In one of its worst losses in recent history, NC State football had a defensive no-show in a 51-10 loss to now-No. 7 Tennessee. 51 points is the most the red-and-white has given up since a 55-10 loss against Clemson in 2019.
Here are the biggest defensive trends from NC State’s loss to Tennessee.
Defensive line
Like last week, the Wolfpack was unable to control the line of scrimmage against Tennessee. The Volunteers protected quarterback Nico Iamaleava very well, preventing the Wolfpack from sacking the first-year starter even once. Without the ability to disrupt Tennessee’s passing attack, the Pack’s defense crumbled as the game went on.
Additionally, the Wolfpack struggled to create stops in the run game. The line was manhandled by Tennessee, allowing the Volunteers to repeatedly run to the second level with ease. While this was likely NC State’s toughest matchup at the line of scrimmage all season, it’s a foreboding trend with ACC play on the horizon.
Throughout the game, the Wolfpack seemed to rotate more players in than last week. Notably, redshirt freshman defensive end Isaiah Shirley saw an uptick in playing time and capitalized on the opportunity, recording four tackles. With the Pack’s struggles across the board, the development of younger players and the potential search for breakout candidates is as important as ever.
Linebackers
After developing a string of elite linebackers, including Payton Wilson, the Pack finds itself with a problem at linebacker. The Volunteers gashed the Pack in the run game, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. After struggling to contain the run against Western Carolina, there was hope that the addition of redshirt junior Caden Fordham into the lineup for a full game would improve the run defense. Instead, the Pack gave up a whopping 249 rushing yards.
Similar to last week, the Wolfpack’s lack of size at the linebacker position was noticeable. However unlike Western Carolina, Tennessee fully capitalized. Volunteer running back Dylan Sampson forced several missed tackles throughout the night. He averaged 6.6 yards per carry and consistently moved the chains for his team. He also broke past the Pack’s linebackers on a 34-yard touchdown run, putting an exclamation point on a rough night for the red-and-white.
The game marked the first time redshirt junior Sean Brown started at linebacker against an FBS opponent. In a baptism-by-fire type of game, Brown led the team with 11 total tackles, including two for loss. Without much help from the defensive line, Brown often found himself as the last line of defense between the Volunteers and the open field.
Secondary
There weren’t many positive takeaways from the Pack’s demolition in Charlotte, North Carolina, but the red-and-white’s secondary made at least a couple plays to try to keep NC State in the game. Senior safety Bishop Fitzgerald recorded his first interception of the season in a play that set the Pack up for its first points of the game.
NC State failed to score again until graduate cornerback Aydan White returned an 87-yard pick-6 for the Wolfpack’s only touchdown of the evening. While the game was well out of hand, the secondary’s ability to create a pair of turnovers is something the defense can build off of.
While the secondary forced a pair of interceptions, they did face their own struggles. For the most part, NC State took away the threat of deep passes from Tennessee. The tradeoff was allowing receivers to get open underneath, leading to a 70% completion for Iamaleava. Tightening up its coverage will be crucial moving forward for the Wolfpack.
