North Carolina State vs. East Carolina Game Capsensus

NC State vs. East Carolina score: No. 13 Wolfpack survive after Pirates miss late extra point, field goal

Sat, Sep 3, 2022
NCAAF News (AP)

NC State survived an upset bid from East Carolina on Saturday when Pirates' kicker Owen Daffer missed a 41-yard field goal attempt with five seconds left, allowing the Wolfpack to escape with a 21-20 victory. The dramatic ending capped a horrific day of special teams play for the Pirates, who trailed 21-7 at halftime before staging a second-half comeback.

Daffer also missed a potential game-tying PAT attempt with 2:58 remaining. The sophomore entered the season after earning first-team All-AAC honors for his performance as a redshirt freshman in 2021, which made his late misses all the more stunning. Daffer hit 19 of 23 field goal attempts last season and made 39 of 41 extra-point tries.

But his struggles were just part of the issue on special teams for ECU. NC State fell on a blocked punt in the end zone to surge ahead 14-7 with 1:34 left in the first quarter. NC State added another score before halftime to increase its lead to 14 points.

For much of the second half, NC State remained in control, but the Wolfpack struggled to gain true separation because of issues on offense. A 74-yard drive for NC State ended with a fumble early in the fourth quarter, which left the door open for the Pirates. When running back Rahjai Harris scored a 3-yard touchdown with 2:58 remaining, it seemed the game was about to be tied. But then came the missed extra point and a lot of heartache for ECU's home crowd.

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