NC State football falls to Maryland in field goal-filled Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte
N.C. State coach Dave Doeren twice doffed his black cap to Wolfpack fans behind the bench Friday, then flashed the Wolfpack hand sign, pinching his fingers together.
Doeren was saluting the fans who came to Bank of America Stadium for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, but that was before the game, not a victory salute.
Maryland, once a big football nemesis for the Pack in the ACC, punched out a 16-12 victory over before a crowd of 37,228 to give the Big Ten a victory.
A season that began with the Pack aspiring to big things — to winning the school’s first ACC title since 1979 — ended with an 8-5 record. It ended on an overcast day, in a game with seven field goals and one touchdown, with more mistakes than drama.
Ben Finley started at quarterback for the No. 23 Wolfpack, but there would be no repeat of his surprising let-it-sling passing performance in beating North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The Terps (8-5) did not allow the Pack to run and the Wolfpack receivers could not get enough separation to give Finley enough good targets.
“I obviously didn’t do what it took to win that game,” a dejected Finley said. “As on offense, we struggled. A lot of times, we weren’t always on the same page ... and I take full responsibility for that”
Christopher Dunn, the 2022 Lou Groza Award winner as the country’s best kicker, did his job for N.C. State, tying the bowl record with four field goals and setting an NCAA career record (97). The Wolfpack defense, so stout all season, made some punishing hits, twice stopping Maryland fourth-down plays in the opening half.
But the Terrapins made more offensive plays than the Pack, including Tualia Tagovailoa’s 19-yard touchdown throw to Octavian Smith Jr. in the first half. Chad Ryland, like the Pack’s Dunn, made all his kicks.
The Pack pulled within 13-12 with 9:23 left in the fourth quarter on Dunn’s fourth field goal of the game. That came after a leaping interception by Rakeim Ashford, a junior safety who has been used on special teams most of the season.
The Wolfpack needed another stop, but Tagovailoa’s 30-yard pass to tight end Corey Dyches on third down was the big play the Terrapins needed at that point. Ryland’s third field goal, from 45 yards, pushed the Maryland lead to 16-12 with 5:36 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Pack’s last possession ended with cornerback Jakorian Bennett picking off a Finley pass at the Maryland 49 with 2:28 remaining.
Doeren said despite a “myriad” of problems offensively, “We had a chance to win. We got in the fourth quarter and had the football and just didn’t get it done.”
Many expected MJ Morris to start at QB for the Pack, but it was Finley who took all the snaps and was 22-of-48 passing for 269 yards, with two interceptions.
“It was good and bad,” Doeren said of Finley’s play. “I think he rushed some things at times. There were some drops that hurt his numbers. He made some good throws. He battled, made some plays for us.
“He practiced well and I think he had high expectations of how he’d play. I think he would tell you he didn’t meet those.”
Doeren said after the game that Morris, who had not played since a lower-body injury in the Boston College game, experienced some soreness in recent bowl practices.
“We would have loved to have played him,” Doeren said. “He was frustrated, we were frustrated. We felt like it was the best thing for his future not to put him out there in that situation.”
While Dunn was his dependable self with three field goals in the first half, the Pack offense was one-dimensional — N.C. State had 18 rushing yards in the opening half and 27 in the game.
“That was a really hard part for us,” Finley said. “We couldn’t run the ball, couldn’t establish the run game. It’s hard. You can’t get an offense going if you can’t get the run game going.”
“We were playing behind the chains most of the game. Bad penalties, third-and-longs.”
The Wolfpack, trailing 10-3, had first-and-goal at the Maryland 2 in the second quarter after Finley hooked up with tight end Chris Toudle for 22 yards. But the Pack did not attempt a run as Finley had three incompletions and Dunn came in for his second field goal.
“Holding them to field goals saved the day because we weren’t as clean as we wanted to be on offense,” Maryland coach Michael Locksley said.
Tagovailoa, a second-team All-Big Ten selection, did not start Friday -- a “coach’s decision,” Locksley said without elaborating -- but was soon in the game. The Terps also were more efficient on third down against a Wolfpack defense that had been adept at getting off the field on third down.
The game’s only touchdown came on a third-and-14 play from the N.C. State 19. Tagovailoa found Smith on a fade route to the left side of the end zone, with Smith dragging his foot as he fell out of bounds with the ball.
Finley made some good and not-so-good throws in the opening half in passing for 185 yards. Running back Michael Allen left with an injury and wideout Devin Carter, one of the Pack’s stars in the win at North Carolina, has entered the NCAA transfer portal and did not play.
Also missing: offensive coordinator Tim Beck, who left the NCSU program to become head coach at Coastal Carolina.
This story was originally published December 30, 2022 at 3:58 PM with the headline "NC State football falls to Maryland in field goal-filled Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte."
