In its second game back at Carter-Finley Stadium, NC State football hosted the VMI Keydets and rolled to a 45-7 victory. The defensive unit looked unstoppable, allowing just one touchdown for the entire game and forcing seven punts across nine drives.
Defensive line
Contrary to the first two games of the season, everyone on the defensive line turned in some amazing performances. NC State allowed just 15 rushing yards on 21 carries — four Keydet rushers ended with either zero or negative yards.
While there were no standout performances, each player did his part to contribute to an impressive team performance. For future games, it would be advantageous to generate more sacks — the team only had one sack against VMI — but if it can stop the run in this way again, expect to see more defensive stops.
Grade: A
Linebackers
The Wolfpack linebackers were led by graduate linebacker Payton Wilson, who finished the game with nine tackles, half a tackle for loss and one pass defended. Wilson has continued to be the heart of the defense, leading the team with 33 tackles through the first three games — more than double the second place tackler, junior defensive back Devan Boykin, who has 15 tackles.
Senior Jaylon Scott lines up alongside Wilson, finishing the game with eight tackles, half a sack and one tackle for loss. The linebackers continue to set the tone of the defense and lock down the middle of the field.
Grade: A+
Secondary
The Wolfpack secondary stepped up without starting cornerback Aydan White, who sat out with a minor injury. It allowed 176 passing yards and let one pass catcher get more than 20 receiving yards. Redshirt sophomore safety Sean Brown led the secondary with six tackles, half a tackle for loss and one pass defended.
Graduate nickel back Robert Kennedy provided the defense with its first touchdown of the season, taking a tipped pass 31 yards into the endzone. Along with the score, he added four tackles, one and a half sacks, one and a half tackles for loss and one pass defended. Kennedy was the X-factor on defense, providing both pass rush and coverage throughout the entire game.
White is supposed to return for next week’s game at Virginia, but don’t be surprised if Kennedy is used more after this impressive performance.
Grade: A
