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WAER works hard to bring you award-winning sports coverage in Central New York. With a Sports staff of more than 20 people, you get comprehensive coverage of Syracuse University Football, Men's Basketball, and Men's Lacrosse. The best play by play on the air combined with regular morning and afternoon sports updates make WAER the source for sports in Central New York. See the legacy video here. See what it's like being in WAER Sports00000176-de2c-dce8-adff-feeff0ff000000000176-de2c-dce8-adff-feeff0ff0003

NC State 42, Syracuse 29: Orange Drop Eighth Straight

Syracuse suffered an eighth consecutive loss on Saturday, falling 42-29 to the NC State Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina. The loss means Syracuse will end the season without a win away from the Carrier Dome, as the Orange are now 0-5 on the road. 

Syracuse (3-8, 1-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) never led on Saturday, as it was a wire-to-wire domination by the Wolfpack (7-4, 3-4). NC State used a ferocious ground attack to continually rack up the points against a Syracuse defense that has now allowed more than 500 yards of total offense in four straight games. 

On their first possession, the Wolfpack scored a touchdown after driving 75 yards on just 11 plays. After that score, they never relinquished the lead. They scored three touchdowns on their first four possessions, opening up a 21-3 lead. 

Syracuse did make a mini comeback effort, though. Before the end of the half, the Orange drove 70 yards on just four plays. They scored a touchdown when walk-on quarterback Zack Mahoney and hybrid back Ervin Philips connected for a 30-yard score, cutting the lead to 21-9 with 1:37 to play in the half. Syracuse attempted a two-point conversion but failed to convert.

Then, on its opening drive in the second half, SU scored on the first play from scrimmage, as freshman running back Jordan Fredericks broke off a 75-yard touchdown run, cutting the lead to 21-16 after the extra point.

But that's as close as the Orange would get. NC State scored the game's next three touchdowns, the last of which was a 17-yard run by Dakwa Nichols. That was the story of the game, as Syracuse struggled to stop the run.

In all, the Wolfpack registered 276 yards on the ground. They were led by Reggie Gallaspy II, who ran the ball 13 times for 81 yards. As a whole, NC State averaged just under six yards per carry on the day and four players ran for 47 yards or more. 

Syracuse scored two late touchdowns -- one when Oliver Vigille recovered a Wolfpack fumble and returned it 29 yards for a score, and another when Mahoney found Steve Ishmael for a three-yard touchdown strike. But after pulling within 13 points, Syracuse failed to recover an onside kick, sealing a victory for NC State.

With the loss, Syracuse falls to 3-8 for the second straight season under head coach Scott Shafer. A loss to Boston College next week would mean the Orange will have registered consecutive 3-9 seasons. And since the beginning of last season, SU has still yet to beat a Football Bowl Subdivision team other than Wake Forest or Central Michigan.

Syracuse and Boston College will kick off from the Carrier Dome at 12:30 p.m. next Saturday. As always, live game action can be heard on 88.3-FM WAER.