In what was a somewhat sluggish performance compared to its standard, the NC State offense mustered enough production to come out on top, 31-20 Saturday, Oct. 17 against Duke. Three turnovers and being forced into long third down attempts the whole game slowed the offense down. Here is a deeper look into each offensive position and how they graded out for the Wolfpack.
Quarterbacks
Before going down with a fibula injury that is going to have him sidelined for four to eight weeks, redshirt sophomore Devin Leary had once again thrown for over 200 yards, this time with 205 and one touchdown. However, he did have two turnovers: a fumble and an interception. The interception was partially not his fault after a blatant pass interference call was missed that led to the intended receiver falling on his route.
When his name was called, redshirt junior Bailey Hockman did enough to not lose the game for the Wolfpack. He did have one touchdown pass and completed four passes for 43 yards. The most important thing is that Hockman did not turn the ball over in crunch time.
Grade: B-
Running backs
NC State struggled for much of the day to establish the run game, including a fumble early on from sophomore Zonovan Knight. That being said, the duo of junior Ricky Person Jr. and Knight helped kill the game in the fourth quarter. With Leary out for the end of the game, offensive coordinator Tim Beck really tried to push the run game, a decision that paid off in the end.
Person finished with 73 yards on 1410 carries, while Knight rushed for 44 yards on 10 carries. Despite only two rush attempts on the day, sophomore Jordan Houston did have the only touchdown of the day for the running backs group, with a 1-yard run to get the Wolfpack on the board in the second quarter.
Grade: C+
Wide receivers
The talented group of receivers for the Wolfpack came to play against the Blue Devils. Senior Emeka Emezie led the team with 87 receiving yards from four catches. Redshirt sophomore Devin Carter made his big presence known as well with three catches for 62 yards. Both Emezie and Carter had a reception for at least 30 yards on the day.
The best catch of the day came from redshirt junior Thayer Thomas, who caught a pass from Hockman in the corner of the end zone with one hand while it was pinned to his helmet to give State a 28-20 lead.
Grade: A-
Tight ends
Saturday was nothing new for the tight end position for NC State. Another game means another touchdown for red zone weapon redshirt senior Cary Angeline, who brought in a 4-yard pass from Leary in the third quarter. Almost halfway through the season, Angeline leads the team in touchdowns with five.
Grade: B+
Offensive line
It was not the greatest performance of the season for the offensive line. The unit gave up three sacks for a total loss of 25 yards and did not block to its standard in the running game. The Wolfpack’s running backs were often met near the line of scrimmage by a Duke defender in the first half.
Grade: C
