In a game marked by missed opportunities by both teams, North Carolina State let South Carolina sneak away with a 7-3 victory at Carter-Finley Stadium Thursday night.

The Gamecocks struck early, with a one yard touchdown plunge in the first quarter by Brian Maddox.

Neither team could do much else the rest of the first half, though; South Carolina mishandled the snap on a field goal attempt, while NC State saw a long pass from Russell Wilson get tipped and slip through the fingers of Jarvis Williams.

The Wolfpack showed a little more life in the second half, starting when junior Michael Lemon picked off a Stephen Garcia pass in the third quarter.

That INT would lead to a 43-yard field goal by State kicker Josh Czajkowski, making it 7-3.

Wolfpack fans saw another missed opportunity, though, as Jay Smith couldn't quite hold onto a long Wilson pass in the end zone, and the 'Cocks were able to run the clock out to finish out the game.

Statistically, it was a dismal night for NC State on offense.

The Pack managed just 74 yards through the air, and averaged an anemic 1.6 yards per attempt on the ground.

"We lacked the ability to sustain on offense," said NC State Head Coach Tom O'Brien. "We couldn't get anything going, and with our pass protection, we had Russell Wilson running around too much. He couldn't get his feet set. We must be better up front."

The 133 total yards was the Wolfpack's lowest output on offense since 2004.