NC State football has entered the national rankings after improving to third in the ACC standings. The No. 23 Wolfpack (4-1, 4-1 ACC) pulled out a gutsy come-from-behind win against Duke, but at a huge cost. Here are some takeaways from the game:
One, maybe two major injuries
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Devin Leary went down during the second half after being targeted during a slide. Leary was carted off the field with an air cast on his left leg, later returning to the sideline wearing a boot and using crutches. Athletics announced Sunday morning that Leary has a broken fibula and will miss between four and eight weeks. There are seven weeks remaining in the regular season for NC State, so Leary is likely done for the year, which could be catastrophic given how different the offense is when Leary is in the game versus when he is not.
Another injury that could prove to be significant is junior safety Tanner Ingle, who suffered a leg injury during the second quarter. Ingle was very emotional coming off the field and did not return to the game, tweeting afterwards, “Lord, lead the way.” Whether Ingle is out for one week or the rest of the season, the Wolfpack’s secondary is considerably weaker without its best player. It’ll be the next man up, though. Redshirt sophomore Isaac Duffy made the most of his opportunity in replacing Ingle on Saturday, making plays whenever Duke went after him. He’ll have to keep that momentum going.
See what you hit
NC State lost the penalty battle handily against the Blue Devils, drawing yellow flags eight times for 106 yards compared to Duke’s five times for 55 yards. The Wolfpack also had a player ejected for targeting for the third straight week. Freshman nickel Josh Pierre-Louis, Ingle and sophomore safety Jakeen Harris have been ejected for targeting this year, a pattern that needs to stop. There’s nothing wrong with being willing to hit, but NC State defenders leading with their head/hitting helmet-to-helmet has to be coached out of them. If not for their health, then to keep the team’s best players on the field. The Wolfpack cannot afford to lose healthy starters.
Ricky Person Jr. stepping up
He may not be the most explosive running back on NC State’s roster, and he may not be the shiftiest, but junior Ricky Person Jr. might be the most dependable. With sophomore running back Zonovan Knight’s touches restricted after a fumble early in the first half, Person was NC State’s bell cow, leading the team with 156 all-purpose yards and averaging 5.6 yards per carry. He did everything — rushing the ball, catching it out of the backfield, even returning kickoffs. With Leary out for at least the next month, NC State will have to depend even more on its run game, and it’s nice to have a back with Person’s consistency.
NC State more resilient than ever under Doeren
Thirty of almost anything is a lot. 0-30 is a lot of losses. Head coach Dave Doeren is 0-30 no more, improving to 1-31 in ACC games in which NC State trails by 10 points. It’s surprising that it would take eight years for NC State to have a win satisfying those conditions, but it’s not surprising that this team was the one to break that winless streak. This team has now avoided pitfalls earlier Doeren teams wouldn’t have, from blowing multiple 14-point leads in a win against Wake (also, beating Wake in general), having a game-winning drive against a ranked Pitt team on the road and avoiding a prime “NC State sh*t” contender in Saturday’s Duke matchup. It feels weird to call them culture wins, but that’s what they are. This team has no quit.
Playing with house money
NC State is playing with house money at the best possible time, right before the hardest stretch of its season. The Wolfpack plays No. 14 UNC Saturday, then has a bye, then a Friday night primetime matchup against No. 11 Miami. With redshirt junior Bailey Hockman likely at the helm for both games and the injuries piling up in the secondary, NC State should lose against the Hurricanes and Tar Heels. But this isn’t the year to count anyone out.
If the Wolfpack can somehow manage an upset over one of the two, the Pack would become a bona fide dark-horse contender to make the ACC championship game, a first for Doeren. And if it can’t, it ends the year with Liberty, Syracuse and Georgia Tech. 7-4 is a record anyone should be happy with.
