Whether you were at home or were part of the horde of Wolfpack faithful that filled Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, you probably didn’t stick around for all 60 minutes of NC State football’s abysmal performance against then-No. 17 Duke.
The Wolfpack suffered its worst loss of the season in the 24-3 rout. It scored the least amount of points in a game since 2014 due to a lack of offensive efficiency, and a few backbreaking plays let up on defense sealed the Pack’s fate against the Blue Devils.
However, despite the red-and-white’s meltdown in Durham, let’s not hit the panic button on NC State football — not yet, at least.
The biggest argument for not jumping ship is the high ceiling and dangerous potential the Wolfpack has shown at times this season. While it hasn’t been consistent, especially on offense, NC State has talented playmakers who make crucial and promising plays in every game this season that can encourage even the strongest doubters.
The Pack’s 48-41 win over Marshall is a prime example of just how explosive NC State’s offense can be. In his first start of the season, sophomore quarterback MJ Morris threw for a career-high in passing yards and touchdowns against a Marshall defense who had been allowing a mere 20.5 points per game and 142.8 passing yards per game.
Morris even overcame two early interceptions on his way to four touchdown passes, which is even more reason for optimism around Morris and the offense. However, leading his team to a 48-point beatdown against an undefeated defense was soon forgotten once the Pack’s dismal performance at Duke was sealed.
Changes at quarterback are rarely a smooth transition for any team, and the Blue Devils preyed on a Morris-led offense that clearly still had some more growing pains to work through. Because of Morris’ play against Marshall, there’s reason to believe that the Pack can rebound after only scoring three points at Duke.
Alongside Morris, freshman wide receiver Kevin Concepcion is one of the most exciting and promising players on NC State’s entire roster, lapping all other Wolfpack receivers with 410 yards and four receiving touchdowns on the season.
More importantly, the freshman phenom has been a pivotal factor in the red-and-white’s two most recent wins. Concepcion racked up six receptions for 116 yards and two touchdowns against Virginia and hauled in eight catches for 102 yards and two more scores against Marshall. Meanwhile, in the Pack’s two most recent losses, he’s recorded seven catches for 70 yards, with a majority of those numbers coming late in NC State’s duel with Duke.
There’s a clear correlation between Concepcion’s production and NC State wins, so if Morris and offensive coordinator Robert Anae can put more of an emphasis on getting him the ball, there’s even more hope for the Pack’s chances in the coming weeks.
In addition to Morris and Concepcion’s promise, cleaning up sloppy mistakes will automatically make NC State’s offense more potent. Eleven penalties for 87 yards, many of which were committed by the offense, caused many drives to stall out before they even began. Already backed up with self-inflicted wounds, drops by NC State receivers only made life easier for the Blue Devils’ defense.
If the offense is able to clean up its play, Morris lives up to his potential and Concepcion gets his hands on the ball more, NC State can hang with most teams in the ACC. After all, the Wolfpack was two blown defensive plays away from being in a one-score game with the Blue Devils come the second half.
With all that being said, let’s not ignore the elephant in the room: The red-and-white has suffered two bad, if not inexcusable, losses in its past three games. It’s three strikes and you’re out, and after preventable defeats at the hands of Louisville and Duke, one more loss along these lines will be the final nail in the coffin on the Pack’s 2023 season.
In this case, the aforementioned reasons for optimism suggest that the Wolfpack can hit a home run, or at least get on base, instead of completely striking out. If the Pack’s vaunted defense and potentially great offense can come together and play complementary football, NC State has a shot to win every one of its games for the rest of the season.
At the same time, there’s now little margin for error for head coach Dave Doeren and his team. If there’s another loss, you have my permission to push the panic button. For now, let’s just wait a couple more weeks before calling it quits on the Wolfpack.
