N.C. State pounds Cincinnati 30-19

RALEIGH -- There were no tired legs when N.C. State was on the field Thursday night.

And aside from Tuffy, the wolf-like Tamaskan dog mascot, nobody on the Wolfpack sideline was panting.

Russell Wilson passed for 333 yards and three touchdowns as N.C. State defeated Cincinnati 30-19 at Carter-Finley Stadium, putting to rest coach Tom O'Brien's concerns about playing just five days after a grueling Saturday night game in the Central Florida heat and humidity.

"To be honest with you, I don't think any of the players were tired," said Wilson, who recovered from a 10-for-30, 105-yard performance at Central Florida. "I don't think they were tired, from the first quarter to the fourth quarter."

The Wolfpack's rejiggered, high-pressure defense continued to show improvement after giving up 31.2 points per game last season, keeping constant pressure in the backfield. Sophomore linebacker Terrell Manning recorded two of N.C. State's five sacks of Cincinnati quarterback Zach Collaros.

In a season that opened with questions about the direction of the N.C. State program after three straight losing seasons under O'Brien, the Wolfpack improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2002.

Freshman Mustafa Greene ran for 84 yards and a touchdown and caught five passes for 54 yards, and senior Jarvis Williams caught four passes for 111 yards to lead the offense.

"That's what we've been preaching, just win games," Williams said. "... We showed people what we're capable of doing, and we'll continue to do that."

Cincinnati (1-2), which was picked to finish in a second-place tie in the Big East in the conference's preseason media poll, fell behind 14-0 as Wilson passed for 154 yards in the first quarter. The Bearcats' fast-paced, no-huddle offense and mobile quarterback Collaros seemed destined to test N.C. State's endurance after the Wolfpack suffered from what O'Brien called "tired legs" late in a 28-21 win at Central Florida.

But N.C. State's defense played every bit as fast as Cincinnati's offense. And on the Wolfpack's second possession, Wilson and offensive coordinator Dana Bible pushed the pace with a no-huddle attack, going 93 yards in nine plays to score on a 16-yard catch by Jay Smith.

On the Wolfpack's next drive, Greene broke loose for a 31-yard touchdown run. Meanwhile, the N.C. State defense, which was allowing the fewest yards per game in the ACC entering the game, continued to shine.

Running back Dean Haynes lost a fumble at the Wolfpack 32-yard-line in the second quarter. Three downs later, the Bearcats had been pushed back to the 35, where they missed a 52-yard field-goal attempt.

Later in the second quarter, Collaros crossed midfield but lost a fumble that was recovered by J.R. Sweezy.

"We're playing fast," Manning said of the defense. "Everybody knows what to do and where we're supposed to be, and we're getting it done."

Cincinnati finally broke through for its first score when Collaros hit D.J. Woods down the middle of the field for a 68-yard scoring pass.

That cut N.C. State's lead to 14-7 with 3 minutes, 12 seconds remaining in the second quarter. But Wilson capped a 72-yard drive with a 12-yard scoring pass to running back Curtis Underwood, and after a missed extra point, the Wolfpack led 20-7 at halftime.

N.C. State stretched the lead to 30-7 midway through the fourth quarter before Cincinnati scored two touchdowns in the final seven minutes.

The benefit of the short preparation time for Cincinnati is that N.C. State gets time to rest and heal over this weekend while Sept. 25 opponent Georgia Tech visits North Carolina on Saturday.

There shouldn't be any tired legs for N.C. State in the future in a season that has become more promising with each passing week.

"We're a better football team," O'Brien said. "... We've grown up and matured. A lot of the things that got us down before don't keep us down."