RALEIGH, N.C. — CJ Bailey scored on the ground and through the air, and North Carolina State defeated visiting Northern Illinois 24-17 on Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Bailey, a true freshman making his second start for the Wolfpack (3-2), completed 13 of 20 passes for 108 yards. He supported a strong defensive effort from N.C. State that forced NIU (2-2) into four crucial turnovers.
Antario Brown paced the Huskies with 114 yards rushing on 28 carries.
Momentum seemed to swing in the Wolfpack’s favor early in the second quarter, when N.C. State safety DK Kaufman reached NIU quarterback Ethan Hampton on a third-down blitz, knocked the ball out of his throwing hand and recovered the fumble for a 2-yard defensive touchdown.
N.C. State’s defense provided another boost in the third quarter when Devin Vann forced Hampton into a fumble that Brandon Cleveland recovered and returned to the 1. Bailey took advantage of the field position, throwing a short touchdown pass to KC Concepcion that pushed N.C. State ahead by two scores.
Trailing by seven with four seconds to play, NIU’s attempt at a game-tying score was stifled when Hampton was intercepted in the end zone by Corey Coley.
The takeaway
N.C. State: The Wolfpack offense played just well enough to complement their stout defense. The Wolfpack didn’t turn the ball over and scored when they reached the red zone. After a demoralizing defeat at Clemson last week, this was a bounce-back victory for N.C. State in its final nonconference game of the season.
NIU: The Huskies haven’t been able to recapture the magic of their Sept. 7 win at Notre Dame. It was NIU’s second consecutive loss and one in which the Huskies struggled to capitalize on offense. The Huskies held the Wolfpack to 1-for-11 on third down and to just 175 yards of total offense, but turnovers and stalled drives doomed NIU’s chances at another signature win.
Up next
N.C. State: The Wolfpack host rival Wake Forest on Saturday.
NIU: UMass visits the Huskies on Saturday.