NC State scores 27 unanswered points to beat Marshall, 37-20

That was tenuous for a minute, and while it’s not fair to attribute the results of the week prior to the week in question, sometimes it’s hard to reason otherwise. NC State trailed Marshall 20-10 more than half way through the second quarter before rallying to beat the crud out of the Herd and win 37-20.

Ryan Finley was once again excellent, completing 29 of 36 attempts for 341 yards and three touchdowns. For the second straight week, the ground game wasn’t good, but Finley was there to pace things.

That calming aspect from the offense was needed because State’s defense got off to a really poor start to this game. The defense for the most part shut down Marshall’s rushing game, which was to be anticipated, but breakdowns in both the running game and the passing game cost the team in the first half.

It took a bit for State to find its footing, but once that happened, the night was pretty much over for Marshall. Give the Herd a lot of credit for playing well, and they have a pretty good quarterback, but an under-talented one-dimensional team can only go so far.

There’s not a ton to be thrilled about here if you’re State, but maybe this was a necessary wake-up call. It was definitely a necessary win.