RALEIGH INSIDE THE GAME

Boston College's two-quarterback rotation didn't materialize. Chris Crane played so well that Dominique Davis never got off the bench. Crane passed for 428 yards and rushed for 42, accounting for all five Eagles touchdowns in a 38-31 defeat of N.C. State on Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium. Crane capped a seven-play, 70-yard drive with a 13-yard TD run with 22.8 seconds left.

GREAT CALL

N.C. State special-teams coach Jerry Petercuskie had T.J. Graham hand off to J.C. Neal for a reverse on the Wolfpack's first kickoff return. The gain was 36 yards. More important, it opened space for Graham later, and he returned kickoffs for 60 and 100 yards.

MATCHUP THAT MATTERED

Boston College's tough, well-drilled offensive and defensive linemen forged a huge edge at the line of scrimmage. N.C. State was held to 35 rushing yards, and quarterback Russell Wilson was sacked five times. Chris Crane was sacked once and seldom pressured.

GAME BALLS

T.J. GRAHAM: Freshman set a school record with a 100-yard kickoff return on the last play of the first quarter.

DWAYNE MADDOX: Another freshman, Maddox recovered one fumble and forced another in his second start in relief of injured Nate Irving.

RUSSELL WILSON: Back from his second one-week injury absence, the quarterback passed 61 yards to Owen Spencer and ran 2 yards for another as the Pack rallied to tie after facing a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit.

PENALTY MARKERS

DEFENSE: If you're going to play zone defense, you've got to get pressure on the quarterback. When N.C. State couldn't get to Crane, the Eagles went for 578 yards.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Brian Toal's 39-yard gain on a fake punt caught N.C. State off guard.

LOOKING AHEAD

N.C. State gets 12 days off before meeting Florida State in a Thursday-night ESPN matchup on Oct. 16. The Pack dearly needs a break but will face an opponent that may be gaining steam after edging Miami 41-39 on Saturday.

THIS WON'T MAKE COACH'S SHOW

On third-and-3 from the Boston College 46 late in the second quarter, Russell Wilson passed 1 yard to Jay Smith, squandering a scoring opportunity that materialized when Dwayne Maddox recovered a fumble.

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