A gritty defense, gutsy decisions, and a couple of special bounces helped NC State beat Florida State, 21-11, under the Friday night lights at Carter-Finley Stadium.<\/p>\n
On Military Appreciation night, the first salute goes to a Wolfpack defense that held the Seminoles to 25 points under their scoring average.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“We felt like we haven’t put a full game together as a defense, and I feel like we did that tonight.” Caden Fordham<\/a> said. The senior linebacker posted 15 tackles against the program his dad played for.\u00a0<\/p>\n Florida State’s first drive was indicative of what was to come defensively.<\/p>\n The Noles tried to strike deep on the first and sixth offensive plays, but both passes were broken up by senior cornerback Devon Marshall<\/a>. He ended the opening drive with a red-zone interception.<\/p>\n Marshall continued his stellar play throughout the game, registering six pass breakups and two interceptions. He was matched up on 6’6″ star receiver Duce Robinson, who didn’t make a catch until the fourth quarter. It was a matchup that was born from the week’s practice.\u00a0<\/p>\n “We made a decision to try to get him matched up on number zero [Robinson] as much as we could,” head coach Dave Doeren<\/a> said. “We felt like that was our best chance against that kid, and [Devon] rose to the occasion.”<\/p>\n “That’s their guy, so I knew they weren’t going to stop throwing him the ball,” Marshall added. “I was just ready for the ball, really every single time I was guarding him. I knew I was hot.”<\/p>\n A second salute goes to the coaching staff that made some bold and aggressive decisions.\u00a0<\/p>\n On the first possession of the third quarter, the Pack lined up to punt on 4th-and-1. But punter Caden Noonkester<\/a> split wide to the right and quarterback Will Wilson<\/a> rushed up the middle for the first down.<\/p>\n It was part of a 15-play, 79-yard drive that saw Wilson carry it seven times for 27 yards. He capped the drive with a one-yard score to put the Pack up, 14-3, midway through the third quarter.<\/p>\n With a three-point lead late in the fourth quarter, the Pack staff played poker, initially sending the field goal unit on for a 29-yard field goal. An attempt to draw the Noles offsides didn’t work, so Dave Doeren<\/a> called a timeout and contemplated what to do on 4th and 6.<\/p>\n “Scared money can’t make money,” Doeren said after the game. “You get in a game like that, and you’ve got to be aggressive.”<\/p>\n The offense took the field with an eye on nailing this one down. CJ Bailey<\/a> went up top in the left corner of the end zone to Justin Joly<\/a>. The high school basketball star grabbed the pass like a rebound, keeping the ball away from the defender. The result? Touchdown Wolfpack and a 21-11 lead.<\/p>\n That fourth quarter touchdown came after Florida State fumbled away a punt at the 16-yard line. It was the second muffed punt by the Seminoles in the quarter and the first one goes into the category of disbelief.\u00a0<\/p>\n