The NC State football defense gave up a season-low 257 total yards, which included just three rushing yards, and allowed seven points in the second half, while redshirt junior quarterback Bailey Hockman led a comeback effort in Saturday’s 36-29 win over Syracuse.
While the 29 points surrendered by the Pack may not seem impressive, the defense actually played pretty well, but the offense and special teams was a step behind. In the first half, the first seven points that Syracuse scored were on a kick return for a touchdown. The Pack gave up a field goal after a nine-play Syracuse drive and a long play for a touchdown, but the other first half points surrendered were not the result of bad defense. Syracuse’s field goal after an NC State turnover gave the Orange the ball at the 5-yard line, not to mention a safety allowed by the Wolfpack offense that gave the Orange two points.
The NC State defense only gave up one touchdown in the second half, and that was after a good punt return gave Syracuse the ball in NC State territory. With all of that taken into consideration, the defense mainly did its part in the win. Plus, the defense came up with a huge red zone stop at the end of the game to seal the win for the Wolfpack.
Secondary
While the Pack put up a solid overall defensive performance, it was the secondary unit that was the weak point of the defense on Saturday. The secondary allowed Syracuse quarterback Rex Culpepper to throw for 254 yards, which is the most he has thrown in a game all season, including a long pass for a touchdown in the first half and another long pass play on the game’s final drive. The Pack also struggled against receiver Taj Harris, whose 146 receiving yards were a career high and the third-most yards given up to a single receiver in a game this year by NC State.
In his second game back after injury, junior safety Tanner Ingle was the bright spot for the unit, tallying seven total tackles, which was good for second most on the team. The secondary has played well in recent games, but earns a subpar grade this week.
Grade: C
Linebackers and Defensive Line
The NC State front six dominated on Saturday, allowing 0.1 yards per rush on 25 carries, which was good for just 3 yards on the ground. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Payton Wilson shined once again, adding to his ACC league-leading tackles with 10 against the Orange, including a sack on the final possession that essentially sealed the game as Culpepper proceeded to spike the ball on fourth down.
Others had solid performances as well, such as redshirt junior linebacker Isaiah Moore, who had five tackles, and graduate defensive lineman Daniel Joseph had a season-high three tackles for loss, including a sack. Junior defensive tackle Alim McNeill and sophomore linebacker Drake Thomas each had tackles for loss in the best performance of the year thus far for the NC State front six.
Grade: A+
