RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN/AP) — North Carolina State University rallied in the second half to win 30-20 against Louisana Tech Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh after the Wolfpack’s starting quarterback was forced out by an injury just before halftime.
Grayson McCall was injured with 2:41 left in the second quarter and went to the locker room. True freshman CJ Bailey from Miami replaced McCall, whose type of injury was not revealed.
CBS 17 sports reporter Jordan Crammer reported McCall would be out of the rest of the Louisiana Tech game, which the Wolfpack was losing 17-6 at halftime. He was 9-for-13 for 54 passing yards and posted a team-high 22 rushing yards at the time of his exit.
In the second half, the Wolfpack (2-1) came out hot, scoring 14 points in the third quarter against Louisana Tech and another 10 in the fourth.
Bailey ran for a 1-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter as the Wolfpack finally gained command of the game. Bailey threw for 156 yards in two-plus quarters.
DK Kaufman sparked the comeback by going 33 yards for a touchdown on an interception in the opening minute of the second half. Kanoah Vinesett kicked field goals of 39, 35 and 52 yards for N.C. State (2-1), which eventually bounced back from a lopsided loss a week earlier to then-No. 14 Tennessee.
The Wolfpack went ahead on Kendrick Raphael’s 3-yard run to complete an 8-minute, 11-second drive in the third quarter. The Bulldogs pulled even on Buck Buchanan’s 20-yard field goal before Vinesett’s long boot and Bailey’s TD run.
Louisiana Tech quarterback Jack Turner completed 19 of 36 passes for 281 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Tru Edwards had 148 receiving yards on four catches.
The Bulldogs (1-1) scored 17 points in the final three minutes of the first half. It began with Donerio Davenport’s 5-yard run and then Edwards’ 75-yard catch-and-run from Turner.
Then Bailey was picked off by Kolbe Fields, and the Bulldogs ended up with Buck Buchanan’s career-long 57-yard field goal for a 17-6 halftime lead.
N.C. State scored first shortly after linebacker Caden Fordham’s fumble recovery.
Kauffman is in his first year with the Wolfpack after playing for Southeastern Conference teams Vanderbilt (2020) and Auburn (2021-23).
McCall, a Coastal Carolina transfer faces big expectations this season but struggled (15 of 22, 104 yards passing with an interception) during N.C. State’s 51-10 loss last weekend against the Tennessee Volunteers. N.C. State was 1-1 heading into Saturday’s home game.
McCall’s stats included a back-breaking pick-6 late in the first half of the Tennessee game.
There are multiple concerns after the Wolfpack’s first two games but the lack of anything consistent on the ground stands out.
N.C. State struggled for three quarters of the opener against FCS program Western Carolina, including twice being stopped on fourth-and-1 run plays. Then came a 39-yard effort on 28 attempts against Tennessee, with Duke transfer Jordan Waters running seven times for minus-4 yards.
McCall was considered one of the country’s top pick-ups in the transfer portal during the last offseason after playing parts of five seasons for Coastal Carolina.
True freshman CJ Bailey from Miami replaced McCall.
Coach Dave Doeren said adjustments include having run plays that get “vertical” quicker instead of running laterally toward the line of scrimmage.