NC State beats Louisville 31-28 on Kanoah Vinesett’s 28-yard field goal with 5:30 left in the fourth quarter at Carter-Finley Stadium. CJ Bailey completed 24 of 40 passes for 373 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Wolfpack.
Louisville erased a 20-7 deficit with three straight scoring drives spanning the third and fourth quarters. Isaac Brown’s 70-yard touchdown run tied the game at 28 with 12:27 remaining. Brown finished with 125 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Lincoln Kienholz threw for 254 yards and two scores for Louisville.
Key moments: how NC State won it
NC State built a 20-7 lead on Bailey’s 19-yard touchdown pass to Keenan Jackson in the second quarter and a 34-yard strike to Tyran Warren in the third. Louisville answered with touchdowns on three straight possessions: Kienholz’s 38-yard pass to Tre Richardson, Keyjuan Brown’s 1-yard run and Isaac Brown’s 70-yard dash all came within the final 12:27.
Top performers
Bailey completed 24 of 40 passes for 373 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, spreading the ball to six different receivers. Joshisa Trader led NC State with five catches for 92 yards, and Preston Douglas added five receptions for 74 yards. Davion Gause carried 21 times for 69 yards and caught three passes for 45 more. Vinesett went 3-for-3 on field goals, including a 46-yarder, and finished with 11 total points.
For Louisville, Kienholz was efficient, completing 21 of 30 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Isaac Brown’s 125 rushing yards came on just nine carries, a 13.9-yard average, and Richardson caught eight passes for 117 yards and a score. Defensively, T.J. Capers led all players with 12 tackles, and Kaleb Beasley added an interception to go with nine tackles.
What it means
NC State improves to 3-2. Louisville falls to 2-3 after three fumbles lost and allowing 373 passing yards.
Official statistics: ESPN (official league data).
