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Football is rarely easy, and NC State has made a habit of falling behind early at home. The Wolfpack scored the initial points Saturday afternoon, but Virginia answered to take the lead—that was pretty much the end of UVA’s day, however. State rolled to a 35-21 victory.
The impressive thing about this win is that Ryan Finley wasn’t particularly good—but his receivers were. Emeka Emezie stole a couple of interceptions from UVA defenders in the first half, and one of those was for a touchdown.
But Finley also proved that you cannot just sit back and hope he’s bad for 60 minutes. His touchdown throw to Cary Angeline late in the second quarter showed you exactly how good he can be.
NC State took a 20-7 lead into the break, then forged ahead 27-7 before the Cavs fought back. It was mostly academic in the second half, which is what you’re lookin’ for, especially against a league foe.
When Virginia got buried into passing downs, it was doomed. And the Cavs have a really good quarterback—but State also has a really good defense.