By Brian Murphy, WRAL

NC State Wolfpack	35
North Carolina Tar Heels	30
ACC Network | 4th – 00:25

Chapel Hill, N.C. — North Carolina and NC State appear headed for another thrilling finish in head coach Mack Brown’s final game with the Tar Heels.

UNC took the lead 30-29 with 1:51 remaining on a 47-yard catch and run from running back Omarion Hampton. The second half has featured big plays on both sides as the rivals have swapped scores at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill.

NC State grabbed a 26-23 lead with 8:01 left in the fourth quarter on a touchdown pass from C.J. Bailey to receiver K.C. Concepcion, but the extra point kick failed. NC State extended the edge to 29-23, but Hampton took three touches 75 yards to retake the lead for UNC.

UNC had taken a 23-20 lead in the fourth quarter on a field goal by Noah Burnette that hit the right upright, part of an eventful day for the kicker. NC State knotted the game at 20 on a 14-yard pass from quarterback C.J. Bailey to tight end Justin Joly. It came after the Tar Heels took the lead on a 50-yard touchdown pass from Jacolby Criswell to Chris Culliver.

It was UNC’s second long touchdown of the quarter. Omarion Hampton had a 75-yard touchdown run earlier in the quarter. NC State, which led 7-6 at halftime, got two field goals from Kanoah Vinesett in the quarter before the Joly touchdown grab.

The Tar Heels are trying to snap a three-game losing streak in the rivalry. NC State (5-6) needs a victory to become bowl eligible.

Brown, the winningest coach in program history, was fired Monday, hours after publicly stating his intention to return for a seventh season in his second stint with UNC.

Running back Hollywood Smothers scored on a 2-yard run for the Wolfpack to open the scoring.

NC State got the ball at the UNC 11 after a sack and forced fumble by Davin Vann was recovered by Sean Brown. UNC committed a pass interference penalty in the end zone, giving NC State the ball at the 2. Smothers scored on the next play.

The Tar Heels finally got on the scoreboard in the second quarter on a 17-yard catch and run from Jacolby Criswell to J.J. Jones. Jones was wearing No. 13 in honor of wide receiver Tylee Craft, who died earlier this season after a two-plus year battle with cancer.

The drive was extended by a NC State pass interference call on fourth-and-3 from the Wolfpack 31. Burnette missed the extra-point attempt — his first miss of the season and UNC’s first attempt since 2022.

Burnette missed a 43-yard field goal attempt late in the second quarter. It was his sixth miss of the season. He is 14 of 20 on the year.

UNC defensive end Kaimon Rucker, who missed four games earlier in the season, left the field with an apparent leg injury earlier in the first quarter. Rucker was injured on a low block by NC State guard Timothy McKay. He was ruled out for the rest of the game.

NC State cornerback Brandon Cisse was ruled out for the rest of the game with an upper-body injury after a late hit by UNC left tackle Howard Sampson.

“We can’t let the emotions get the best of us,” NC State coach Dave Doeren said during a halftime interview on the ACC Network. “There’s been some cheap stuff going on. We need to play football. It’s about executing. It’s not about that stuff.”

Scoring summary

First quarter

NCSU — Hollywood Smothers 2 run (Kanoah Vinesett kick), 2:50. Drive: 1 play, 11 yards, 0:10. Key play: NC State’s Davin Vann sacked UNC QB Jacolby Criswell and forced a fumble that was recovered by NC State’s Sean Brown. NC State 7, UNC 0.

Second quarter

UNC — J.J. Jones 17 pass from Jacolby Criswell (kick failed), 7:49. Drive: 11 plays, 70 yards, 5:41. Key play: On fourth-and-3 from the Wolfpack 31, NC State committed a pass interference penalty, giving the Tar Heels a first down. NC State 7, UNC 6.

Third quarter

NCSU — Vinesett 41 field goal, 10:01. Drive: 8 plays, 36 yards, 4:06. Key play: NC State rushed six straight times on the drive before quarterback CJ Bailey was sacked, leading to the field goal attempt. NC State 10, UNC 6.

UNC — Omarion Hampton 75 run (Burnette kick). Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:11. Key play: Hampton went untouched through the line and raced to the end zone. Hampton has rushed for more than 1,500 yards in back-to-back seasons. It was his 15th rushing touchdown of the year, matching his total from 2023. UNC 13, NC State 10.

NCSU — Vinesett 40 field goal, 5:46. Drive: 7 plays, 54 yards, 3:58. UNC 13, NC State 13.

UNC — Chris Culliver 50 pass from Criswell (Burnette kick), 2:19. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:27. Key plays: UNC converted on fourth-and-1 and third-and-17 on the drive. UNC 20, NC State 13.

Fourth quarter

NCSU — Justin Joly 14 pass from C.J. Bailey (Vinesett kick), 14:15. Drive: 6 plays, 69 yards, 2:59. Key plays: Smothers accounted for 46 yards on the first three plays of the drive. UNC 20, NC State 20.

UNC — Burnette 25 field goal, 12:29. Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards, 1:39. Key plays: Culliver’s 46-yard catch moved the Tar Heels to the NC State 13. UNC 23, NC State 20.

NCSU — Kevin Concepcion 13 pass from Bailey (kick failed), 8:01. Drive: 7 plays, 69 yards, 4:20. Key plays: The Wolfpack started the drive with consecutive 21-yard gains. NC State 26, UNC 23.

Pregame

North Carolina’s Mack Brown, the winningest coach in program history, will coach his final game for the Tar Heels on Saturday in Chapel Hill against rival NC State.

Brown was fired Monday, hours after publicly stating his intention to return for a seventh season in his second stint with UNC.

The 73-year-old Brown, who coached 10 seasons at UNC during his first stint, had three years remaining on his contract.

“While this was not the perfect time and way in which I imagined going out, no time will ever be the perfect time,” Brown said in a statement.

The Tar Heels (6-5) are bowl eligible, but Brown will not coach the team in the bowl game. The program’s dismal performances against James Madison and Boston College and general inconsistency prompted the move despite Brown’s 44-32 overall record and six consecutive bowl appearances since returning.

NC State (5-6) needs a win to become bowl eligible, a disappointing position given the Wolfpack’s high preseason expectations that included talk of an ACC title and a berth in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

“I wish I was in the conversation,” NC State coach Dave Doeren said earlier this week. “We didn’t earn the right to be this year,”

NC State has won three straight in the rivalry, including a 39-20 blowout last season in Raleigh after which Doeren called the Tar Heels “pieces of s—” a postgame locker room speech aired on the ACC Network. He apologized for the comments.

“I don’t treat it as a normal game. Rivalry games are different,” Doeren said. “They’re the same in that you go out in your practice and you have to execute. But, to me, there is more on the line when you’re playing a game against your rival. And they are emotional.”

Source: wralsportsfan.com