RALEIGH, N.C. — Demond Claiborne ran 3 yards with 1:01 remaining for his third touchdown and Wake Forest overcome a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to defeat NC State 34-30 on Saturday.
Claiborne ran for 136 yards on 20 carries with two rushing TDs and one scoring catch. Hank Bachmeier threw two touchdown passes as Wake Forest (2-3, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) snapped a three-game losing streak.
The Demon Deacons converted two fourth-down plays on a 13-play, 65-yard winning drive. Branson Combs intercepted a pass on NC State’s next possession to seal the outcome.
CJ Bailey threw two touchdown passes in relief, but NC State (3-3, 0-2) remained without back-to-back wins this year. The Wolfpack lost starting quarterback Grayson McCall as he absorbed a vicious hit in the first quarter and was carted off the field.
It was the second time this year that Bailey replaced McCall, but this time he couldn’t steer the Wolfpack to a comeback victory like he did Sept. 14 against Louisiana Tech.
Wake Forest cut into a 30-20 hole when Claiborne ran 32 yards for a touchdown with 8:43 to play.
Wake Forest’s Evan Slocum returned the fumble 88 yards to the N.C. State 2-yard line on the play where McCall was injured. The Demon Deacons converted on Bachmeier’s 3-yard toss to Claiborne for a 10-0 lead a little more than six minutes into the game.
McCall scrambled for a gain of about 9 yards before he was hit by multiple Wake Forest defenders including Quincy Bryant, Dylan Hazen and Nick Andersen. While players headed to the other end of the field in pursuit of Wake Forest’s fumble return, NC State medical personnel rushed onto the field as play continued.
McCall, who hadn’t played since exiting with a first-half injury against Louisiana Tech, is in his first season with the Wolfpack after transferring from Coastal Carolina, where he had a record-setting career. He lifted his head briefly when he was on the cart.
McCall, whose injury last month was unspecified but who has a concussion history, was back as the first-string quarterback on Saturday.
Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons didn’t flinch despite a series of frustrating losses, including close defeats to Virginia and Louisiana. Balanced offense certainly helped with 161 rushing yards and 154 yards in the air.
NC State: The Wolfpack suffered its first loss at home this season. This result marked only the second time in Wake Forest’s last nine visits that NC State lost. The Wolfpack led in numerous statistical categories, including compiling 419 yards of total offense and converting on more than half of their third-down situations.
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