Ryan Finley threw three touchdown passes as North Carolina State defeated Virginia 35-21 in Atlantic Coast Conference action on Saturday afternoon at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C.

The Wolfpack (4-0 overall) won an Atlantic Coast Conference opener for the third year in a row.

Finley completed 22 of 32 passes for 257 yards.

N.C. State freshman running back Ricky Person Jr. gained 108 yards on 14 carries after coming off a hamstring injury that caused him to miss the past couple of games.

Virginia quarterback Bryce Perkins threw a pair of touchdown passes to Olamide Zaccheaus for Virginia (3-2, 1-1 ACC). Perkins finished 20-for-35 for 258 yards and Zaccheaus caught nine passes for 109 yards.

N.C. State took charge by scoring 10 points in the final 52 seconds of the first half for a 20-7 lead.

Finley picked up a first down on a fourth-and-1 despite fumbling, a play that received an extensive video review. Two plays later, he hit tight end Cary Angeline with a 14-yard touchdown pass.

It was Angeline's first catch for N.C. State. He was playing in his second Wolfpack game after leaving Southern California as a transfer last year.

After an interception, N.C. State moved into position for Chris Dunn's 44-yard field goal on the final play of the half.

Reggie Gallaspy's 2-yard run midway through the third quarter stretched the Wolfpack's lead to 27-7.

Finley threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Kelvin Harmon in the fourth quarter.

Virginia's Jordan Ellis scored on a 7-yard run with 3:08 to play. The Cavaliers recovered an onside kick, but didn't convert after moving inside the N.C. State 10-yard line because of Dexter Wright's interception.

Earlier, Emeka Emezie put the Wolfpack on top early in the second quarter, making a third-down catch of 16 yards amid contact in the end zone.

Virginia went up 7-3 in the first quarter when Perkins connected with Zaccheaus for a 35-yard touchdown pass play.

Perkins hit Zaccheaus again the third quarter for a 9-yard touchdown play.

Dunn's 34-yard field goal for N.C. State opened the scoring.

The teams hadn't played since 2012, when Virginia won in Raleigh.

--Field Level Media