Lamar Jackson Accounts for 3 TDs Despite Louisville's 39-25 Loss to NC State

Lamar Jackson totaled 427 yards and three touchdowns, but it wasn't enough to avoid Louisville's second ACC loss of the season.

No. 24 North Carolina State used 520 offensive yards to pull off a 39-25 upset over the No. 17 Cardinals Thursday night at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Ryan Finley was the hero for the hometown fans, throwing for 367 yards to lead the Wolfpack to its fifth win in a row, moving them to 5-1.

There was a lot of talent on display, and NFL organizations were there to take notice, per Eric Galko of Optimum Scouting:

Jackson was the big name, although NC State showcased plenty of talent on both sides of the ball. The defensive front seven kept pressure on the quarterback all night, while the passing attack was impressive from start to finish.

Finley had a lot of trust in his top targets, with Kelvin Harmon, Jaylen Samuels and Stephen Louis all reaching at least 99 receiving yards in the win.

Jackson tried to match this unit with 354 passing yards, including 134 to Dez Fitzpatrick and 133 to Seth Dawkins, but he couldn't do enough to keep up on the scoreboard. This late interception seemed to seal his team's fate as the Cardinals fell to 4-2:

Dan Wolken of USA Today summed up his thoughts on the eventual winners:

Although the defense allowed 470 yards from scrimmage, North Carolina State did a good job of holding down one of the top players in college football. After Jackson accounted for four touchdowns and over 300 yards in the first half against Murray State last week, he was kept in the pocket and only managed 17 rushing yards on 10 carries by halftime as his squad fell behind 17-10.

The Wolfpack's seven-point lead could have been even bigger based on the way they played:

North Carolina State also had the biggest play in the first half, opening up the scoring on a 48-yard touchdown pass from Finley to Harmon. Luke DeCock of the News and Observer described the play:

Louisville's one first-half score came on a bobbled touchdown reception by Dawkins.

North Carolina State built its lead to 24-13 in the third quarter behind the play of Nyheim Hines. The running back accounted for 63 yards on a 78-yard scoring drive, finishing it off with a seven-yard touchdown.

Hines finished with 102 rushing yards on 18 carries with two touchdowns. Adam Gold of 99.9 The Fan gave high praise to the junior:

Jackson came alive in the fourth quarter, though, using a four-yard scramble into the end zone to cut the lead to one score.

Will Brinson of CBS Sports summed up the quarterback's big-play ability on that drive:

While North Carolina State answered quickly, Jackson came through with his second rushing touchdown with just over four minutes remaining.

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner had a chance to tie the game with possession down seven in the final minutes. However, he threw an interception that Germaine Pratt ran back 25 yards for a touchdown to effectively seal the win for the Wolfpack.

Both teams will get a mini-break with nine days until the next game.

Louisville returns home to take on Boston College, while North Carolina State will go on the road to face a Pittsburgh team that is better than its 2-3 record indicates.