RALEIGH, N.C – The Presbyterian College football team held NC State to only seven points through the first 28 minutes of its road test on Saturday night, but the Wolfpack pulled away for a 42-0 win at Carter-Finley Stadium.
PC moves to 2-2 and will break for a bye week before hosting Western Carolina on Saturday, October 4 at 2 p.m. NC State improves to 4-0 and will host Florida State on Saturday.
The Wolfpack led 7-0 before scoring twice in the final two minutes of the second quarter. The home team added 21 points in the second half en route to the win despite PC holding the ball for 37:46 of game time.
Redshirt freshman running back Darrell Bridges (Rossville, Ga.) set a career high in rush attempts with 17 and led PC with 72 yards on the ground. Heys McMath (Savannah, Ga.) went 15-for-25 for 130 yards, finding Tobi Antigha (Tampa, Fla.) a team-high six times for a game-best 61 yards. McMath also rushed a career-high 10 times.
Defensively, Darius Norfleet (Memphis, Tenn.) registered a sack for PC and Ed Britt (Greensboro, N.C.) led the team with seven tackles. Shonquille Byers (Gaffney, S.C.) also made a season-high five tackles.
Matt Dayes led NC State with 86 rushing yards and a touchdown. Jacoby Brissett went 14-for-21 through the air for 195 yards and three touchdowns. Jerod Fernandez registered a game-high seven tackles.
NC State broke through four and a half minutes into the game. Tony Creecy nearly scored on a 44-yard run on the Wolfpack's first drive, but Britt cut off and brought down the running back on the two-yard line to save a touchdown. The Wolfpack scored two plays later, however, on a short Jacoby Brissett quarterback keeper to lead 7-0 with 10:32 left in the first quarter.
PC forced the Wolfpack to punt on its second drive thanks in part to a key tackle by Donte' Davis (Lithonia, Ga.). Cory White (Anderson, S.C.) made a spectacular leaping pass breakup on NC State's next series to bring up another fourth down.
The Blue Hose posted one of their most successful drives at the end of the first quarter. Bridges broke a big 16-yard run and converted a third down with another 10-yard rush a few plays later. For the first play of the second quarter, McMath found Jeremiah McKie (Simpsonville, S.C.) for a third-down conversion and Bridges continued to push PC into Wolfpack territory. PC found itself facing a fourth and long from the NC State 27 and went for it, but an incomplete pass ended the drive.
Norfleet sacked Brissett from behind with a massive hit to force another Wolfpack punt, which NC State downed at the PC two-yard line.
McMath picked up two first downs—one with his legs before throwing for one—before PC had to punt midway through the second quarter.
NC State moved quickly up the field and scored on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Brissett to Marquez Valdes-Scantling that put the Wolfpack up 14-0 with 1:58 left in the half. A PC fumble—the game's only turnover—gave the Wolfpack the ball back and the home side took advantage immediately, scoring on a 27-yard Matt Dayes touchdown catch. The score gave NC State a 21-0 lead at halftime.
Despite not scoring in the opening half, the Blue Hose held NC State to 0-5 on third downs at the break. PC also outrushed the Wolfpack by halftime, 75 to 69, and held the ball for 20:07 of the first 30 minutes.
NC State struck on the second play after halftime for a 65-yard touchdown pass to Brian Underwood to lead, 28-0.
PC answered with a long drive that ended with a missed field goal. Bridges pounded the rock down the field and McMath found Jordan Hallums (Mauldin, S.C.) for a 33-yard gain that took the Blue Hose within seven yards of the end zone. A holding penalty on the next play backed PC up to the 17 and a field goal that missed right gave NC State the ball back midway through the quarter. The drive went 62 yards on 14 plays and spanned 7:49.
The Wolfpack answered quickly, scoring on a 68-yard Matt Dayes touchdown rush to lead 35-0 with 5:35 to go in the third.
Shadrach Thornton scored on a 33-yard rush to put NC State up 42-0 with 12:41 to go in the game.
Tobi Antigha made two 16-yard leaping catches for in the second half, but the PC offense could not pierce the scoreboard and the final score stood at 42-0.
