With a 37-20 win at Marshall Saturday night, the NC State football team wrapped up its Hurricane Florence-shortened nonconference schedule, and will kick off ACC play this coming week against Virginia.

The Wolfpack is 3-0, with wins over James Madison and Georgia State to go along with the victory over the Thundering Herd. All three wins have been by more than 10 points, and NC State has looked to be a force to reckon with in the ACC.

Here are four takeaways from the Pack’s nonconference slate:

1.     The rushing game has struggled, but give it time

The glaring issue on the offensive side of the ball for NC State has been the lack of production in the running game, and it’s alarming for sure. The Wolfpack is averaging barely over 100 yards per game on the ground, and senior Reggie Gallaspy Jr. is averaging under 60 yards per game as the feature back.

However, concern over this facet of the game may be slightly premature. Last season, the rushing game became a strength for the Pack as the season went on, with Nyheim Hines rushing for over 1,000 yards and becoming a fourth-round pick in the NFL draft. Things started slow on the ground for the Wolfpack last year as well, with NC State averaging only 116.5 yards per game over its first two games, and Hines averaging only 55.

It was week three when the Pack, and Hines, really broke out last year, so this year’s group may be slightly behind, but it should come soon for the Wolfpack. Gallaspy looked better against Marshall, with a season-high 81 yards and two touchdowns, so things look to be trending in the right direction.

2. Ryan Finley is proving he should be the first quarterback off the board in April

Graduate quarterback Ryan Finley could have left NC State after last season, and would have been drafted without question. However, Finley returned and is growing his draft stock each time he takes the field, and has continually proved early on this year that he has the makeup to be a bigtime NFL signal caller.

His poise in the pocket may be the best in the country, and he protects the ball and makes plays. He’s completed 83 of his 121 passing attempts this season, good for 68.6 percent, and has five touchdowns compared to just one interception. That pick came in garbage time of a big win over Georgia State, and other than that Finley really hasn’t made many bad throws this season.

While any outside shot at the Heisman Trophy is probably quickly fading, especially considering the seasons of Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and West Virginia quarterback Will Grier, Finley is proving he is more than ready for the NFL. Grier and Missouri QB Drew Lock are probably Finley’s biggest competitors for that top selection, but if the Wolfpack gunslinger continues what he’s done through three games it’s hard to imagine an NFL team in need of a quarterback passing on him.

3. The Wolfpack offense has weapons on top of weapons

If healthy, which has been a big if so far this season, NC State is six ACC-caliber players deep at wide receiver. Junior Kelvin Harmon, redshirt junior Jakobi Meyers and graduate Stephen Louis were expected to be dangerous coming into the year, and they have answered that call despite some injuries.

Harmon leads the team in receptions and yards, with 18 catches and 312 yards, and has been the main target for Finley as expected. Meyers and Louis have both missed a game with injury, but have still combined for 280 yards and 21 catches. 

That trio was expected to produce, but it has been the three receivers behind them that have really shined. Sophomore Emeka Emezie, redshirt sophomore C.J. Riley and freshman Thayer Thomas have all broken out in big ways early on, combining for four touchdown grabs. Thomas has two scores, to go along with 175 yards, but was dinged up in the Marshall game. Emezie and Riley each have one touchdown and more than 100 yards.

The production from Emezie, Riley and Thomas wasn’t expected for this team. With so many weapons, and an elite arm spreading the ball out to them, this Wolfpack offense is even more dangerous and dynamic than its high preseason expectations indicated.

4. The ACC is Clemson’s to win, but NC State may be the biggest challenger again

Clemson is far-and-away the ACC favorite, and the talent level between the Tigers and the rest of the league is substantial. Clemson is 4-0, and apart from a close win over a talented Texas A&M team, it’s been fairly smooth sailing for the College Football Playoff contender.

However, for the rest of the ACC contenders that aren’t NC State, it’s been a rough go of things. Boston College was seemingly the other top team in the Atlantic Division, but got blown out by a winless Purdue team this weekend.

In the Coastal, Virginia Tech and Miami were the top two teams coming into the season. Miami has been fine, with its only loss coming to a very strong LSU. Virginia Tech opened the season up with an impressive 24-3 win over ACC foe Florida State, but was the victim of college football’s biggest upset of the season this weekend, losing to Old Dominion. Duke also is looking good in the Coastal, and is ranked No. 22. 

While those nonconference losses don’t matter for VT and Boston College when it comes to contending in the ACC, those two teams clearly have some things to figure out. The Wolfpack missed out on its game to prove its worth with the cancellation of the West Virginia game, but has looked pretty good in its three games against much lesser competition.