Despite losing five of its previous six games, the NC State football team defied the odds and pulled off the upset against UNC-Chapel Hill on the road Saturday to get to six wins on the season and earn bowl eligibility. Here are the top performances from the Wolfpack’s biggest victory of the year.
Running game
Led by senior Matt Dayes, the Pack totaled 259 yards and three touchdowns on the ground against the Tar Heels. The offense lives and dies by the rushing attack, and it did what it needed to do, as the offensive line, which seemingly had one of its better games of recent memory, opened up holes for Dayes to earn 104 and two touchdowns on 26 carries, while sophomore Reggie Gallaspy II garnered 62 yards on 10 carries. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jalan McClendon also added a spark to the running game, totaling seven carries for 42 yards.
Perhaps the most important play was Dayes’ second touchdown, when he burst through the line, bounced off several would-be tacklers and dove into the end zone to give the Wolfpack a commanding 21-0 lead early in the second quarter. Dayes was the exemplification of a workhorse in the first half, carrying the ball 16 times for 81 yards and both of his touchdowns. He played a huge part in State establishing its big lead in the first half that it did not relinquish for the rest of the game.
Run defense
This has been the strength of not only the defense, but arguably the whole team for the entirety of the season. After allowing Miami sophomore Mark Walton to be the first 100-yard rusher against the Wolfpack defense front the previous week, the team held junior Elijah Hood to just 56 rushing yards and senior T.J. Logan to 22 while recording six tackles for a loss.
It all starts up front, with junior captain Bradley Chubb headlining the group, as he recorded a TFL for the sixth consecutive game and 10th time this season, according to NC State Athletics. The Wolfpack did what it had all season — force the opposing team’s hand and go to a one-dimensional passing attack. Of course, the Pack’s 21-point lead less than 20 minutes into the game also led to UNC resorting to the pass, but with the exception of a few big gains, State held the Heels in check.
Stephen Louis
After a hot start, the redshirt sophomore wide receiver had one game in which he earned more than 50 receiving yards since Oct. 1 against Wake Forest coming into Saturday’s matchup against the Heels. He seemed to regain his explosiveness, as he not only led the team with four catches for 124 yards and a touchdown, but had more receiving yards than all of his teammates combined. Additionally, he had two catches for over 50 yards and caught his second touchdown pass of the season on a trick play from junior tight end Jaylen Samuels, his first touchdown since an 80-yard catch-and-run Sept. 10 against East Carolina.
Louis possesses a unique blend of size, speed and strength that makes him dangerous after the catch. He fights for every yard he earns, and that was particularly prevalent against UNC, as he broke tackles and dragged defenders with him as he tried to gain every inch. He has led the team in receiving yards for the majority of the season and now has 33 catches for 657 yards.
Play of the Game
On just the fifth offensive play of the game for the Wolfpack, redshirt sophomore Ryan Finley threw a backward pass to Samuels. As the defense pursued on what appeared to be a screen pass, Samuels unexpectedly dropped back to pass and found a wide-open Louis deep downfield, who outran the remaining defenders on the 59-yard score.
The one thing Samuels hadn’t done for the NC State offense this season was throw a pass, but he can add that to his resume with a beautiful throw on a sneaky trick play that got the momentum going in the Pack’s favor to start the game. Speaking of momentum, UNC junior Mitch Trubisky fumbled on the next play and Chubb recovered, which State capitalized off of with a touchdown to go up 14-0 early.
Player to Watch: Gallaspy
With Dayes graduating, NC State needs a successor to one of its best running backs in school history. Gallaspy seems to have the best shot of being that guy, as he has received the majority of Dayes’ relief carries in favor of redshirt junior Dakwa Nichols and the No. 80 ESPN nationally ranked class of 2015 recruit, redshirt freshman Johnny Frasier, who is out for the season following a November shoulder surgery.
While these players each have different strengths and are better in certain situations, the coaching staff had given Gallaspy the majority of the backup reps before Frasier’s shoulder injury. Obviously, a lot can change before the start of the 2017 season, but early indications point to Gallaspy leading what will likely be a more committee-like backfield approach next season.
Looking forward
It was looking questionable following a 1-4 start in ACC play, but the Wolfpack has earned bowl eligibility after a roller coaster regular season. The opponent and location are currently unknown, and a lot can happen in college football before then. To provide some context, the Pack beat nine-win Central Florida, who went winless the following season, 34-27 in head coach Dave Doeren’s first bowl game with the team in the 2014 Bitcoin Bowl, but lost to Mississippi State 51-28 in the Belk Bowl last year.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Ryan Finley celebrates with redshirt sophomore wide receiver Stephen Louis after Louis’s touchdown against the Tar Heels on Friday. NC State defeated UNC-Chapel Hill in Kenan Stadium to finish out the regular season with a 6-6 record.
