NC State's late 4th-down stop seals 24-17 win against East Carolina to open season

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — N.C. State stopped East Carolina on a fourth-and-1 deep in its own end with 37 seconds left to hold on for a 24-17 season-opening win Thursday night.

After trailing 17-0 before halftime, ECU pushed all the way to the Wolfpack's 9-yard line on a drive for the tie, with Katin Houser throwing a short pass to the left to Desirrio Riles. Almost immediately, N.C. State's Jamel Johnson closed for the initial hit that drove Riles laterally toward the sideline, with Ronnie Royal III coming in to clean it up out of bounds.

“When it came down to it, in our red zone, we bowed up, stopped them on fourth down and we won the game,” said Wolfpack defensive end Cian Slone, who had seven tackles and three hurries.

CJ Bailey threw for 318 yards and a perfect 48-yard scoring pass up the seam to Wesley Grimes for the Wolfpack (1-0). He also joined Hollywood Smothers in rushing for a touchdown, while Grimes hauled in a career-best 121 yards.

Houser threw for 366 yards for the Pirates (0-1). The highlight was going downfield to Jayvontay Conner, who bounced off a hit and rumbling loose up the sideline for a 79-yard touchdown shortly before halftime.

But miscues compounded, helping the Wolfpack build a 17-0 lead by early in the second quarter on Grimes' TD.

“There was some obviously Game 1 things, but you don’t want it to happen against a good football team and get your tail beat like we did tonight,” said ECU coach Blake Harrell, who said the Pirates planned to go for 2 and the win if they had scored on the final drive.

This was the latest meeting in a testy instate series. The teams met in last year's Military Bowl, with ECU winning 26-21 in a game that featured a late brawl. It was a game that coach Dave Doeren said “tarnished our reputation," both with a run defense surrendering chunk yardage and the tussle that even left one official bleeding.

There were no major sparks this time. Rather, it was N.C. State getting out in front while ECU sputtered out of the gate to dig itself a hole that lasted all night.

“This game wasn't about ECU," Doeren said, adding: “This game was about getting our identity back and playing hard-tough-together football.”

ECU: The mistakes included four straight three-and-outs to open the game, one featuring a high snap over Houser for a 23-yard loss. There were also two two third-down penalties to extend the Wolfpack's third-quarter touchdown drive in a 10-penalty night. That's plenty to clean up for Harrell's squad.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack got a solid defensive start under new coordinator D.J. Elliot by smothering ECU's ground game, allowing 30 yards on 29 carries after the Pirates ran for 326 yards in the bowl meeting. N.C. State also had three fourth-down stops. There were special-teams hiccups, though, with Nick Koniecznski missing two fourth-quarter field goals.

ECU: The Pirates return home to face instate Championship Subdivision opponent Campbell on Sept. 6.

N.C. State: Virginia visits the Wolfpack on Sept 6 in a nonconference matchup between longtime Atlantic Coast Conference programs.

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

North Carolina State's Hollywood Smothers (3) struggles in the grasp of East Carolina's Dameon Wilson (10) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

TORONTO (AP) — Schools were closed in Canada's largest city of Toronto and commuters faced severe delays on Thursday as heavy snow continued to hammer much of southern Ontario, blocking streets and forcing cars into ditches.

Environment Canada said regions including the Greater Toronto Area, Kitchener and Hamilton are expected to see up to 30 centimeters (12 inches) of snow into Thursday afternoon.

Toronto, York, Peel and Halton Region schools closed Thursday morning, and institutions including the University of Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan University and York University announced their campuses were closed.

Complete school closures due to snow are rare in Toronto.

Environment Canada said the Ottawa area will see up to 25 centimeters (10 inches) of snow, tapering off Thursday evening. It added that northerly wind gusts of up to 60 kilometers (37 milies) per hour will result in blowing snow and reduced visibility, and a sharp temperature drop will cause very cold wind chills.

Provincial police advised residents to stay off the roads if possible, and officers responded to dozens of collisions and cars in ditches. Police said there were multiple road closures across southern Ontario, including ramps at the Highway 403 near the Burlington and Hamilton border and parts of Highway 401 in eastern Ontario.

Both Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow cancelled public events Thursday due to the inclement weather.

At Toronto’s Pearson airport, officials said air traffic management procedures were in place and impacting some arriving and departing flights.

Travellers were advised to check their flight status before heading to the airport, where snow clearing operations were underway.

Pedestrians cross Bay Street along Front Street amid heavy snowfall and accumulation as snow and heavy winds continue to hammer the Greater Toronto Area, in Toronto, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Giordano Ciampini /The Canadian Press via AP)

Pedestrians, obscured by snow thrown by workers cleaning a work site overhead, cross Adelaide Street along Yonge Street amid heavy snowfall and accumulation as snow and heavy winds continue to hammer the Greater Toronto Area, in Toronto, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Giordano Ciampini /The Canadian Press via AP)

Pedestrians cross Adelaide Street along Yonge Street amid heavy snowfall and accumulation as snow and heavy winds continue to hammer the Greater Toronto Area, in Toronto, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Giordano Ciampini /The Canadian Press via AP)

A cargo cyclist rides along Adelaide Street East amid heavy snowfall and accumulation as snow and heavy winds continue to hammer the Greater Toronto Area, in Toronto, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Giordano Ciampini /The Canadian Press via AP)

Commuters make their way to their destinations on King Street East amid heavy snowfall and accumulation as snow and heavy winds continue to hammer the Greater Toronto Area, in Toronto, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Giordano Ciampini /The Canadian Press via AP)