NC State football's Devin Leary hangs 6 TDs on Charleston Southern in dominant performance
RALEIGH — Quarterback Devin Leary had six total touchdowns, including two on the ground, as NC State football dismantled Charleston Southern 55-3 in its 2022 home-opener at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Coming off a nail-biting 21-20 win over East Carolina last week, the No. 18 Wolfpack (2-0, 0-0 ACC) left the drama at the door, scoring 38 first-half points on their way to a Saturday afternoon rout.
The Buccaneers dropped to 0-2 during a game where it was clear from the start they were outmatched. CSU was held to 86 first-half yards, including a goose egg on the ground.
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Leary, who celebrated his 23rd birthday Saturday, completed 16 of 25 passes for 238 yards and three touchdowns, using his legs to score twice in the first half. Leary bounced off three defenders on his way to a 12-yard touchdown run that pushed the lead to 10-0 midway through the first quarter.
He entered the game with two career rushing touchdowns but became the first NC State quarterback to pass for four touchdowns and run for two in a game.
The redshirt junior connected with touchdown passes to Jordan Houston (24 yards), Anthony Belton (40) and Delbert Mimms (20) in the first half. He added a 27-yard score to tight end Chris Toudle on his first pass of the second half before being replaced by backup Jack Chambers. Freshman quarterback MJ Morris also made his Wolfpack debut in the fourth quarter.
NC State's defense, which gave up 366 yards to East Carolina, put a stranglehold on their FCS opponent. The Buccaneers were held to 86 yards in the first half and gave up back-to-back turnovers to open the second. Defensive back Tyler Baker-Williams forced a fumble before picking off CSU quarterback Ross Malmgren on the next possession. The defense caused three turnovers in the win.
Sophomore running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye led the charge on the ground with 70 yards on seven attempts in the first half. The running game finished with 199 yards.
NC State will return home next Saturday to host Texas Tech.
This story will be updated.
David Thompson is an award-winning reporter for the USA Today Network covering NC State and Duke athletics. He can be reached at dthompson1@gannett.com, at 828-231-1747, or on Twitter at @daveth89.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: NC State football smacks Charleston Southern in 2022 home opener
