Quarterback CJ Bailey ran into the end zone and chest bumped running back Hollywood Smothers. They were met by several teammates celebrating Smother’s 41-yard touchdown, tying the game at 23 points.

Kicker Kanoah Vinesett made the extra point and gave N.C. State the lead. Then, Cal-Berkeley missed a go-ahead field goal, spoiling homecoming activities in the Bay Area.

N.C. State defeated Cal, 24-23, in the first meeting between the two programs and staved off what would’ve been its worst ACC start in 10 years.

The teams entered the game in a three-way tie with North Carolina for last place in the league. The Wolfpack (4-4, 1-3 ACC) is no longer in that position.

The Golden Bears (3-4, 0-4 ACC) entered the game with three losses by a combined eight points. It now has four by a combined total of nine points, and has yet to win a conference game since joining the ACC this summer.

Freshman quarterback CJ Bailey was 25 of 36 for 306 yards and two touchdowns while being sacked six times.

Smothers, KC Concepcion and Justin Joly were N.C. State’s best players of the day, all making at least two explosive plays.

Smothers scored the 41-yard touchdown and added a 28-yard gain on a trick play from Concepcion. The running back contributed 112 all-purpose yards, his second straight 100-yard game.

Concepcion contributed 55 total yards, including 53 through the air and a 2-yard touchdown rush. Joly didn’t score, but his 95 receiving yards put the offense in a positive position. His 31-yard reception put the Wolfpack on the goal line, leading to Concepcion’s score.

Despite the win, it wasn’t a pretty game and things looked rough.

Here are three takeaways from the Pack’s trip to Cal:

Bailey needs to get rid of the ball

Cal’s defense isn’t known for its ability to rack up a ton of sacks or tackles for loss, entering the game averaging just 2.3 sacks per game and 5.2 TFLs. A casual viewer wouldn’t have known that on Saturday.

The Golden Bears dominated the line of scrimmage and overpowered Bailey in the backfield. He was sacked a season-high six times, four of which came in the first half. Cal also added a pair of quarterback hurries.

Several sacks came after the pocket collapsed and Bailey scrambled to find a receiver or searched for an opportunity to run.

There were also a handful of plays when Cal’s defensive front turned the pocket into a cage, trapping and tackling Bailey.

Regardless of the method used to take down the freshman QB, he needed to make decisions sooner instead of losing yards because of hesitation in the backfield.

Bailey earned his first start against Clemson in Week 3 and talked about how he enjoyed taking contact.

“It was a fun experience. I rate it 10 out of 10,” Bailey said. “I love how many hits I took and how I adjusted to their game.”

He might have fun taking contact, but things got out of hand against the Golden Bears.

Run game — on both sides — struggles again

The definition of insanity is doing something repeatedly and expecting a different outcome. That’s often how it feels watching the Wolfpack try to rush the ball and stop the run.

N.C. State struggled against the Bears’ defensive front, finishing with 29 yards on the ground on 30 attempts. It averaged a yard per rush. The Pack played without Jordan Waters after he was ruled out due to illness, but he likely would’ve struggled due to Cal’s size and physicality.

On the opposite side, the Wolfpack defense gave up 117 rushing yards — even though Cal was without star running back Jaydn Ott for the second consecutive game.

The team had high expectations in the preseason for its ability to handle the run game on both sides of the ball, but it fell short once again.

Penalties swing momentum at wrong times

N.C. State didn’t commit very many penalties, but the ones it did changed the momentum of the game at inopportune times.

Officials called linebacker Kamal Bonner for roughing the passer on the first drive of the game. Instead of pushing the Golden Bears back four yards, it gave the home team an automatic first down and placed the ball on the N.C. State 49-yard line. Cal scored a 49-yard touchdown two plays later.

Then, graduate offensive tackle Anthony Belton was called for penalties on two separate drives. He was given a holding penalty on the Wolfpack’s first drive, erasing a 25-yard pass play from Bailey to Concepcion and putting the team in a third-and-16 situation. N.C. State was unable to reach the line to gain and had to punt.

In the second quarter, Belton was called for a chop block. The team had gained 71 yards on the drive, including a 32-yard gain by Concepcion that put the team in the red zone. The 15-yard penalty then set them back, making it 1st and 25 yards on the Cal 35 and outside of comfortable field goal range. Kanoah Vinesett missed the 53-yard field goal attempt.

N.C. State entered the game ranked No. 6 in the ACC for fewest penalties per game (5.29) and No. 7 for fewest penalty yards per game (46.8). Those numbers are good, but as the Wolfpack showed, one or two can change the outcome of a drive and, had it not been for Cal’s own penalties, could’ve cost them the game.