In the Wolfpack’s first game of the season against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, the defense gave up 35 points against an overall middle-of-the-pack offense in the Deacs. Now, the team will travel to Blacksburg, Virginia to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies in what will be the Hokies’ first game of the season, if the game is even played. Let’s take a look at how the Pack defense can bounce back against a potent Hokies offense.
Wolfpack secondary vs. Hendon Hooker, Hokie receivers
By far the weakest facet of NC State football as a whole is the secondary. Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman completed 64% of his passes and didn’t toss a single interception, while tallying 236 yards in the air. While the secondary struggled to apply any pressure to Wake’s receivers, there does remain some reason for optimism moving forward.
Firstly, this secondary is inexperienced and should get better over time. Sophomores Jakeen Harris and Cecil Powell and redshirt freshman Shyheim Battle, who all saw high snap counts in the victory, don’t have more than a season of experience. Furthermore, Rakeim Ashford, who saved the day by breaking up Hartman’s final pass attempt, was playing in his first game at NC State since transferring from junior college.
Time should only help this secondary, and the group will have a strong chance to make an impression if it plays at a respectable level against Virginia Tech quarterback Hendon Hooker, who is en route for a big season.
Taking on Hartman and Hooker in back-to-back weeks should offer a glimpse into how the secondary can hold up the rest of the season. Both Hartman and Hooker are among the upper echelon of quarterbacks that NC State will face this season, behind big names like Miami’s D’Eriq King and UNC’s Sam Howell.
As for Hooker, the 220 pound, 6-foot-4-inch signal caller didn’t even start in all of Virginia Tech’s games last season and still led the team in total offense, with 1,911 all-purpose yards and 18 all-purpose touchdowns. Hooker is a multi-threat quarterback that threw for 13 touchdowns and only two interceptions last year on 162 pass attempts.
It doesn’t help the secondary that Hooker is throwing to some wideout talents that are bound to take off, namely Tre Turner (no not that Trea Turner) and Tayvion Robinson. Because Virginia Tech has yet to play a game in 2020, it is a little hasty to say that these receivers will absolutely cook the Pack secondary, but Turner in particular has all the fundamentals to be that No. 1 guy for the Hokies.
Add Elijah Bowick, Kaleb Smith and Darryle Simmons to the equation, all with something to prove, and the Wolfpack secondary has a respectably-sized task on its hands.
Wolfpack linebackers vs. Hokie running backs, tight ends
As expected, the linebacking corps for the Wolfpack was easily able to make its presence known in the game against Wake Forest. Sophomore linebacker Drake Thomas and redshirt sophomore Payton Wilson combined for 22 tackles, two sacks and five tackles for loss while redshirt junior Isaiah Moore added eight tackles.
Add in redshirt junior transfer Vi Jones, who had a sack, and the linebackers seemed to have a very good game on paper.
However, there is much room to improve for this group. Sacks won’t matter against better offensive lines than Wake Forest’s until it can actually functionally shut down an offense. That wasn’t the case against Wake, since the linebackers couldn’t shut down the ground game at all. Kenneth Walker III and Christian Beal-Smith of Wake Forest, who were coming off horrendous showings, combined for an inexcusable 170 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
The linebacker room also got a little rough, with Wilson in particular getting multiple penalties for his general roughness during the game. The linebacking group just can’t afford to make those kinds of mistakes once it sees better rushing attacks.
One of those better rushing attacks is Virginia Tech’s. As mentioned before, Hooker has jets and rushed for five touchdowns last season. Kansas transfer Khalil Herbert is going into his fifth year of eligibility and, surrounded by a potentially dynamic offense, has all the tools necessary to take off.
KeShawn King and Jalen Holston also have had decent campaigns for the Hokies, with King having had a solid freshman outing last season and Holston being a big-bodied berserker at 218 pounds, which will be a force to watch on third and inches situations.
As for Virginia Tech’s tight ends, Dalton Keene is gone, but James Mitchell seems to be a suitable replacement, and averaged over 17 yards per catch last year. It’s safe to say the Wolfpack linebackers have a true test this week.
Wolfpack defensive line vs. Hokies offensive line
While Virginia Tech looks to be a dominant force in all regards on the offensive side of the ball, the Hokies’ offensive line is going to be one of the best in the ACC if everything pans out for the team. For starters, the O-line is bringing back all of its premier pieces from last season, including Lecitus Smith and Christian Darrisaw, both of whom were named to the All-ACC team.
NC State had a decent showing from its D-line in the win over Wake Forest, despite there being several unknowns surrounding that group entering the season. Junior defensive tackle Alim McNeill recovered a fumble, while graduate transfer defensive end Daniel Joseph and sophomore end Savion Jackson combined for three sacks.
It seems unlikely that production can be replicated against such a stout offensive line, though there are potential holes that could be exploited. Center Brock Hoffman is new to the program and will be matched up with McNeill, an under-the-radar matchup to keep an eye out for, and right tackle Silas Dzansi, who, though huge, has some fundamental issues to work on.
This positional matchup will be the most key for the Wolfpack and will be one of the toughest tests for NC State’s D-line all season long.
As of now, the game against Virginia Tech is scheduled to kickoff at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26 in Lane Stadium and can be viewed on the ACC Network.
