Pack, Wilson hold off Deacons

RALEIGH -- N.C. State fans filed out of Carter- Finley Stadium smiling in wet ponchos, glad they had stuck around through intermittent rains to see the end of Saturday's 21-17 victory over Wake Forest.

The Wolfpack (4-6, 2-4 ACC) rewarded its fans for braving the inclement weather, rallying from three points down in the fourth quarter with 10 minutes to play and holding off the Demon Deacons' final late-game drive.

Wake junior quarterback Riley Skinner, who somehow -- despite bobbling a snap and completing a pass on an earlier fourth-down play -- had moved his team to State's 25-yard line. On fourth-and-6, with Skinner almost threading a pass for a touchdown on the previous play, the Pack held firm under pressure and defensive lineman Alan-Michael Cash made a shoe-string tackle.

Following a broken play, Cash chased down Skinner and sacked him near the visitor's sideline for a 2-yard loss, forcing a fumble and effectively ending the game. Before jogging off the field, he bounced in place and pointed to the announced crowd of 56,174, reveling in the Pack's second consecutive victory.

"Nobody came over my way, so I just went and got him," Cash said. "It felt great."

The Pack showed strong signs of offensive and defensive life that had eluded it in earlier games, ending Saturday's game with something tangible, something to build on.

"We've played extremely hard from the Boston College game on," N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien said. "We weren't good enough to win those three games but we're starting to get a little better as it goes on. And things are starting to get interesting here."

Interesting in the sense that N.C. State redshirt freshman quarterback Russell Wilson seems to have found his own personal formula for high performance. He orchestrated his team's winning, 69-yard drive, finishing it with an 8-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Anthony Hill with 10:17 remaining in the fourth quarter to put the Pack ahead 21-17.

Though sacked three times, Wilson completed 16 of 33 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown.

N.C. State senior tailback Andre Brown added 14 carries for 66 yards, while the offense gained 301 total yards.

O'Brien said this Pack team has improved as players like Hill have returned from injuries. He also credited the poised decision-making of Wilson, who made his reads, scrambled when necessary and threw the ball away when in trouble.

After the game, Wilson sported a suit like an old jazz musician. On the field and in the huddle, he was cool like one.

"In the beginning I used to say slow down Rus," Brown said. "Why so serious Rus? Calm down Rus. Now he's comfortable. Look at him."

Wilson has now attempted 175 passes without throwing an interception. That ranks second in school history behind Jamie Barnette's record of 179 straight in 1998.

"I'm completely comfortable," Wilson said. "Being out on the field getting experience definitely helps."

He wasn't perfect and had the Pack's only turnover of the game in third quarter when Wake cornerback Alphonso Smith rushed in a forced a fumble.

Wake Forest (6-4, 4-3) capitalized on the fumble when freshman kicker Shane Popham made a 24-yard field goal with 8.9 seconds left in the third quarter. The Deacs led 17-14 with a team pulling ahead for the first since the teams went into halftime tied.

Wilson remained calm after his mistake and returned on State's next drive to lead his team into the end zone.

"I couldn't wait," Wilson said. "When you fumble the ball, everything is on your shoulders almost. The defense had been playing so hard. I didn't want to let anybody down."

Wake Forest players may feel as though they let themselves down, considering the stakes in Saturday's game.

The Deacs entered the contest tied for first in the Atlantic Division with Florida State, while Maryland sat a half-game back. They needed wins over State and Boston College to claim a share of the division title. Still, they have a chance.

To earn a berth in the ACC Championship Game, the Deacs need Maryland, a winner over North Carolina, to lose its final two contests.

They also need to win their final conference game against Boston College on Saturday. To do so, they must find more consistency on offense.

"We felt great at halftime after having a nice drive to tie it up," Wake coach Jim Grobe said. "We had a couple of times where we needed a yard and couldn't get it. ... When you're on the road like we were today, you have to make more plays than we did tonight."

Most of the plays ended up on State's ledger, especially in the second half when the defense stopped the Deacs twice on fourth down.

State yielded 338 passing yards and held the Deacs to 98 yards on the ground. They sacked Skinner four times and swarmed with a newfound confidence players found infectious as they prepare to host North Carolina.

"It gives us great confidence going into this next game," Cash said. "We feel like we can do it. We can take on anybody that wants to play against us."