2019 NC State Wolfpack Season

Seasons

The **2019 NC State Wolfpack** represents North Carolina State University in the 2019 CFBHC Season. The team is coached by ImposterCauster and plays its home games at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina. They are a member of the Atlantic division of the ACC.

With coach deandean1998 taking the job at Washington, NC State hired Central Michigan head coach and NC State-alumnus ImposterCauster. Coach Causter led the Chippewas to a 6-7 record and an appearance in the New Mexico Bowl in his first season in Mount Pleasant, and Wolfpack faithful hoped that he could do the same with a team that had gone a combined 1-23 over the past two seasons. The Pack opened with a rather daunting game with the Utah Utes in Raleigh, but a strong first performance from true freshman running back Keith Harley and an electrifying punt return by Omari Ruff in the 4th quarter led the Pack to a 35-28 win. Junior quarterback Blake Fry led the Wolfpack to a 31-21 win over eventual C-USA champions Rice, giving State their 2nd win, one more than they had achieved over the past two seasons combined. A 42-0 shellacking in Tallahassee followed, but a 3rd win came when State beat Old Dominion 28-13 in Norfolk. A 3-game losing streak to Indiana, Clemson, and Louisville darkened faint hopes of a bowl appearance in Raleigh, but two gritty defensive performances in a row led to wins over Georgia State and hated rivals North Carolina, raising their record to 5-4. A blowout loss to Heisman-winning QB Dylan Bishop and the Syracuse Orange, followed by a tough loss to defending-ACC Atlantic champs Boston College dropped State to 5-6, meaning that the Pack needed to beat rivals Wake Forest to clinch an unprecedented bowl game birth. Three field goals from Brayden Shafer put the Pack up 9-0 in Winston-Salem, but a screen pass from Hemana Toma to Kyle Palmer went 60 yards for a score, cutting State's lead to two at the half. State spotted Wake two touchdowns in the third before Harley ran into the endzone with three minutes left in the quarter. State trailed 21-16 entering the fourth, and hopes seemed to fade as the offense stalled. Fry broke the silence with a pass in the flat to tight end Dwayne Lawton, who then took it up the sideline for the 20-yard score and the 23-21 lead. Disaster soon struck when Wake drove down the field and hit the go-ahead field goal with 93 seconds remaining, putting Wake up 24-23. Not to be outdone, however, State's offense was able to move the ball to the 24-yard line, setting up Shafer with arguably the biggest kick of his life. A slightly-botched snap did not affect the young kicker, and Shafer sank the kick through the uprights as time expired, giving State the 26-24 win and an unprecedented sixth win of the season.

The Wolfpack were unable to claim a win over rivals East Carolina in the Military Bowl in Annapolis, although State did almost recover from a 31-0 deficit, only to lose 38-28. The six wins achieved over the course of the season was the most since the 2016 season (8 wins and an appearance in the Mile High Bowl).

## Awards

* NC State Offensive Player of the Year
* NC State Freshman of the Year

**Blake Fry** - QB
* NC State MIP (Most Improved Player)

* ACC Defensive Player of the Week (Week 2)

**Isaac Holley** - DT
* NC State Defensive Player of the Year
* 1st Team All-ACC

* ACC Special Teams Player of the Week (Week 1)
* 1st Team All-ACC

**Brayden Shafer** - K
* NC State Special Teams Player of the Year