Beck replaced faltering senior Daniel Evans and passed for 246 yards and two touchdowns in a little more than two quarters, lifting the Wolfpack to a 34-24 defeat of William & Mary at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Coach Tom O'Brien quickly quashed any quarterback controversy, proclaiming redshirt freshman Russell Wilson the starter for the Sept. 13 game at Clemson.

Wilson suffered a Grade 3 concussion in the Aug. 28 opener at South Carolina but was cleared to play against William & Mary. In fact, he did play, though only the most astute observer would have spotted him holding for Josh Czajkowski on one extra point.

O'Brien held Wilson out of the game otherwise with the idea of avoiding another concussion that would keep Wilson out for a much longer period. Beck was 17-for-25 passing, but held no unfounded optimism about his chances moving forward.

There's probably something else I did that I don't know about that will get exposed [Sunday] on film," he said, smiling.

Beck's preseason delivered a sobering dose of reality about his hopes of playing a major role with the Wolfpack. He was one of the first two players out of a five-man race for the starting position.

Afterward, O'Brien offered to help Beck and Justin Burke transfer. Burke took him up on the offer, moving on to Louisville.

Beck, a junior who'd already transferred from Nebraska to N.C. State, decided to stay.

"I've got a lot of commitment and a lot of stuff invested here at N.C. State," Beck said. "I felt that opportunity to stay here would be much better for me than if I picked up and left again. If you just keep picking up and leaving, you just never build a foundation."

It was a good thing for N.C. State that Beck decided to stay. Evans, a senior making his 18th start, threw an interception on the third play from scrimmage and was 4-for-11 for 12 yards as N.C. State failed to produce a first down over the first 28 minutes, 40 seconds.

Beck replaced Evans late in the second quarter. Suddenly receivers who couldn't get open for Evans were making plays for Beck. He threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jarvis Williams 34 seconds before halftime to extend the lead to 14-0.

In the third quarter, freshman T.J. Graham raced away from the secondary for a bobbling, 47-yard catch to set up another score.

"One thing about Harrison," O'Brien said, "if you want to get back in the shotgun and throw the ball, he's your guy."

O'Brien said William & Mary blitzed N.C. State on just about every down and sounded concerned that Beck wouldn't fare as well against a defense that sits back in a zone coverage.

There's no doubt that Beck has a tendency to make risky throws. His first touchdown pass was essentially up for grabs, and Williams use his height at 6-foot-4 to make the catch.

Beck also telegraphed a pass that Derek Cox intercepted and returned 45 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, looking at the receiver the whole way. But for a night at least, Beck provided the spark N.C. State needed even though he will be relegated to backup status again next week.

He said he is focusing this season on being consistent with himself and believing in what he can do.

"If you do that, then it doesn't matter what anyone else says," Beck said.

"It doesn't matter what the coaches think. You've just got to be consistent with yourself."

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