One week after a nail-biting win at East Carolina, Wolfpack fans had a much more relaxed afternoon on Saturday, Sept. 10 as NC State took on the Charleston Southern Buccaneers. The first game back at Carter-Finley saw the Pack dominate the Bucs to a 55-3 victory. After a lackluster performance in week one, the Wolfpack offense made substantial improvements as it completed its second of four non-conference games of the season. 

Quarterbacks

The heartbeat of the Wolfpack offense was redshirt junior quarterback Devin Leary, who also celebrated his 23rd birthday on Saturday. The birthday boy was a force to be reckoned with as he put on a clinic for Wolfpack fans across the country. Leary completed 16 of 25 passes for 238 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions. To add onto his outstanding performance through the air, Leary had two touchdowns on the ground including a highlight reel run that saw him break multiple tackles on his way to the endzone. Leary’s six total touchdowns in the game tied the NC State single-game record. 

Leary was not the only quarterback to see the field. After Leary was pulled after the first drive of the second half, graduate quarterback Jack Chambers and freshman quarterback MJ Morris were under center for the rest of the contest. Chambers, facing his former team, completed five of 11 passes for 45 yards and one touchdown while Morris made two passes for 38 yards. 

Although none of the quarterbacks committed a turnover, there were a couple of off target throws that could have potentially turned into turnovers. Outside of the few bad passes, the quarterback group played a nearly flawless game. 

Grade: A+

Running Backs

The running back group this week was a huge addition to the receiving game while also making some noise in the run game.

Sophomore running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye continued to make his case for the number one spot in the depth chart as he headlined the Wolfpack rushing attack for the second straight week. He rushed for 70 yards on seven carries but was unable to find the endzone. Four other running backs saw touches throughout the game. Redshirt sophomore running back Demarcus Jones II, junior running back Jordan Houston, redshirt sophomore running back Delbert Mimms III and freshman running back Devin Gardner combined for 110 yards on 26 carries.

Houston and Mimms had the biggest impact in the receiving game for the running backs. On screen and dump-off passes, the two backs reeled in four receptions for 97 yards and two touchdowns, including an incredible catch in the back corner of the endzone on a wheel route by Houston.

Overall, the running back core had a huge impact, especially through the pass catching game. The only negative thing to come by this group was when Mimms committed the Pack’s only turnover of the game with a fumble during the third quarter. Outside of the fumble, the backs played quite well which is enough to earn an A for this week.

Grade: A

Receivers

As the second week of the season wraps up, an ongoing vacancy at the WR1 position has plagued the Pack. With the ongoing vacancy, all three quarterbacks dispersed the ball greatly across their receivers on Saturday with 10 different players catching passes. Redshirt freshman Julian Gray led the Pack in receptions with three while sophomore Anthony Smith was the leader in yards with 58.

Of the 10 receivers, three were able to cross the goal line. Smith and redshirt sophomore Christopher Toudle both caught deep balls from Leary while redshirt freshman Jalen Coit caught a pass from Chambers in the back corner of the endzone.

The receiving core battled a few mental errors throughout the game with dropped passes, which can be an easy fix as the season goes on. As the Pack continue their search for a true go-to receiver, the group as a whole played well which earns them an A for this week.

Grade: A

Offensive Line

The offensive line gave Leary and company a much easier day at the office than against ECU.  Both the passing and the rushing attack were able to succeed greatly due to the line buying time for the quarterbacks and creating space for big gains on the ground. The offense generated 538 total yards, which is 194 more yards than the previous week against the Pirates. The offensive line also allowed zero sacks this game.

There were a few mistakes generated by the line this week however. It allowed the Bucs to get four tackles for a loss of nine yards and the offensive line also accounted for four penalties. 

Grade: A-