Jaylen Samuels scored on three short touchdown runs as NC State drubbed visiting Furman 49-16 on Saturday afternoon at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.
Quarterback Ryan Finley threw for 231 yards for the Wolfpack (2-1), which plays its Atlantic Coast Conference opener next week at Florida State.
Samuels, who had only five carries in the game, scored on 2-yard touchdown run to give the Wolfpack a 7-3 lead with 4:46 remaining in the first quarter. He ran in from 1 yard out in the second quarter and then added another 1-yard touchdown run with 18 seconds left in the first half as NC State held a 28-13 lead at the break.
Finley threw a 30-yard touchdown strike to JuMichael Ramos in the first half.
Nyheim Hines ran for a 28-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Barely three minutes later, NC State safety Shawn Boone intercepted a pass from P.J. Blazejowski and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown. The Wolfpack made it a 21-0 third quarter on Dakwa Nichols’ 9-yard run.
Finley finished 22-for-27 passing. Hines gained 92 yards on 11 carries.
Furman (0-3), which lost a pair of close games to Football Championship Subdivision members Wofford and Elon, remains in search of its first victory under first-year coach Clay Hendrix.
The Paladins opened the scoring with Grayson Atkins’ 46-yard field goal to conclude a penalty-aided drive. He added a 34-yarder in the second quarter and a 46-yarder in the fourth.
Furman pulled within 21-13 on Andy Schumpert’s 71-yard catch-and-run on a second-quarter pass from Blazejowski, with the Paladins covering 93 yards in four plays.
