Even in a game where the NC State football team won by 19 points over Florida State, there were some offensive drives that came up just short. Graduate quarterback Ryan Finley and the offense settled for three redzone field goals at 26 yards, 21 yards and 31 yards, respectively.
Ultimately, it didn’t deter the outcome of the game and, as a whole, the offense was able to drive and move the ball at will against the Seminoles defense. However, scoring touchdowns in that position would’ve put the game to rest long before the fourth quarter, especially on drives where the Pack gets great field position to get into the endzone.
“We’ll watch the film and I’m sure we’ll be upset about a few things,” redshirt graduate Garrett Bradbury said. “Specifically red zone offense. We put up a bunch of points. It was a good feeling the whole game. I thought we were in rhythm and controlled the game.”
In the first quarter, redshirt freshman Thayer Thomas returned a punt 14 yards to the 50-yard line. Ten plays, 47 yards and a defensive pass interference penalty later, the Pack had to line up for a field goal from the 3-yard line.
The second quarter featured a 75-yard drive that stalled at the 8-yard line. Finley completed a couple long passes on the drive but couldn’t find the end zone despite having second down and 3 from the Seminole 5-yard line.
To open the third quarter, Florida State went for a fourth and one deep in its own territory, only to be stuffed at the line by redshirt freshman Isaiah Moore. Starting the drive at the opponent’s 32-yard line should result in a touchdown, especially with how well the Wolfpack offense has played most of the season.
The Pack settled for a 31-yard field goal after six rushing plays and one pass play. The Pack visited the red zone eight times and scored on all eight trips, but was forced to settle for a field goal three times. Freshman kicker Christopher Dunn also added a fourth-quarter field goal from 1 yard outside the redzone.
A couple examples in today’s game show how the Pack could’ve put more points on the board early, something that came with consequences in last week’s loss to Syracuse.
In the second quarter against the Orange, Dunn came in on two occasions to kick field goals in the red zone. In what ended up being a 10-point loss, converting on those two drives would’ve given NC State a better chance at the end of the game. There is no telling if NC State would’ve turned the outcome around, but in a high-scoring affair where almost every drive resulted in points, converting red-zone opportunities is key.
NC State entered the week ranked 77th in red-zone offense among all FBS schools. Finley and the offense have visited the red zone 43 times so far this season, scoring points on 37 of those drives. The Pack scored a touchdown on 25 of the 43 trips, only 58 percent.
The Wolfpack definitely has room to improve in this category in order to put games away earlier and convert on more of its prime opportunities. Against a tough bowl game competitor and even high-powered offenses like Wake Forest, who ranked 37th in points per game coming into this week, NC State needs to convert on these drives.
Thursday night against the Demon Deacons will be a good test for Finley and the rest of the offense. In a game where there will be a lot of points scored, converting red-zone opportunities into touchdowns could be the difference for NC State to pull out a win.
