NC State has bookended its four-game losing streak with two excruciating losses that have left coach Dave Doeren adamant that his program is just a few plays away from a breakthrough.
That might technically be true. Had Kyle Bambard made a 33-yard field goal in the final seconds of regulation against Clemson and Shawn Boone caught an interception in the end zone against Florida State, then, yes, the Wolfpack's season would look quite different.
But in between those losses, NC State got routed in Louisville and lost at home to Boston College, the Eagles’ first ACC win in nearly two years.