in some of the best quotes from this week.

N.C. State visits Wake Forest at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, and these quotes were worth sharing before deleting the files to clear memory space on the digital recorder:

"I just put the ball where I think guys can go get it. And I just hope they get it, pretty much." - Quarterback Russell Wilson on the catch Jamelle Eugene made to steal an interception away from a Pittsburgh defender last week.

"I think I got two (blindside hits) before it woke me up a little bit. . . .It was my first year coming in playing, and I was a little antsy, I guess you could say a little juiced up, not reading my keys and wanting to make a play." - Defensive tackle Leroy Burgess, on facing Wake Forest's complicated misdirection plays last year.

"I would consider it an advantage (having played the first four games at home). We know how we’re going to play at home. We’re 3-1 now. The crowd’s backing us up good. There’s a buzz about us. Us playing at home gave us, we kind of came together and there wasn’t as much pressure playing at home as playing on the road." - Tight end George Bryan

"We have to play the way we play. Right now we're a little more of a throwing football team than we've been in the past. We're more of a spread the field to get guys on the field. . . .One of the strengths of our offense is the quarterback and the wide receivers, so we have to keep them involved in the game. You look at coming in we weren't sure what we had in Toney Baker and (Jamelle) Eugene's missed a couple games cause of injury so we've been a little banged up there. The more the backs get healthy and the more we get a little better up front, we are improving a little bit on the offensive line, we finally got it back intact this game, maybe we'll be able to start running the ball a little more." - Coach Tom O'Brien on N.C. State's offense

"He’s a good guy first and foremost. But he’s a tough, hard-nosed football coach. He’s a guy that gets his kids to play every Saturday. It’s a no non-sense approach. They block and tackle. There’s not a lot of frills involved. He’s just a good fundamental football coach. His record proves he’s an awful good football coach. - Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe on Tom O'Brien

UNC begins sales phase for Kenan expansion

North Carolina football spokesman Kevin Best was in the Kenan Football Center suites last week beyond the west end zone at the stadium, explaining that players use them for study periods during the week because the school's student academic enrichment center is so cramped.

School officials are determined to solve that space problem, announcing Friday that the public sales phase for the planned Student-Athlete Center for Excellence - and more suites and club seats - will begin Saturday.

Located just beyond the east end zone at Kenan Stadium, the expansion is scheduled to include:

・The academic support center for athletes.

・The Carolina Leadership Academy.

・A strength and conditioning center for the school's Olympic sports program.

・Locker rooms for visiting teams.

・Club seats and individual suites for football games.

Though the premium seats are the last item listed in the school's news release, they are a vital part of the project. Plans call for sales of the club seats and suites to pay for most of the project even though they account for less than half its cost, according to the school.

The project is expected to cost $70 million to $85 million. The Board of Trustees and university administration must approve the project after the necessary private funding is secured.

"Kenan Stadium is a campus treasure, but it was built more than 80 years ago and we have been studying plans for the last decade to modernize the facility, improve the fan experience and provide better academic support for our student-athletes," North Carolina athletic director Dick Baddour said in a statement.

Baddour said the revenue from club seats and suites will help the school fund the athletic program over the next 30 years.

The academic center will measure 30,000 square feet and will triple the size of the one that opened 23 years ago.

"We are in need of a bigger facility to provide academic counseling, support and programming," said John Blanchard, senior associate director of athletics for student-athlete services.

Beyond the east end zone, the school plans to build 1,986 club seats a few feet from the field, 924 on the fourth floor and a total of 320 seats in 20 suites on the fifth floor.

The project will add 3,230 seats to the stadium's capacity.

Ken Tysiac

Pack's Spencer cleared for Wake Forest

N.C. State starting wide receiver Owen Spencer has been medically cleared for Saturday's game with Wake Forest, according to the injury report released Thursday evening by the school.

Spencer suffered a concussion on Sept. 19 against Gardner-Webb and missed last week's game against Pittsburgh as a result.

Ryan Cheek, a reserve offensive lineman, also has been cleared. He returns from a hip injury.

Ken Tysiac