A 15-play 72-yard drive at the end of the fourth quarter turned a two-point game into a nine-point game with 7:24 minutes off the clock as Kansas State took a 28–19 lead with 2:45 remaining . That score proved to be the difference as the Wolfpack could not overcome the deficit.
Brennan Armstrong Was 14-28 and 164 yards and one INT. On the ground, Armstrong ran for 121 yards on 17 attempts and one touchdown. Armstrong became the first 100-yard runner this season and finished with the most rushing yards in a season by an NC State QB with 665 yards.
ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year, Casey Concepcion, led the Wolfpack with seven receptions for 72 yards. He finished his freshman season 114 yards short of the NC State freshman receiving record.
Kansas State was led by RB DJ Giddens, who had 152 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Avery Johnson was 14-31 for 178 yards and two touchdowns.
Despite allowing 21 points in the first half, the Wolfpack defense was strong in the second half, allowing only a late touchdown. sean brown And shaihem battle Each had seven tackles to lead the defense.
Kansas State struggled on third down, going 4-15, but went 4-4 on fourth down en route to 436 yards of offense compared to the Wolfpack’s 399 total yards.
The Wolfpack found themselves down early as Kansas State took the opening drive 75 yards on six plays, converting fourth-and-five into a 37-yard touchdown. Giddens passed for all 75 yards for Kansas State on his opening drive.
NC State took it inside the red zone but could not score any points as the Wildcats got a fourth down stop to get the ball back.
The NC State defense wanted to get off the field after three downs, but Kansas State ran a fake punt that went 30 yards into Wolfpack territory, which they later capitalized on with another Giddens touchdown.
The Wolfpack’s leading rusher got NC State on the scoreboard as Armstrong went untouched on a 31-yard run, making the score 14–7.
As the first half ended, both teams put points on the board as Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson ran for 19 yards. The Wolfpack led 21–7 as time expired. brayden nerves Kicking a 26-yard field goal.
As the second half ended, the Wolfpack took the lead by getting three points on the board to start the third quarter and Narveson kicked a 49-yard field goal to make it a one-possession game at 21–13.
Narveson proceeded to attempt his third field goal of the day, but missed by a narrow margin from 52 yards out, making it 21–13 in favor of Kansas State.
The Wolfpack reached into their bag of tricks and ran a fake punt of their own as the straight snap trent penix, who went 60 yards into the endzone to make it a two-point game. The ensuing two-point conversion was unsuccessful and the score remained 21–19. This was the longest run of Penix’s career.
NC State is one of only five teams in the Power 5 to have won eight or more games in each of the last four seasons. The Wolfpack finished the 2023 season at 9–4.
