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Newman, Wake Forest Upset No. 22 NC State

Late score lifts Demon Deacons to victory

Wake Forest's Matt Colburn II (22) carries the ball as North Carolina State's Dexter Wright (14) looks to make a tackle during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)

By JOEDY

McCREARY

AP Sports Writer

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jamie Newman threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Jack Freudenthal with 30 seconds left to give Wake Forest a 27-23 upset victory over No. 22 North Carolina State on Thursday night.

Making his first career start, Newman was 22 of 33 for 297 yards with three touchdown passes in the second half to help the Demon Deacons (5-5, 2-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) rally from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter. The 19.5-point underdogs earned their first road victory over a Top 25 team in a decade.

Newman threw a 38-yard scoring pass to Alex Bachman before his 19-yard TD to Greg Dortch pulled Wake Forest to 23-20 with 6:07 left.

N.C. State bled nearly 4 1/2 minutes off the clock before its drive stalled at the Wake Forest 20 with 1:39 left. Newman completed 5 of 8 passes on the possession that followed, taking a hit as he connected with a wide-open Freudenthal over the middle for the go-ahead score.

The Wolfpack advanced to their own 49 before Ryan Finley’s final pass for the end zone was intercepted by receiver Scottie Washington — playing defensive back on the last play — to end it.

Finley finished 35 of 52 for 374 yards with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Emeka Emezie and a 2-yard touchdown run for the Wolfpack (6-3, 3-3, No. 14 CFP). They have lost three of four.

THE TAKEAWAY

Wake Forest: Maybe a third straight bowl berth isn’t out of the question for the Demon Deacons, who hadn’t beaten a nationally ranked opponent on its home field since knocking off No. 24 Florida State in 2008 and had won in Raleigh only once in their previous 16 tries. This didn’t look at all like the same Wake Forest team that was routed by No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 2 Clemson.

N.C. State: This one is going to sting the Wolfpack, who settled for three short field goals after drives stalled deep inside the red zone. They also finished with 47 yards rushing against the ACC’s worst run defense, and on a drive that was supposed to bleed the clock, they rushed for minus-6 yards on three carries while relying on Finley’s throwing.

UP NEXT

Wake Forest: Returns home to play host to Coastal Division leader Pittsburgh on Nov. 17.

N.C. State: Visits Louisville on Nov. 17.

Utah back Zack Moss suffers season-ending knee injury

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah running back Zack Moss will miss the rest of the season after injuring a knee injury in practice Wednesday.

“So many emotions. So many tears. I’m coming back stronger. God’s plan,” Moss tweeted Thursday night after learning that his injury would end his season and that he would need surgery.

Moss, a junior, rushed for 1,092 yards and 11 touchdowns in nine games. He ranked third in the Pac-12 in total rushing yardage and his 6.1 yards per carry ranked second in the league.

Moss is just the fourth player for the Utes to have two 1,000-yard seasons in his career. He rushed for 1,173 yards and 10 touchdowns during a breakout sophomore campaign a year ago.

This is the second major injury to a key playmaker for Utah in November. The Utes also lost starting quarterback Tyler Huntley for the season after he suffered a broken collarbone in the third quarter of a 38-20 loss to Arizona State.

USC QB Daniels

persevering through freshman growing pains

LOS ANGELES (AP) — J.T. Daniels is mentally and physically weary as he heads into the home stretch of his freshman season, which he realizes hasn’t been the smashing success many Southern California fans anticipated.

The 18-year-old quarterback won’t stop until he becomes the passer he knows he can be. He’s still grinding and learning every day, from the practice field to the film room and back.

With three games left in the regular season, Daniels is eighth in the Pac-12 with 1,788 yards passing, and he has just nine touchdown passes against seven interceptions. His 125.2 passer rating is below every Pac-12 team’s top passer except UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and his 56.6 completion percentage is 13th in the league.

Daniels’ numbers are inextricable from the USC offense’s struggles as a whole. Quarterbacks coach Bryan Ellis still sees every bit of Daniels’ vast potential, even if the offense’s performance hasn’t reflected it yet.

“I think what he’s learned is college football is a little faster and a little harder than he thought it was going to be,” Ellis said. “He learned that he’s still a freshman, that we are still making freshman mistakes. We’ve learned we’ve got a long way to go. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Daniels was sidelined by a concussion last month at Utah, missing the rest of that defeat and a loss to Arizona State the following week. He returned for last week’s win at Oregon State, and he didn’t allow the injury to slow his weekly quest for constant improvement.

He hasn’t cut down on his voracious film study, either.

“He’s the hardest-working quarterback in the film room I’ve ever been around, and that’s as an 18-year-old kid, which is really, really impressive,” Ellis said. “I think he just enjoys it. He’s a football junkie. He knows that he’s got some things to learn, some things to get better at, but he’s doing it every day to get ready to be a really good quarterback.”

Daniels is far from the only USC offensive player with work to do. Last week, head coach Clay Helton took over the Trojans’ play-calling and fired his offensive line coach, shaking up an underachieving unit that sits ninth in the Pac-12 in yards passing and 10th in yards rushing.

Daniels is likely to be without key receiver Michael Pittman Jr. against the Golden Bears, adding another degree of difficulty to the Trojans’ fall slate. After their crosstown showdown with UCLA at the Rose Bowl next week, USC finishes the regular season against No. 3 Notre Dame.

The Trojans could still reach the Pac-12 title game, or they could miss a bowl entirely with an 0-3 slump. Daniels’ performances will have a big influence on that finish, and he is determined to play beyond his years.

“I guess I’m just so into it right now,” Daniels said. “You’re coming into the home stretch and your body is tired, your mind is tired. You could really use a break, but you’re not going to get a break. … It’s a big stage, but I’m doing my best. I really love the sport and love the game and love the team, so I’m still excited to come out every day.”

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