After seemingly turning a page with a two-game winning streak, NC State football suffered a demoralizing 29-19 loss at home to Duke. Despite a strong defensive showing, one too many offensive blunders prevented the Pack from securing a senior night win. As NC State prepares to hit the road for the final two games of the regular season, here are some takeaways from its final home game of the season.
Offensive inefficiency haunts the Pack
After finding itself in a two-game slump following a loss to Syracuse, NC State began to find its rhythm on offense. In wins over California and Stanford, the offense provided a glimpse of its potential. Over this span, NC State was a combined 14-27 on third downs and a perfect 3-3 on fourth downs. These successes helped play a pivotal role in the Pack’s ability to keep a strong hold on the time of possession.
Unfortunately for the Pack, it did not sustain numbers like this against the Blue Devils. Despite narrowly winning the time of possession battle, NC State did not have any semblance of efficiency as it went a staggering 3-15 on third downs. This was seen in multiple instances as promising drives were stalled and the team had to settle for a season-high four field goals.
Failing to get the ball past midfield until the end of the first quarter, NC State began to compile some offensive momentum throughout the second quarter. In back-to-back drives, the Pack put itself in the red zone. However, the Blue Devils halted the red-and-white just in time to put an end to any form of fight that they had. Limiting NC State to only six points in two drives that had a potential for a touchdown proved to be a frustrating reality of the game.
This trend continued throughout the second half as NC State opened the third quarter with its longest drive of the game. Though it made it all the way to Duke’s seven-yard line, the Pack was once again forced to settle for a field goal. The game was only tied for moments as Duke soon after began to put together offensive momentum, scoring two touchdowns in the second half to put the game out of reach.
CJ Bailey is still young
Even though this season hasn’t been what most fans expected, all of the Wolfpack faithful can agree that freshman quarterback CJ Bailey is truly a star in the making. After enjoying two dominant performances over the Pack’s previous two games, it is certain that NC State has its quarterback of the future under center. Coming into yesterday’s game, Bailey was ranked among the best young talents in the nation.
However, this game was a reminder that though he has played like a veteran recently, Bailey is still young and has room for improvement in multiple facets of his game. Liking to stretch his legs and show off his dual threat ability, Bailey sprinted out in the first quarter. Instead of trying to slide, he dove head-first into the defense and as a result, fumbled and turned the ball over, allowing Duke to draw first blood.
Throughout the remainder of the game, Bailey made key plays to help progress the Pack down the field. In the third quarter, he connected on three straight plays of 15 yards or more. However, with red zone efficiency being a thorn in the team’s side, it was not enough to help put the team on the board.
On the very next drive, Bailey threw a short pass aimed for junior tight end Justin Joly. However, the pass was behind his target and the ball bounced into the hands of a Blue Devil defender for an interception, eventually leading to a Duke touchdown.
A testament of Bailey’s will, he returned on the very next drive of the game and put together the team’s best drive of the day. Marching down the field in the fourth quarter, Bailey capped off the drive with a 16-yard touchdown strike to junior wide receiver Wesley Grimes. With that being the end of the day offensively, Bailey tallied 184 yards through the air along with an extra 36 on the ground.
Defense continues to turn the page
Throughout the season, NC State has seen a noticeable dip in its defensive ability from years past. The unit allowed a minimal 276 total yards of offense from Duke in an effort to give the offense as many chances as possible. Despite allowing a 45-yard touchdown in the first quarter, the NC State defense largely held tight in the first half.
Right before halftime, Duke found itself in the red zone. However, the Pack got a huge break as redshirt freshman cornerback Tamarcus Cooley ripped the ball away from the Duke receiver and returned the ball 65 yards to allow for a last-second field goal.
In the second half, it became evident that the defense was tiring quickly. On the first defensive drive of the half, Duke marched down the field and capped off a 75-yard drive with a quarterback run into the endzone. Despite forcing a quick three-and-out after, the defense had to return right back to the field after a costly Wolfpack interception. The Blue Devils used the short field to their advantage to cash in on another touchdown.
Headlining the day for NC State was junior linebacker Sean Brown. Tallying 10 total tackles, Brown helped come up for the team in multiple critical areas. Redshirt freshman Kamal Bonner also came up big in the defensive effort. He collected eight tackles, including two tackles for loss. Cooley also put up high marks with eight tackles of his own.
