The NC State football team lost against a tough, ranked UNC-Chapel Hill opponent by a final score of 48-21, due, in part, to a lack of electricity on the offensive side of the ball. The offense did pretty well in the first half but left a lot to be desired for the rest of the game, especially in the Pack’s backfield.
Quarterback
With redshirt sophomore Devin Leary out with a broken leg, the Pack started redshirt junior Bailey Hockman and eventually threw in freshman Ben Finley after Hockman struggled out of the gate.
Combined, the two had 358 passing yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. While Finley showed promise leading two drives in the first half, the first resulted in a devastating interception with a bobbled ball. However, Finley’s second drive did result in his first career collegiate touchdown.
With both Finley’s and Hockman’s mediocre performances, there still is not a clear starter at quarterback for the remainder of the season. Finley did show great potential in his first two drives but will need to work on his running game, while also avoiding sacks. Finley finished the game with -9 rushing yards. Finley also ended the loss with two interceptions, both very unfortunate tips.
Hockman also ended the game with negative rushing yardage, going back 12 yards in one play. It is clear the team is missing the mobility of Leary.
Grade: C+
Running backs
The Wolfpack backs only gathered 53 rushing yards in total, with sophomore Zonovan Knight totaling 41 yards on nine rushes. Knight also brought in four catches for 28 yards. Junior Ricky Person Jr. was injured in the second quarter, collecting only 12 yards on four attempts.
With the quarterback room struggling, the Wolfpack backfield was supposed to be the feature of its offense. However, all of the Pack’s backs delivered disappointing performances against the rival Tar Heels.
Grade: F
Wide receivers
The star wide receiver of the game was junior Emeka Emezie. He ended with 84 yards on four catches, one being Finley’s second drive, where he scored a 42-yard touchdown to give NC State its first points. Freshman Anthony Smith also had a touchdown, receiving a 30-yard pass from Hockman for the final score for the Pack.
Junior Thayer Thomas had three receptions for 49 yards, including a 34-yard catch to contribute to the 358-yard total for receivers.
Grade: B-
Tight ends
Redshirt senior Dylan Parham was targeted in Finley’s first interception and did not make a catch for the rest of the day. On the interception, Parham was wide open in the end zone and bobbled the pass right into the arms of a Tar Heel defender.
Redshirt senior Cary Angeline had one reception for 8 yards in the loss. Although the tight ends were not targeted all that often, that botched catch not only took away six points for the Pack but also switched the momentum that Finley had brought on.
Grade: F
Offensive line
The Pack O-line allowed three sacks for a total of 28 yards lost, two for Hockman and one for Finley. The biggest problem for the offensive line was supporting the run game. With the poor 34-yard rush performance, the offensive line wasn’t making life any easier for NC State’s backfield.
Grade: C-
This week, NC State has a bye week, so the offense will have time to clear up some of its injuries and clean up some problems on the offensive side of the ball before it takes on Miami, another ranked opponent.
