The NC State football team dropped yet another conference game Saturday as the Wolfpack lost to the Louisville Cardinals, 30-18, on the road.
The Pack (4-4, 0-4 ACC) has gone winless in the ACC during the past two years, and has lost four in a row this season.
“When you go through the adversity we’ve had as a program, you have a chance to shrink or to grow from those kind of moments,” Head Coach Dave Doeren said. “We’re going to grow.”
With the win, the Cardinals (6-2, 4-2 ACC) avenged their previous loss to NC State, which came in the Belk Bowl in the 2011-2012 season. With the win, the Cardinals proved themselves as a formidable contender in the ACC, moving into 3rd place in the Atlantic division.
Louisville came out and took advantage of an NC State defense that was missing multiple starters, as the Cardinals were able to score in their first drive off a 13-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Will Gardner to senior wide receiver Eli Rogers.
The NC State offense started slowly, scoring only once in the first half in the form of a passing touchdown from junior quarterback Jacoby Brissett to sophomore tight end David Grinnage. However, NC State senior place kicker Niklas Sade wasn’t able to convert the extra point, resulting in a 7-6 score at the end of the first quarter.
Louisville dominated in the second quarter, as Gardner threw a short touchdown pass to senior wideout Kai De La Cruz, and junior place kicker John Wallace tacked on a 40-yard field goal to bump the Cardinal’s lead to 17-6.
The second half wasn’t any different for the Pack on offense, as the team only scored one more touchdown on another Brissett to Grinnage connection in the fourth quarter. The running game managed to hold its own as junior running back Shadrach Thornton averaged 4.2 yards per carry, but was only given 13 carries for the game. Thornton led the Pack with 54 yards in the matchup.
Freshman linebacker Airius Moore, who filled in for suspended freshman linebacker Jerod Fernandez, was the lone bright spot for the Pack on defense. The Beavercreek, Ohio, native tallied eight tackles, including a sack, in the game.
“I was the next man up,” Moore said. “When your name’s called, you have to produce because the team is counting on you.”
The Wolfpack defense only allowed thirteen points in the second half but wasn’t able to stop the Cardinals’ rushing attack as the game progressed. Senior running back Michael Dwyer ran wild on the NC State defense, finishing the game with a touchdown and 173 yards on the ground.
The run game was key to Louisville’s attack, allowing it to keep the NC State offense off the field and maintain control of the clock throughout the second half.
If the Louisville rushing attack didn’t dampen the hopes of the Wolfpack defense, senior wide receiver DeVante Parker decided to put on a show, as he hauled in nine receptions for 132 yards. While he never put his name in the score column for the Cardinals, he was still a force to be reckoned with at all times.
The Pack was able to keep the relative yardage close between the two teams but just wasn’t able to put together enough scoring drives on offense, dropping its fourth game in a row after winning the first four of the season.
NC State will get some much needed rest for its bye week, but will travel to up north to face Syracuse on Nov. 1.
“We need a bye week bad,” Doeren said. “I think this will be a good week for them to mentally refocus.”
