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RALEIGH -- When Virginia took a 1-point lead early in the fourth quarter Saturday, it seemed that the Cavaliers were on the verge of history.

Somewhere, some team might have won three straight games by one point, but that piece of trivia is no longer relevant for UVa.

N.C. State quarterback Daniel Evans threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Donald Bowens with 7:37 remaining, and the Wolfpack held on for a 29-24 victory at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Virginia (7-2 overall, 4-1 ACC) was bidding for a school-record eighth consecutive victory, but the Cavaliers were unable to contain Bowens. The 6-foot-3, 206-pound sophomore finished with 11 receptions for 202 yards and two touchdowns.

Bowens, whose choice of colleges came down to State and Virginia, scored the game's first touchdown on a 40-yard pass from Evans and had five receptions of 20 yards or more.

None was bigger than a 28-yard reception with State (3-5, 1-3) facing a third-and-6 with 2:35 remaining.

An incompletion there and 21st-ranked Virginia would have been in position for one of its patented comebacks. The Cavaliers have come from behind four times to win games in the fourth quarter and had won their last two games by scores of 17-16 and 18-17, but the scenario was a little different Saturday.

This time, Virginia was without quarterback Jameel Sewell, who cramped up with 7:09 remaining and did not return.

Into the breach stepped true freshman Peter Lalich, who had been on the field for two plays in UVa's most recent game but had attempted one pass since Sept. 22.

Lalich was on the field for three series Saturday, completing two of eight passes. Lalich was sacked three times and fumbled twice.

Lalich did not have any opportunity to warm up, "but, until you're the man, that's how you come in the game," Groh said.

After beginning the season as State's starting quarterback, Evans lost his job to Harrison Beck, only to regain it after Beck was injured.

Evans passed for a career-high 335 yards when State won at East Carolina 34-20 last week, the Wolfpack's first victory over a Division I-A opponent in more than a year.

That milestone lasted one week before Evans passed for 347 yards Saturday. The Wolfpack had 431 yards in total offense against a Virginia team that had held three of its previous four opponents under 300.

Moreover, the Wolfpack had one turnover. At game time, State ranked 119th out of 119 Division I-A teams in turnover margin.

State's turnover was the result of an interception by Ras-I Dowling.

The true freshman entered the game after redshirt freshman cornerback Mike Parker was burned by Bowens for State's first touchdown, but Dowling had problems of his own. He was the defender on both the go-ahead touchdown pass to Bowens and the late first-down connection.

"I knew I could run by (UVa's defensive backs) because they just sat there, and I knew they wouldn't be able to turn around in time," Bowens said.

In their previous game, the Cavaliers had fallen behind 14-3 at Maryland. They were down 13-3 in the second quarter Saturday.

Sewell was intercepted when he threw into triple coverage on Virginia's third offensive play. That led to N.C. State's first touchdown.

Sewell's second interception came after the Cavaliers, down 10-3, had picked up a first down at the N.C. State 18. Jeremy Gray's pickoff eventually led to the field goal that put the Wolfpack ahead 13-3.

It was the sixth UVa game decided by five points or fewer, with the Cavaliers winning the first five. They had tied an NCAA record by winning four games by one or two points in the same season, but they had to know they in dangerous territory.

"We've got to put ourselves in better situations," said defensive end Chris Long, who had his 11th sack of the seasonr. "We can't keep putting ourselves in a position where we're the only people in the stadium who think we can win."

Virginia 3 14 0 7 -- 24

N.C. State 7 13 3 6 -- 29

NCSt--Bowens 40 pass from D.Evans (Hauschka kick)

UVa--FG Gould 23

NCSt--FG Hauschka 30

NCSt--FG Hauschka 42

UVa--Simpson 13 pass from Sewell (Gould kick)

NCSt--George 25 pass from D.Evans (Hauschka kick)

UVa--Koch 7 pass from Sewell (Gould kick)

NCSt--FG Hauschka 23

UVa--Simpson 5 run (Gould kick)

NCSt--Bowens 30 pass from D.Evans (pass failed)

A--55,342.

Virginia N.C. State

First downs 23 20

Rushes-yards 36-94 30-84

Passing 275 347

Comp-Att-Int 26-51-2 26-46-1

Return Yards 1 70

Punts-Avg. 7-41.9 6-38.5

Fumbles-Lost 5-0 1-0

Penalties-Yards 4-25 7-45

Time of Possession 30:26 29:34

Individual Statistics

RUSHING--Virginia, Simpson 21-81, Payne 3-17, Sewell 9-16, Lalich 3-(minus 20). N.C. State, Eugene 23-112, Blackman 1-1, Team 2-(minus 3), D.Evans 4-(minus 26).

PASSING--Virginia, Sewell 24-43-2-260, Lalich 2-8-0-15. N.C. State, D.Evans 26-46-1-347.

RECEIVING--Virginia, Stupar 5-40, Simpson 4-35, Covington 3-45, Koch 3-28, Gorham 2-31, Inman 2-28, Zidenberg 2-25, Phillips 2-22, Jobe 1-9, Payne 1-7, Pearman 1-5. N.C. State, Bowens 11-202, Stone 5-47, Eugene 3-14, Blackman 3-10, George 2-34, Spencer 1-30, Davis 1-10.