NC State dropped its season opener to Carolina 35-28 on Saturday after perpetually lighting itself on fire for a large portion of the game. It started with the first play of the season, when Carolina’s Deebo Samuel returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. It turns out this team is nothing new. It is exactly the same team as last year. A lot of good football players and a lot of very bad and very crucial mistakes.
Finley and the passing attack were actually very sharp in the first half, sending State to the halftime break tied 21-21 despite several mistakes on defense and special teams.