Postgame Takeaways: NC State 30, No. 24 Pitt 29

NC State snapped a five-game losing streak on the road in ACC play and came away with a massive win over a ranked team with a 30-29 victory at Heinz Field over No. 24 Pittsburgh. The Wolfpack was led by four touchdown passes from Devin Leary, including a clutch touchdown passes on the final two drives to come away with the Top-25 win.

Here are the immediate takeaways from NC State's road win at Pittsburgh.

Devin Leary Comes Out Slinging the Rock

After an entire week of Dave Doeren not officially making the call, he gave the start to Devin Leary under center against Pitt. Leary came out firing in the first half, going 13-of-21 for 118 passing yards and two touchdowns along with what should have been two rushes for 16 yards, but the 14-yard rush was called back by a hold.

The two touchdowns came on a six-yard pass to Cary Angeline on the first drive then a 35-yard back-shoulder pass to Emeka Emezie in the second quarter. Leary also made another perfect pass to Anthony Smith that should have gone for a huge touchdown, but we'll get to that later.

Following a stale third quarter that was highlighted by a few big passing plays to Emeka Emezie and Devin Carter for a combined 56 yards on consecutive plays, the passing game took over in the fourth quarter. Leary led two consecutive scoring drives on the final two opportunities, going 9-of-12 for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Both of those drives started with the Wolfpack trailing by at least five points and needing a touchdown -- which Leary delivered on in the clutch.

It's clear that Leary is the future of the position for the Pack and Saturday could be a sign of what's to come, especially given the fact that State likely won't see a defense as stout as Pitt's the rest of the season. 

Angeline, Emezie Lead Resurgent Passing Game

What a homecoming for Angeline and return to glory for Emezie. Both players came away with two touchdowns in the win, including a 25-yard score for Angeline and a 35-yard catch for Emezie that travelled more than 20 yards through the air.

Angeline, who is from Exton, Pa. -- about 4 hours outside of Pittsburgh -- caught the first touchdown pass of the day in the red zone to tie the game up then snagged a go-ahead score in the fourth quarter. Emezie's TD receptions were his first two of the season and his 101 total yards marked his first 100-yard the West Virginia loss last year, in which he caught 12 passes for 103 yards.

Tim Beck's offense came back to life on Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh, but the new-look passing game means this team has a chance to win against any defense in the ACC. If Leary can keep slinging it deep and the Pack's running back trio gets back on track after facing the top rush defense in the ACC, this has the look of a complete offense.

First-Half Freshmen Mistakes Limit Explosive Potential

NC State took a 17-13 lead into the locker room, but it could have looked significantly worse for Pittsburgh. The Wolfpack had multiple touchdown opportunities that were ruined by costly mistakes by true freshmen on the aforementioned perfect pass by Leary and a pick-six by Jakeen Harris called back for a targeting call by Joshua Pierre-Louis.

The catch by Smith wasn't necessarily a guaranteed touchdown, but he beat his defensive back and let the ball slip straight through his hands. As for Pierre-Louis, he led with his helmet on a late hit against Kenny Pickett that led to him being ejected from the game. Pierre-Louis, who was starting in place of Tyler Baker-Williams, proved to be a costly loss for the Pack as Taiyon Palmer was forced to play his first snaps at nickel in his career.

With those two TDs taken away, NC State led by only four at the half and had to come away with a clutch drive to win it. It's those missed opportunities that have led to the Pack ultimately dropping tight games in the past, but the huge plays by the offense and several big stops by the defense led to the Pack starting out 2-1 on the season.