NC State football recorded its third win of the season in its final non-conference matchup against Northern Illinois in a 24-17 victory. Though the offense struggled, the defense and special teams stepped up to help secure a win. Here are some takeaways from Saturday’s win.
“Boomkester”
An unlikely hero arose for NC State in the form of redshirt junior punter Caden Noonkester. In what turned out to be a disappointing game for the Wolfpack offense, Noonkester had arguably the best game of his collegiate career. The six-foot-six specialist was called upon eight times, delivering on every single kick.
Noonkester’s 398 punt yards were the highlight of the contest, more than doubling the NC State offense’s meager 176 total yards. As if that wasn’t enough, Noonkester pinned Northern Illinois inside its own 20-yard line a career-high seven times.
In a season of inconsistency, Noonkester has been the only thing consistent through the Wolfpack’s first five games, punting 23 times for 1,043 yards. His ability to give the Wolfpack defense space to work with when the offense falters has been a key factor in NC State’s three wins.
Return to normalcy
Throughout NC State football’s 2023 campaign, it was primarily known as a defensive team, forcing nearly two turnovers a game and allowing just under 21 points per game. But to begin the 2024 season, the new Wolfpack defense had done anything but. It allowed nearly 38 points per game through its first four games.
However, the defense finally returned to form against Northern Illinois, reminiscent of the defense that carried NC State last season.
Graduate defensive end Davin Vann made his presence known against the Huskies, recording 10 tackles, one sack, 3.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. Vann provided pressure on Northern Illinois quarterback Ethan Hampton on nearly every single play, finally taking control of a defensive line that has struggled through the first four games of the season.
Redshirt junior linebacker Caden Fordham led the defense with 14 tackles while senior safety DK Kaufman recorded his second touchdown of the season on a scoop-and-score. The Wolfpack has scored three defensive touchdowns through the first five games of the season, helping supply points when the offense fails to find the end zone.
Offensive sputtering continues
After a 35-point outing last week, albeit against mostly Clemson backups, the NC State offense managed just two offensive touchdowns across 10 drives and just 176 total yards, marking the second time this season it has been held under 200 total yards.
Freshman quarterback CJ Bailey made his first start in Carter-Finley Stadium, completing 13 of his 20 pass attempts for 108 yards and a touchdown, while also scoring a touchdown on the ground. All things considered, a solid game for a player making his second career start, but Bailey left a lot to be desired. 108 yards a game won’t win every game, which the Wolfpack needs to do to have any chance at an ACC Championship.
Once again, the rushing attack was basically nonexistent, turning 26 carries into just 68 yards for an average of 2.6 yards per carry. Graduate running back Jordan Waters led the running back corps with just 23 yards. Offensive coordinator Robert Anae has refused to give up on the rushing attack, but still has yet to resemble any sort of threat. NC State will need to find a way to improve the ground game, especially heading into conference play next weekend.
