No. 24 N.C. State stuns Tar Heels with 2 TDs in 26 seconds

RALEIGH, N.C. — Devin Leary threw two touchdown passes in a 26-second span, with No. 24 North Carolina State recovering an onside kick in between, to stun North Carolina 34-30 on Friday night and remain alive in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Atlantic Division title chase.

With N.C. State down 30-21, Leary found Emeka Emezie on a busted coverage for a 64-yard touchdown strike with 1:33 left. The Wolfpack recovered the onside kick, then Leary threw a 24-yard sideline pass to Emezie with 1:09 remaining.

N.C. State (9-3, 6-2) beat North Carolina (6-6, 3-5) for the first time since 2018 to remain in contention for a trip to the ACC title game. It also officially eliminated sixtime reigning ACC champ Clemson from the Atlantic Division race.

The Wolfpack would reach the title game if No. 21 Wake Forest loses at Boston College on Saturday, creating a three-way tie atop the division that would favor N.C. State by virtue of its division record and win over Clemson.

Leary finished with 247 passing yards and four touchdowns. Sam Howell had three total touchdowns for North Carolina, and running back British Brooks rushed for 124 yards .

The rivalry has rarely been about more than local pride, but the conference implications for the Wolfpack meant an added layer of intrigue for this 2021 iteration.

They jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter but looked dead for much of the night, managing just seven points in the second and third quarters; two touchdowns in 26 seconds changed all that. Follow high school sports coverage at #bestofpreps