After a monumental upset of the Tigers last year at Carter-Finley Stadium, the then-No. 10 Wolfpack was unable to mirror the same results as the No. 5 Clemson Tigers won 30-20. During this top-10 matchup, the Wolfpack had a chance to snap the Tigers’ 36-game home win streak but NC State was unable to get it done as the entire offense stalled in the second half.
Quarterback
Redshirt junior quarterback Devin Leary was once again the leader for the Wolfpack offense. After a four-touchdown performance in the win against the Tigers last year, Leary was unable to put up similar numbers. He completed 28 passes on 47 attempts for 245 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Although the interception is listed under Leary, it ultimately came off a bobbled pass which landed in the hands of a member of the Tiger defense.
Leary also had seven rushes for 19 yards and a touchdown, his third rushing score of the season and his first since a record-breaking performance against Charleston Southern. It was also his fifth rushing touchdown of his career.
Although nothing stands out in the box score for Leary, his 245 passing yards is his second-highest total of the season, behind his 320 yard performance against UConn the previous week.
Grade: B-
Running Backs
The dynamic duo of sophomore running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye and junior running back Jordan Houston just could not get into a rhythm all night. After amassing 100 yards of rushing in each game of the 2022 season so far, the group only accounted for 34 total yards. You can’t really blame the two for putting up such small numbers as they essentially had no time and no huge holes from the offensive line.
In the receiving game, Sumo-Karngbaye and Houston had similar numbers to the rushing attack. Sumo-Karngbaye hauled in three passes while Houston caught two as they combined for 35 total receiving yards and zero touchdowns.
Grade: C+
Receivers
As the season continues to roll on, it’s starting to seem like Leary is looking to one of his veteran receivers as his go-to. Graduate receiver Thayer Thomas was once again Leary’s favorite target. Thomas led the Pack with nine receptions for 84 yards. Redshirt junior receiver Devin Carter was the second leading receiver as he totaled 54 yards on three catches, including a deep ball from Leary during the first quarter.
Although the vacancy of a true go-to receiver might have been solved, the inability to catch the ball ultimately plagued the Pack offense. Throughout the entire contest, the Wolfpack receivers constantly dropped easy passes that could have led to first downs. Leary’s interception also came off a bobbled pass by redshirt junior wide receiver Christopher Toudle. Another one of Leary’s passes ended up in the hands of the defense due to a tipped pass, but it ultimately got called back due to a penalty on the Tigers.
On the brightside, redshirt freshman tight end Cedd Seabrough caught his first touchdown in a Wolfpack jersey on a two-yard pass by Leary in the first half.
Grade: C-
Offensive Line
Going up against what some consider one of, if not the best, front sevens in all of college football, the Wolfpack offensive line struggled tremendously. The big boys upfront were unable to keep up with the daunted Clemson front seven as Leary was constantly under pressure all night.
Sumo-Karngbaye, Houston and the entire running game also saw struggles, as they only generated 1.6 yards per rush. The struggles in the rushing game had an impact on the entire offensive gameplay as the Wolfpack was unable to get the play-action game going, which is something Leary and company strive on.
The Wolfpack offense only generated 279 total yards against the Tigers, which is only nine
yards greater than the season-low of 270. Both of these lows came against the only two Power 5 teams the Pack has faced so far this season.
On top of the struggles, the offensive line gave up three sacks, five tackles for a loss of 28 yards, and a fumble on a miscommunication between graduate center Grant Gibson and Leary during a crucial fourth down in the fourth quarter. The Wolfpack line also tallied four penalties and had four three-and-outs.
Grade: D-
