Without sensational freshman quarterback MJ Morris, NC State football suffered a demoralizing 25-10 road loss to the Louisville Cardinals.
The story of the game was how ineffective NC State’s offense was. Unable to throw or run the ball, the offense disappointed, similar to multiple other games this year. Despite the uninspiring showing from the offense, the defense kept the Pack in the game, giving the team a chance in the fourth quarter. However, a gassed defense was unable to hold back the Cardinals, who won a scrappy, ugly game.
Quarterback is a mess without Leary and Morris
After losing redshirt junior Devin Leary for the year against Florida State, NC State found another special quarterback, Morris, to lead the offense. With Morris out, the Pack turned to graduate quarterback Jack Chambers to start the game, who only completed 2-7 passes for 13 yards. He also got involved in the running game, but remained largely ineffective. Unable to drive the football, Chambers was benched in favor of redshirt freshman Ben Finley during the second quarter.
Finley was a slight upgrade over Chambers but was no match for the Cardinals’ defense. He connected on 16-35 passes for 201 yards, a touchdown and an interception, but unfortunately for the Pack, the offense struggled to piece together drives with Finley at the helm. He never settled into a rhythm, and as a result, the Wolfpack never found consistency on offense. Additionally, without having to worry about NC State’s passing attack, Louisville had an easier task of stopping the Wolfpack running backs.
Relying on its third-and fourth-string quarterbacks, NC State was already at a disadvantage. However, it was still disappointing to see them both struggle against the Cardinals. If Morris cannot play on Friday in the annual rivalry with North Carolina, the Wolfpack will be in serious trouble.
Defense remains a strength
As disappointing as this game was, the defense still held the Cardinals in check. One of the Cardinals’ touchdowns came from an impressive 98-yard kickoff return, meaning the defense was only responsible for 18 points given up during the game. While the defense didn’t force any turnovers and only had one sack, it often did its job, keeping Louisville away from the endzone.
As per usual, the linebackers shined. Graduate linebacker Isaiah Moore led the team with six solo tackles, while junior linebacker Drake Thomas had 1.5 tackles for loss. As the heart and soul of the defense, the linebacking core led the group in an inspired effort. Unfortunately, this performance was negated by the poor offensive showing.
Injuries piling up
An all too familiar situation is brewing in Raleigh — the Wolfpack losing several key contributors due to injury. Losing Leary and Morris is already tough, but the Pack was also missing key players on both sides of the ball. Most notably, the team was without graduate center Grant Gibson. A warrior who had started 46 straight games before today, Gibson was sorely missed by the Pack. As a leader, Gibson often sets the tone for the offensive line, especially in the running game, and without him, the offensive line wasn’t the same.
The defense was also without its share of players, notably redshirt junior linebacker Payton Wilson, NC State’s best run defender. Stopping the run was the defense’s weak point in an otherwise quality defensive outing. With Wilson, it’s possible the defense could have played even better, but with Wilson out, the Cardinals racked up 192 total rushing yards.
Reality of falling short
Things have certainly not gone the way anyone would have expected them to for this team. With preseason aspirations of a conference championship and even a playoff berth, the 7-4 record is a disappointment. Losing to teams like Syracuse, Boston College and now Louisville is not meeting the standard many placed on this team. This season isn’t done, but the Wolfpack has fallen short in what could have been a historic year.
With two games left, including the Pack’s biggest rivalry game, there’s still plenty to play for as an 8-4 finish and bowl win can still be achieved. The team has had impressive wins, most notably over Wake Forest and a rapidly improving Florida State, and beating the Tar Heels would add to the team’s list of accomplishments. However, it’s still a far cry from the potentially special year this team could have had.
