Finley Leads N.C. State Past No. 17 UNC in 2OT in 1st Start

By BOB SUTTON, Associated Press

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Ben Finley threw for 271 yards and two touchdowns in his first profession start, and North Carolina State held on to beat Drake Maye and No. 17 North Carolina 30-27 on Friday when Noah Burnette duck-hooked a 35-yard field goal try within the second time beyond regulation.

Maye connected with Antoine Green from 4 yards out on the ultimate play of regulation to tie the sport at 24-all, but N.C. State (8-4, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) kept the ACC Coastal Division champion Tar Heels (9-3, 6-2) out of the top zone in the primary time beyond regulation.

Burnette — who also missed from 27 yards within the fourth quarter — made a 26-yarder in the primary OT and the Wolfpack tied it on Christopher Dunn’s 31-yarder. Dunn was good from 21 yards within the second time beyond regulation and N.C. State, which never trailed, held on at hand North Carolina its second straight loss.

Devin Carter had six receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown for the Wolfpack, who snapped a two-game skid and pulled out an exhilarating victory over their in-state rival for the second straight yr.

Political Cartoons

Carter caught Finley’s back-shoulder pass just outside the top zone and backed in for a 26-yard touchdown with 3:54 remaining in regulation for the Wolfpack’s first points of the second half.

Finley became N.C. State’s fourth starting quarterback in a seven-game span. He accomplished 27 of 40 passes for 271 yards.

The Tar Heels and freshman sensation Maye closed the regular season with dispiriting one-score losses to Georgia Tech and the Wolfpack ahead of the ACC title game clash with No. 8 Clemson next Saturday.

Maye finished 29 of 49 for 233 yards, one interception and the tying TD toss on fourth-and-goal to Green, which followed an apparent touchdown catch by John Copenhaver that was overturned on a replay review.

Maye’s 14-yard, third-down scramble with 7:53 to play allowed the Tar Heels to drag even for the primary time since early in the primary quarter.

N.C. State got off to a powerful start. After forcing a North Carolina punt, the Wolfpack needed three plays to attain on Jack Chambers’ 2-yard quarterback keeper.

Finley attached with a diving Terrell Timmons Jr. in the long run zone from 28 yards out, giving Timmons his first profession touchdown early within the second quarter.

Elijah Green’s 9-yard run gave the Tar Heels a lift with 5:03 left within the half. Dunn’s 29-yard field goal on the last play of the half pushed N.C. State’s edge to 17-10.

Dunn broke the ACC scoring record in the primary half along with his second extra point. Within the second half, his 43-yard field goal attempt was wide left, his first miss in 23 probabilities this season.

North Carolina was without starting cornerback Tony Grimes due to an injury. The Tar Heels lost starting safety Cam’Ron Kelly in the primary half and starting cornerback Storm Duck within the second half to game-ending injuries.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack relied on their defense to contain one in all the country’s most explosive offenses. The win was a pleasant consolation prize for a team that began the season 5-1 and looked like a contender within the Atlantic Division.

North Carolina: The Tar Heels weren’t crisp for a lot of the game and still nearly pulled off a comeback for the ages. This can sting, particularly given the failure to attain a touchdown in OT.

North Carolina could drop out of the AP Top 25, though losing in two overtimes might temper the damage.

N.C. State: Awaits a bowl invitation.

North Carolina: Prepares to face Clemson for the ACC title in Charlotte.

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25. Join for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2