RALEIGH — NC State took out its frustration from an opening game loss on Richmond on Friday night.
NC State set school records for total yards and rushing touchdowns in a 73-0 rout of Richmond of the Football Championship Subdivision at Carter-Finley Stadium.
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The Wolfpack's 10 total touchdowns were the most in a game since 1919, and NC State's 73 points were the most in a game since 1936. NC State had 734 total yards, including 428 rushing yards, and eight rushing touchdowns against Richmond.
“We definitely needed some momentum in the locker room, to just get our confidence back,” senior cornerback Brian Nelson II said. “We know we are a great team. We know that we’re really good and it’s just a matter of believing that throughout the whole season and also getting other people to realize we have something special in this program.”
Quarterback Will Wilson has three rushing scores, running back Duke Scott has two, quarterback CJ Bailey and running backs Davion Gause and Dylan McCory had one rushing touchdown. Bailey and Wilson also threw for one touchdown each in the commanding victory.
Coming off a 34-8 loss to Virginia on Aug. 29, a loss that head coach Dave Doeren called “a reality check”, NC State got just the start it was looking for Friday, scoring four touchdowns in the first 20 minutes of game action against Richmond.
“Everybody sat in there after underachieving two weeks ago and had a tough pill to swallow and 14 days to have to eat it,” Doeren said. “Did a great job. That’s what you want. You want a response.”
The Wolfpack needed just five offensive plays to find the end zone twice. Gause, a transfer from North Carolina, scored on his first rushing attempt with the Wolfpack, a 19-yard touchdown to cap a four-play scoring drive on the first possession. Then Scott took the first play of NC State’s next drive 65 yards for another score.
Later in the quarter, the Wolfpack marched 86 yards and scored on a 7-yard touchdown run by Scott. Scott had six carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter.
After a Richmond fumble, NC State capitalized again. Bailey capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run — the fourth rushing touchdown of the night for the Wolfpack.
“It was a good feeling, good to get that taste out of our mouths from last week,” wide receiver Keenan Jackson said.
But a storm brought heavy rains and lightning to the Carter-Finley Stadium area delaying the game with 11:33 left in the second quarter. The delay lasted for nearly 90 minutes and the teams didn't have a halftime. Jackson said the team was “juiced up” in the locker room, playing music and singing during the extended break.
And the delay did little to stop the offensive onslaught. After the delay, Wilson scored a 1-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 35-0. He added two more rushing scores and then a passing touchdown to extend the lead to 63-0. Kanoah Vinesett added a 45-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, which was shortened to 10 minutes. McCoy broke off a 51-yard run to cap the scoring in the final two minutes.
“We did what we were supposed to do,” Doeren said. “We dominated the line of scrimmage. Guys took care of the football. Defense got the ball back. It was a dominant performance in every phase.”
The NC State defense held Richmond to 110 yards of total offense and just six first downs in the game. Richmond (2-1) had two turnovers in the game.
NC State used soccer player Drew Lovelace as its kickoff specialist due to an injury to Nick Konieczynski. Lovelace didn’t know how to put on a helmet two weeks ago, Doeren said, but showed what he could do during practice.
“Proud of that kid,” Doeren said. “This guy played in the national championship in soccer last year. He’s been in big games, so you knew he’d have poise and competitive spirit.”
Starting center Spike Sowell didn’t play after the lightning delay. He was replaced at center by Teague Andersen, who saw his first game reps at the position.
The Wolfpack wore special black camo “Wolfpack Warrior” jerseys to commemorate the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. NC State coach Dave Doeren said earlier this week that his father had a ticket to be on one of the flights that crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, but missed the flight because his transportation to the airport never showed up.