Syracuse Orange vs NC State Wolfpack Box Score on Nov 20, 2021

Devin Leary threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns, and No. 20 NC State's defense took care of the rest in the Wolfpack's 41-17 victory over visiting Syracuse in an Atlantic Coast Conference game on Saturday in Raleigh, N.C.

Leary went 17-of-24 passing and found nine different receivers, led by Thayer Thomas, who had four receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown, and Christopher Toudle, who had 35 yards and a touchdown on four catches.

Ricky Person rushed for 50 yards and a score on 12 carries as the Wolfpack (8-3, 5-2 ACC) amassed 399 yards of total offense.

Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader struggled against the Wolfpack defense, as he went just 8-for-20 passing for 63 yards and an interception, in addition to being sacked five times. Sean Tucker, who rushed for 105 yards and a score on 13 carries, was the lone bright spot for the Orange (5-6, 2-5), who were held to 236 yards of total offense.

After a scoreless first quarter, Person's 15-yard touchdown run capped a four-play, 75-yard drive that gave the Wolfpack a 7-0 lead with 6:14 left in the quarter. NC State doubled its lead less than a minute later, when linebacker Drake Thomas stepped in front of Shrader's pass and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown with 5:25 left in the half.

Syracuse trimmed the lead to 14-7 when Tucker raced 55 yards into the end zone to cap a four-play, 65-yard drive with 3:16 left. However, NC State regained its two-touchdown lead 15 seconds later when Zonovan Knight returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a score with 3:01 left in the quarter.

NC State extended its lead to 28-7 when Leary threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Toudle with eight seconds left in the first half.

The Wolfpack pushed their lead to 31-7 on Chris Dunn's 37-yard field goal less than five minutes into the second half before Syracuse countered with Andre Szmyt's 45-yard field goal with 6:41 left in the quarter.

Leary extended the lead to 38-10 with an eight-yard touchdown strike to Thomas that capped an eight-play, 65-yard drive with 2:15 left in the third quarter.

Shrader pulled the Orange to within 38-17 on a 48-yard run with 8:45 remaining in the game before NC State capped the scoring on Dunn's 21-yard field goal with less than four minutes left.

--Field Level Media