Between the beginning of the 2016 football season and the end of the 2018 campaign, NC State played in 10 football games where it was given the opportunity to execute a game-tying or game-winning drive in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter. Eight times it crossed the opponent’s 30 yard line. Seven total points were scored, which contributed to its only victory, a 34-28 win over UNC. State was 1-9 in those games.
For all the successes of those teams, including back-to-back 9-win seasons and an 11-5 ACC record in 17 and 18, it could almost never win the close ones.