The NC State football team earned a 35-21 win over Virginia in its first ACC game of the season Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium. The passing game carried its weight as usual, but the running game, notably freshman Ricky Person, had his best game of the season. On defense, all three phases continued to play well.

Here’s an evaluation of each position group:

Quarterback: B

Graduate Ryan Finley’s numbers weren’t as great as they have been, completing 22 of 32 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns. Finley looked noticeably off in the first quarter, with two throws in particular looking concerning. A flea flicker resulting in a 39-yard completion to sophomore receiver Emeka Emezie and a 16-yard touchdown to Emezie easily could have been picked off.

If it weren’t for spectacular catches from Emezie, Finley’s numbers would look a lot different, as would the game. Finley was good, but for the Pack to compete with Clemson at the top of the ACC Atlantic Division, he’s going to have to be better.

Running Backs: A

This A definitely comes on a curve, but the running game was much improved this week. Person was a revelation, and he has to stay healthy for NC State to reach its potential. Person had 14 carries for 108 yards, averaging 7.7 yards per carry. He has the big-play ability that’s been missing on the ground.

Senior Reggie Gallaspy is still crucial, but Person has a much higher ceiling and has the ability to break games open, similar to former running back Nyheim Hines.

Wide Receivers: A+

Junior Kelvin Harmon and Emezie combined for 202 yards and two touchdowns. The rest of the receiver group was pretty quiet, but there’s only one ball to go around. Redshirt junior Jakobi Meyers had a couple of crucial third-down catches. Everybody knows Harmon is a pro, perhaps even next year, but how many more pros does Finley have to throw too? There’s nothing this group can’t do, and even the run blocking is noteworthy.

Tight ends: B

Redshirt sophomore Cary Angeline made his presence felt with his first career touchdown. Redshirt sophomore Dylan Autenrieth has made a noticeable difference in the running game the last two weeks.

Offensive line: A-

The Cavaliers totaled three tackles for a loss, no sacks and no quarterback pressures. The Pack ran for 176 yards. That’s a pretty good day despite a couple of penalties. Offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford’s group is rounding into the form Wolfpack fans have grown accustomed to the last couple years.

Defensive line: B+

This group combined for 6.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and 93 rushing yards allowed. They’ve done an admirable job replacing four NFL draft picks from last year, especially compared to expectations.

It’s been a group effort all year, as five defensive linemen have been credited with a sack so far this year, and this week it was redshirt junior Larrell Murchison recording three sacks. The depth of the defensive line really stood out in the fourth quarter when it seemed somebody was in the backfield every play.

Linebackers: B-

Redshirt senior Germaine Pratt tied for the team lead with six tackles. It was a solid but unspectacular day for the linebackers, and defensive coordinator and linebacker coach Dave Huxtable has built an impressive amount of depth at a spot where only two players are on the field at a time.

Secondary: B+

There was some good and bad in the defensive backfield Saturday. Virginia quarterback Bryce Perkins threw for 258 yards, which isn’t bad considering the Cavaliers had to throw the ball a lot since they were trailing.

However, there were a few big plays that were a little too easy, particularly Virginia’s first touchdown, a 35-yarder. Freshman Tanner Ingle has struggled in pass coverage the first half of the season, but that’s to be expected from a freshman. He needs more safety help on deep balls. Two timely interceptions were important, and forcing more turnovers has helped the defense be better than it was last year.

Special teams: C-

The Pack looked terribly prepared and executed even worse than that on an onside kick that was recovered by the Cavaliers in the fourth quarter. Good news for the Pack is it was a relatively low-leverage situation, which can be learned from.

Virginia’s return game and punting was better than NC State’s as well. However, freshman kicker Christopher Dunn has been a revelation in the kicking game and that alone is worth a passing grade. His 44-yard field goal at the end of the first half was a huge confidence boost for Dunn and his teammates, coaches and fans.

Coaching: A

Evidently, head coach Dave Doeren has built a strong program. Take a look around the ACC and there are problems everywhere, even at Clemson. NC State has no drama right now and is easily handling teams that it should.

The biggest problem for Doeren might be getting Wolfpack fans to come back to the stadium for the second half. You’re in a pretty good spot when that’s your biggest issue. That big picture is way more important than any play calls that fans may complain about on game day.