NC State football returned home and coasted to an easy 47-28 victory over Florida State last Saturday. The Wolfpack (6-2, 3-2 ACC) never trailed, scoring on its first possession and never allowing the Seminoles (4-5, 2-5 ACC) back into the game. Let’s take a look at NC State’s performance:
Quarterback – A
Graduate Ryan Finley had a good day, completing 78 percent of his passes and tossing three touchdowns. Finley had an easy time dissecting Florida State’s defense from a clean pocket as he was never sacked.
Running Backs – B+
NC State’s rushing attack did enough to keep the offense balanced and control the time of possession. Freshman Ricky Person Jr. returned from injury and scored two touchdowns—one receiving, one rushing—on 2.5 yards per carry. Senior Reggie Gallaspy Jr. had a great game, rushing for 106 yards on 21 carries, good for an average of 5 yards per rush. Graduate Brady Bodine added in 24 yards on three carries to close out the game.
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends- A
It was redshirt junior Jakobi Meyers’ turn to have a big day, accounting for over half of Finley’s passing yards. Meyers caught nine passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Junior Kelvin Harmon had a quiet day following up his 11-catch, 247-yard performance at Syracuse with 37 yards on 4 catches against Florida State. Harmon did score a touchdown, on the back-shoulder fade route that he and Finley have made routine. Redshirt sophomore tight end Cary Angeline added 28 yards on 2 catches.
Offensive Line – A+
After a back-to-back poor showings on the road, the Wolfpack’s offensive line returned to form against a talented Seminole defensive line, allowing zero sacks; Florida State only touched Finley once. In the running game, Gallaspy’s success largely depended on the offensive line’s ability to create holes, and they came through.
Defensive Line – A+
With two key defensive tackles out with injury, NC State’s defensive line showcased its depth. As senior Eurndraus Bryant and redshirt sophomore Shug Frazier sat out Saturday’s contest, senior defensive end Darian Roseboro slid into Bryant’s starting role and graduate Deonte Holden got the start in Roseboro’s stead. The line combined for 5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss along with a hurry.
Xavier Lyas, a redshirt freshman defensive end seeing his first action of the year, led the team with 2 sacks. Interceptions have been hard to come by for this defense, so redshirt junior Larrell Murchison took matters into his own hands, showing off his impressive vertical to pick off James Blackman. Fellow redshirt junior James Smith-Williams recovered a fumble to bring the Seminoles’ turnover count to two on the day.
Linebackers – B+
Graduate Germaine Pratt has been a one man show as of late, but his running mate Isaiah Moore shined alongside him against the Seminoles. Both linebackers had a team leading 6 tackles, with Moore adding 1.5 tackles for loss to Pratt’s one TFL.
Secondary – F
The bad news for the Pack is that the secondary is still bad. The good news is, the secondary is improving, slowly but surely. Although one could wonder how Blackman throwing for 400 yards and four touchdowns is an improvement, those who watched the game know NC State’s secondary played the pass better this week, limiting big plays and turning to look for the ball when in coverage. Defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable has found a starter at nickel in redshirt junior Stephen Griffin, who covered well. Griffin had 5 tackles on the day, as well as a forced fumble recovered by NC State.
Special Teams – A
Senior punter A.J. Cole III was only called upon twice, averaging over 40 yards per punt. Freshman kicker Chris Dunn went 4/4 on field goals with a long of 38. Graduate kicker Kyle Bambard had 3 touchbacks and two tackles, averaging 60 yards a kickoff.
Coaching – B
After a slow start doomed NC State against Syracuse, the Wolfpack opened the game with an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive orchestrated by offensive coordinator Eliah Drinkwitz. NC State scored on five of its first six drives.
On the defensive side, coordinator Dave Huxtable made some key adjustments. Redshirt senior safety Dexter Wright, who usually covers man-to-man, was used primarily as a deep safety with redshirt junior Jarius Morehead, the better man-on-man defender, replacing him. In the wake of injuries at defensive tackle, inserting Roseboro as a replacement paid off as the senior registered three tackles and an assisted tackle for loss. The defense has a long way to go but the changes Huxtable has made are having a positive impact.
