Jay Smith and Curtis Underwood Jr. had first-half touchdown catches, and Mustafa Greene had a 31-yard scoring run that gave N.C. State a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. The Wolfpack led the entire way behind Wilson and a defense that pressured Zach Collaros much of the night.

 

Cincinnati (1-2) didn't run a play inside the N.C. State 32 until the final minutes, but the Wolfpack had a big lead by that point. Collaros connected with D.J. Woods twice for touchdowns, the first from 68 yards late in the first half.

 

N.C. State is off to its best start since winning its first nine games behind eventual NFL first-round draft pick Philip Rivers at quarterback in 2002.