Photo by John Joyner.
Sophomore running back Shadrach Thornton runs the ball during the football game against new ACC member Syracuse in Carter-Finley Stadium Saturday, Oct. 11, 2013. The Orange defeated the Wolfpack 24-10, dropping N.C. State to 0-3 in conference play.
There’s likely not a member of Wolfpack Nation who’s satisfied with N.C. State’s most recent loss, a 49-17 drubbing at the hands of No. 3 Florida State in Tallahassee, dropping the Pack below .500 at 3-4 overall and keeping them winless in the ACC.
Saturday’s game marked the much-anticipated return of graduate student quarterback Brandon Mitchell, who saw his first action since injuring his foot in the season opener against Louisiana Tech on Aug. 31.
Much like the rest of the team, Mitchell just didn’t play well. His first pass attempt was intercepted, and it got no better from there. He finished with just 128 yards through the air on 17 completions with two interceptions and no touchdowns.
Chalk it up to rust. Chalk it up to playing one of the best teams in the nation. Chalk it up to whatever you want—Mitchell stunk on Saturday. There’s no two ways around it: Junior backup quarterback Pete Thomas had been harshly criticized for his performance in Mitchell’s absence, but Mitchell was no better against FSU.
The game was over after the first quarter. The Seminoles led 35-0, and even a national championship-caliber team would have struggled coming back from that deficit. Forget about a struggling squad like the Pack making up that kind of ground.
Even in a game as disastrous as Saturday, one bright spot for State was the play of sophomore running back Shadrach Thornton, who amassed a career-high 173 yards on 23 carries. Thornton provided the highlight of the day for the Pack when he dashed 72 yards for a touchdown toward the end of the third quarter.
When a team is being outclassed and the game is just about decided, it’s easy to go through the motions and not give your very best effort. Thornton deserves credit for continuing to fight until the final whistle.
Similarly, the Wolfpack defense played well in the second half, giving up just seven points after the break. Granted, the Seminoles pulled most of their starters after the break, including Heisman Trophy front-runner quarterback Jameis Winston. The Pack’s defense was so bad that a Pop Warner team could probably have put up a couple touchdowns on them. Moreover, the defense has struggled to stop anyone this season.
I commend FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher for putting in his second and third-stringers with the game well in hand. In the age of the BCS and computer rankings, style points matter. Fisher could have easily left his starters in and continued to light up the scoreboard. But he didn’t, and for that he deserves a tip of the hat.
As for the Wolfpack, it’s on to the next one—UNC-Chapel Hill. I have no doubt that the Pack will come out fired up for next Saturday’s rivalry game with the debacle in Tallahassee completely in the rearview mirror. There’s still an entire month left in the season, and State has five chances to get three wins to become bowl-eligible.