Despite having a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, the NC State football team couldn’t seal the deal against the No. 11 Miami Hurricanes, falling 44-41 and missing out on a golden opportunity to notch a win against a top-15 team. Poor defense and an inability to close late in the game ultimately summed up the loss for the Wolfpack, who fell to 4-3 on the season.
The Pack gave up a blistering 620 total yards to the Hurricanes, the most it has given up in a game so far this season. Most of the damage came through the air from Miami quarterback D’Eriq King, who threw for 430 yards and five touchdowns. The 431 passing yards are also the most given up by NC State in a game this season.
So far, NC State has been one of the worst defensive teams in the ACC this season, ranking 13th out of 15 teams in points allowed per game, with 35.6, and dead last in yards allowed per game, with 472.1. The Pack also ranks next-to-last in pass defense, with 289.1 yards allowed per game, and 10th in rush defense, with 183 yards allowed per game.
Just like last season, the Pack has suffered some key injuries on the defensive side of the ball, especially in the secondary, which has been the weak point of the defense for several years. Junior safety Tanner Ingle missed his second-straight game after suffering an injury in the 31-20 win over Duke, sophomore safety Rakeim Ashford is out for the season after an injury suffered against Virginia Tech, junior cornerback Teshaun Smith is out for the season after an injury suffered against Wake Forest, redshirt freshman safety Khalid Martin has not played since suffering an injury against Virginia Tech and senior cornerback Chris Ingram has not played a single snap this season.
Those injuries have taken a toll on the NC State defense, and it showed on Friday night.
Even with the poor defensive performance, the Pack still had a chance to win the game in the end. A 53-yard field goal from junior kicker Chris Dunn (who had an excellent celebration) to start the fourth quarter gave NC State a 41-31 lead, but it was Miami that was able to make the plays needed to win the game down the stretch, not the Pack.
The Hurricanes mustered three consecutive scoring drives after the Dunn field goal, while the NC State offense stalled on two drives, and junior quarterback Bailey Hockman threw a pick with 2:36 left. With two timeouts left, the Pack still had an opportunity to get the ball back and have a chance at a game-winning or tying drive, but the defense couldn’t get off the field on third down as King ran for a first down that sealed the game.
The loss against Miami is the first one-score game that NC State has lost this season. The Pack was able to make the plays it needed to make to win 45-42 over Wake Forest and 30-29 over then-No. 24 Pitt, but not against the Hurricanes.
Despite the loss, NC State proved that it is a good team by being able to hang around with a top-15 team. However, if the Pack wants to elevate its status from a good team to a great team in future years, its defense needs to drastically improve, and the team needs to find ways to win close games against elite competition.
