The NC State Wolfpack picked up a huge rain-soaked win against Notre Dame on Saturday, running past the Irish as the rain and wind of Hurricane Matthew battered the players. Neither the Wolfpack nor the Irish managed an offensive touchdown in the game, with the lone touchdown of the game coming on special teams. After a wild and wet Week 6, here’s what we learned.
1. Pharoah McKever does it again
Count the big plays that McKever, a redshirt junior tight end, has made in his NC State career to change games. He had the huge 82-yard interception return his freshman year against Syracuse that helped the Wolfpack win on the road. Last year he scored an 82-yard touchdown on a pass from Jacoby Brissett in the Belk Bowl. On Saturday he made the difference by rumbling up the middle and blocking a Notre Dame punt, which redshirt sophomore safety Dexter Wright recovered for the only touchdown of the game. McKever has, for whatever reason, never become a consistent contributor at NC State, but he can change the course of a game in NC State’s favor in a hurry.
2. Passing in a hurricane doesn’t work
The Wolfpack ran early and often, using a combination of senior running back Matt Dayes and redshirt sophomore quarterback Jalan McClendon to accumulate 157 yards on the ground. Notre Dame’s game plan was questionable and apparently unchangeable. The Irish threw three-straight passes on the opening drive and never stopped passing from there — even when it became obvious that the strategy wouldn’t work. Irish redshirt sophomore DeShone Kizer threw 26 times, completing just nine passes. Kizer’s ESPN QBR was just 3.4, and he threw a costly interception deep in NC State territory. The Irish’s unwillingness to stray from the passing game was questionable and potentially cost them the game.
3. NC State center Joe Scelfo had an underrated impact on the game
In the blowing wind and rain, nothing was a given — not even snapping the football. Scelfo, a graduate transfer from South Alabama, gave the Wolfpack one less thing to worry about. With several Irish snaps sailing over Kizer’s head or skipping through his legs, Scelfo was solid with his snaps all game. This allowed the Wolfpack to rarely get behind and prevented any turnovers or drive killers on bad snaps.
4. The NC State defense stood tall
Yes, Hurricane Matthew did a great job of limiting both team’s offenses, with winds that made passing impossible and rain that caused several turnovers, but the Wolfpack defense played a great game in spite of it. The Wolfpack held the Irish to just 113 yards and kept getting off the field, as the Irish were just 1-15 on third downs. The Irish managed only 54 passing yards on 26 attempts and were sacked five times. The defensive line overwhelmed Notre Dame’s offensive line all game and the defense held at the end of the game when it mattered most.
5. NC State is trending in the right direction…for now
The Wolfpack sits at 4-1, and the Notre Dame win does help to eliminate the sting of the Wolfpack’s loss to ECU in Week 2. A bowl game is well within reason and should be expected at this point, with Boston College and Syracuse still on NC State’s schedule. Unfortunately for the Wolfpack, the schedule ramps up significantly and any good feelings from the Notre Dame win will likely be wiped away by back-to-back road games with Clemson and Louisville. How the Wolfpack responds the next two weeks will go a long way toward determining the outcome of this season.
Junior defensive tackle BJ Hill tackles Notre Dame's quarterback. Hill ended the game with four tackles and two fumble recoveries. NC State fought hard in the trenches for a 10-3 win during Hurricane Matthew on Oct. 8 in Carter-Finley Stadium.
