CJ Bailey threw two touchdown passes and North Carolina State dominated the second half against visiting Cal to begin the post-Dave Doeren era with a 31-10 win in Raleigh, N.C., on Saturday.
NC State, which fired its longtime head coach last Saturday, blew a 10-point lead before halftime before regaining control by scoring 21 unanswered points after halftime in Todd Goebbel’s first game as interim head coach.
Bailey completed 13 of 25 passes for 192 yards, Davion Gause ran for 104 yards and a score, and Chance Robinson had four catches for 76 yards and a TD for the Wolfpack (4-4, 2-3 ACC), who ended a two-game losing streak.
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele was 29-of-45 passing for 196 yards, one TD and one interception and Chase Hendricks caught seven passes for 76 yards for Cal (3-6, 2-4), which lost its third straight game and needs to win out to reach bowl eligibility.
With the game tied 10-10 at halftime, Cal began the second half with a three-and-out before the Wolfpack jumped back in front on a 38-yard pass from Bailey to Robinson. NC State made it 24-10 with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 2-yard run by Darius Johnson, the first of his career, with 11 seconds left in the third quarter.
Gause made it three touchdowns in three second-half drives for NC State on a 6-yard TD run with 9:05 left.
Cal was held to 269 total yards against the Wolfpack defense which entered the game allowing 380 yards per game (12th in ACC).
NC State opened the scoring just four plays and 91 seconds into the game when Bailey connected with Deandre Desinor for a 49-yard touchdown pass. That play alone accounted for nearly half of the Wolfpack’s 108 first-half yards.
Off a short field after a turnover on downs, NC State made it 10-0 with 9:28 left in the half with Kanoah Vinesett’s 43-yard field goal.
Cal immediately responded with a 75-yard touchdown drive, finished by Sagapolutele’s 30-yard TD pass to Hendricks.