RALEIGH, N.C. — NC State’s Devin Leary turned 23 on Saturday, and on the field looked the part of an older, mature, polished quarterback.
Some birthday. The junior passed for four touchdowns and ran for another two as the No. 18 Wolfpack smashed Charleston Southern, 55-3, in the Pack’s home opener at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Leary, cool in the pocket and a man in control, tied the school record for touchdown responsibility in a game with six. Philip Rivers (2002) and Mike Glennon (2011) also had six-TD games in their Wolfpack careers.
The oddsmakers made the Pack a 44.5-point favorite over the Buccaneers from the Big South Conference, and NC State led 38-0 at the half over the FCS team. If Pack coach Dave Doeren had any complaints, it was about six penalties in the opening half.
The Wolfpack came away from a 21-20 victory over East Carolina in its season opener determined to have sounder tackling and be more effective and smoother on offense. The Pack was all of that against the Buccaneers, using a no-huddle offense to set the pace while the defense dialed up constant blitzes to keep the pressure on.
Leary passed for three TDs in the opening half and then quickly added a fourth early in the third quarter. After the Pack recovered a Bucs fumble, he zipped a 27-yard throw to Chris Toudle and took a seat, his day done as Jack Chambers took over at QB.
Leary’s final numbers: 16-of-25 passing for 238 yards. He scored the Pack’s first TD on a 12-yard keeper up the middle late in the first quarter, breaking three tackles and crashing into the end zone for a 10-0 lead, then scored from 2 yards out early in the second.
Leary, protected well, spread the ball around to 10 receivers and the Pack let Jordan Houston, Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, Demarcus Jones and Mimms get some work at running back. Sumo-Karngbaye was the leading rusher with 70 yards on seven carries.
Houston scored on a 24-yard Leary pass, Anthony Smith caught a 40-yarder and Mimms had a 20-yarder late in the first half.
The Wolfpack defense, quick to the ball, smothered the Bucs, who managed a 48-yard field goal in the third quarter after recovering a Mimms fumble. The Bucs could not run, had little success giving quarterback Ross Malmgren time to locate receivers, and converted just once on 14 third-down plays.
The Pack’s Christopher Dunn had field goals of 46 yards in the first quarter — for a 3-0 lead — and 45 yards in the third for a 48-0 lead. Thayer Thomas again was a weapon in the kicking game with punt returns of 38 and 19 yards.
Chambers started at QB for Charleston Southern before transferring to NCSU after last season. He did not play in the ECU game, but had a 10-yard TD throw to slot receiver Jalen Coit early in the fourth Saturday.
M.J. Morris also got in some snaps at quarterback for the Pack in the fourth quarter, the freshman making his first appearance.
