After suffering an embarrassing 34-30 home loss to Wake Forest, NC State football continues to spiral through a nightmarish season. This week’s matchup ended with the Wolfpack handing away a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, snapping a seven-game home win streak.
National disappointment
Ignoring the Wolfpack’s preseason expectations is impossible when discussing the state of NC State football. Several key contributors from last season’s squad returned with a plethora of offensive weapons added through the transfer portal. Operating like a team gearing up for an ACC championship generated national excitement for the 2024 Wolfpack season. Yet, NC State’s season is already a failure halfway through the season as it has struggled on both sides of the ball nearly every week.
Outside of Florida State, a preseason playoff hopeful that’s off to a 1-5 start, it’s tough to find a team that has underperformed as much as NC State. Despite the added offensive personnel, the Wolfpack’s offense remains as stale and predictable as ever. Often failing to involve its playmakers, it remains unclear what NC State is trying to accomplish offensively after an offseason of optimism for what the offense could become.
At 3-3 with a loss to one of the worst teams in the ACC, the second half of the season looks grim for the Wolfpack. A College Football Playoff appearance and an ACC championship are seemingly out the window, and reaching the elusive 10-win mark is now impossible in the regular season. For now, the Wolfpack is fighting to escape the basement of the ACC.
Inability to stop the run
Under head coach Dave Doeren, NC State has typically leaned on its defense to win football games. However, the team’s defensive identity has been shattered this season, especially in run defense. Despite its motto of “Hard. Tough. Together.” the Pack’s run defense looks flimsy and lost.
With linebackers struggling to finish tackles, the Demon Deacons often ran into the secondary before being brought down. Three of the Wolfpack’s top four tacklers were defensive backs, having to make touchdown-saving tackles after the linebackers could not finish plays.
Wake Forest diagnosed the red-and-white’s weakness in the second half. After rushing just seven times in the first half, the Demon Deacons dialed up 24 runs in the second for 112 yards. Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne was especially dangerous, averaging 6.8 yards per carry.
With star running backs still ahead on the schedule, such as UNC-Chapel Hill’s Omarion Hampton and Duke’s Star Thomas, NC State is in a world of trouble with its run defense.
Concepcion limited again
Last season, sophomore receiver KC Concepcion took the ACC by storm, powering NC State’s offense en route to an ACC Freshman of the Year campaign. However, in his second season in Raleigh, Concepcion’s production has dropped off a cliff, largely due to how he’s been used. Against Wake Forest, Concepcion only recorded 22 yards, despite making six catches.
Even with his uncanny ability to get open, the Wolfpack has seemingly relegated Concepcion to screens, jet passes and other plays at or behind the line of scrimmage. While Concepcion might not have the most reliable hands, he consistently proved he was dangerous in the intermediate passing game last season. The result is an average of just 7.2 yards per reception — a significant decrease from last year’s average of 11.8.
Lack of offensive identity
Six weeks into the season, what is NC State’s offensive identity? It certainly isn’t running the football, where the Wolfpack ranks 14th in the ACC. It’s not throwing the ball either — the Pack sits at 13th in the conference. So if the Wolfpack isn’t running or throwing the ball well, how is it supposed to threaten opposing defenses?
The Pack needs to figure out what it wants to be this season if it wants to salvage its offense. The red-and-white has several playmakers, unlike last season when Concepcion was the team’s only threat to defenses. With talent across the board, including junior tight end Justin Joly, redshirt freshman receiver Noah Rogers and running back Kendrick Raphael and Concepcion, there’s no excuse for the Wolfpack to be this lost offensively.
Aydan White’s resurgence
For the first time all season, graduate cornerback Aydan White looked like his former self. One of the few bright spots of the game, White established his presence in both the passing and running game.
Leading the team with nine tackles, White made up for multiple missed tackles by linebackers. Additionally, the cornerback shut down Demon Deacon receivers with a pair of pass breakups. While it’s not much, seeing one of last year’s stars finally step up is a welcome sight for the Wolfpack.
