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RALEIGH -- Just in case this ACC football race wasn't strange enough for you, contemplate this: the bowl-bound N.C. State Wolfpack.

It's far from a certainty, but it is feasible after the Pack threw a tire iron at Wake Forest's league-title hopes with Saturday's 21-17 victory.

"It's starting to get interesting now," Pack coach Tom O'Brien said.

State (4-6, 2-4 ACC) must win its final two games and hope others fall apart, a scenario far preferable to the alternative.

"If we can end at 6-6, that's not the season we had planned for, but it's a lot better to finish with a bowl game," said tight end Anthony Hill, recipient of the winning touchdown pass from Russell Wilson with 10:17 left.

Wake (6-4, 4-3) tumbled to the precipice of elimination after it netted one field goal in two red-zone forays in the decisive third quarter.

The sequences continued trends on both sides. The Wolfpack has shown resiliency after an 0-4 start to ACC play, and life's much better with linebacker Nate Irving back on the field after various injuries.

Irving stopped Brandon Pendergrass on the day's two biggest plays. The Deacons now find their title hopes imperiled by a nagging problem: offensive inefficiency.

Before Saturday, Wake had converted only 46 percent of the time when running on third and three or fewer yards to go. The rest of the ACC succeeded at a 64-percent clip in those situations.

The Deacs stood 113th out of 120 FBS teams in converting red-zone possessions into touchdowns and 99th in overall scoring inside the opponent's 20-yard-line. Those numbers won't be getting any better.

Tied at 14, Wake coach Jim Grobe declined a 34-yard field-goal attempt. Kicker Sam Swank's still out and may not return, and that was fine with State, which blitzed and celebrated when Irving threw Pendergrass for a loss on fourth down from the Pack 17.

"We probably should have kicked a field goal instead of going for it on fourth down, but we had a shaky kick earlier, and I thought going for it with it just being a yard wasn't all that bad of an idea," Grobe said.

Irving's second play followed Wilson's only mistake of the day, a fumble that put Wake in position at the Pack 12 with the game still even. This time, the linebacker thwarted an attempt to convert a third-and-two situation.

"This concept of forgetting the last play and playing the next isn't revolutionary, but it is something you need," O'Brien said.

Shane Popham's field goal put Wake ahead but represented a win for the Wolfpack.

"A tremendous jolt," Wilson said. "It definitely helps a lot. You realize they're playing for you and you're playing for them."

Wilson, a redshirt freshman who hasn't thrown an interception in 175 attempts, has graduated from merely avoiding error to avoiding error and making positive plays.

The Deacs put him in difficult spots all day, but State went 9-for-16 in third-down conversions, including the winning pass to Hill.

"He's going to be scary," tailback Andre Brown said. "I'm glad I've got him for my senior year."

In truth, Wake had to be happy to be in this one after State ran 25 plays in the first quarter to the Deacons' eight. The visitors survived for a while, took a brief lead and had a chance to win it.

Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028 or rob.daniels @news-record.com

Wake Forest 7 7 3 0 -- 17

N.C. State 7 7 0 7 -- 21

NCSt--Bryan 11 pass from R.Wilson (Czajkowski kick)

Wake--Mars.Williams 64 pass from Boldin (Popham kick)

NCSt--R.Wilson 4 run (Czajkowski kick)

Wake--Boldin 7 pass from Skinner (Popham kick)

Wake--FG Popham 24

NCSt--Hill 8 pass from R.Wilson (Czajkowski kick)

A--56,174.

Wake Forest N.C. State

First downs 18 21

Rushes-yards 30-98 39-149

Passing 240 152

Comp-Att-Int 22-34-1 16-33-0

Return Yards 0 4

Punts-Avg. 4-41.8 5-40.4

Fumbles-Lost 1-0 2-1

Penalties-Yards 2-20 5-35

Time of Possession 26:45 33:15

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING--Wake Forest, Pendergrass 16-72, Adams 2-10, Skinner 8-8, Belton 2-7, Brown 1-1, Rinfrette 1-0. N.C. State, R.Wilson 14-69, Brown 14-66, Eugene 9-20, Team 2-(minus 6).

PASSING--Wake Forest, Skinner 21-33-1-176, Boldin 1-1-0-64. N.C. State, R.Wilson 16-33-0-152.

RECEIVING--Wake Forest, Boldin 8-66, Mars.Williams 7-116, Parker 2-3, Brinkman 1-32, Adams 1-8, Ford 1-8, Belton 1-5, Pendergrass 1-2. N.C. State, Hill 3-26, Brown 3-19, Eugene 3-16, Ja.Williams 2-23, Smith 1-27, James 1-13, Bryan 1-11, Spencer 1-11, Gentry 1-6.