Brock Travelstead kicked a 53–yard field goal with 5:32 remaining and Louisville’s smothering defense made it hold up for a 13–10 victory against North Carolina State on Friday night in Raleigh, N.C.
Louisville’s defense delivered a second-half shutout for the Cardinals (5–0, 3–0 Atlantic Coast Conference).
Jack Plummer threw for 286 yards on 21-for-35 passing with a touchdown and two interceptions. The Cardinals were credited with only 20 rushing yards.
NC State (3–2, 1–1) managed just 201 yards of total offense. Quarterback Brennan Armstrong was the game’s leading rusher with 61 yards on 17 carries, but he was just 13-for-25 for 112 yards with two interceptions in the air.
After Louisville moved in front in the fourth quarter, NC State’s defense forced fourth down, but a running-into-the punter infraction allowed the Cardinals to retain possession. The Wolfpack, without any timeouts, got the ball back at their own 34 with 1:44 to go, but Quincy Riley intercepted an Armstrong pass on the next play.
With 6:38 to play in the third quarter, Plummer threw 39 yards to Chris Bell in the end zone, slicing what had been a 10–0 halftime deficit to 10–7. After a second NC State turnover in the quarter, the Cardinals tacked on Travelstead’s tying 33-yard field goal with 1:32 to go in the period.
The Cardinals reached the NC State 5-yard line before Bishop Fitzgerald intercepted a Plummer pass early in the fourth quarter.
The teams traded punts across the game’s first six possessions before Travelstead missed on a 52-yard field goal.
The Wolfpack then drove 65 yards in 13 plays and scored on Delbert Mimms III’s 4-yard run, capping a march that included two fourth-down conversions.
Shyheim Battle intercepted Plummer and returned the ball to the Louisville 32 with 49 seconds to play in the second quarter. Brayden Narveson kicked a 48-yard field goal on the last play of the half. A week earlier, he ended the game at Virginia with a winning field goal on the final play.
