The NC State football team ended its regular season with a 33-21 victory over neighboring rival, UNC-Chapel Hill, on Saturday in Carter-Finley Stadium. After a rough first half that saw a 14-12 Tar Heels advantage, the Wolfpack pulled away in the fourth quarter to earn its eighth win of the season.

Here is how each position group fared in the Pack’s eighth win of the season:

Quarterback: B-

Redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Finley did not see the production he is accustomed to with only 204 passing yards, an interception and no passing touchdowns. Although he was able to punch the ball in on the ground for the Wolfpack’s first two touchdowns, Finley had a season-low 30 pass attempts, however he still completed 66.7 percent of his passes.

Running Backs: A+

Junior running back Nyheim Hines was the answer for State’s offensive woes in the first half. He made the big-yardage plays and scored two touchdowns of over 45 yards. Hines ended the night averaging 8.9 yards per run and a whopping 196 rushing yards to put him at over 1,000 yards on the season. 

Senior all-purpose back Jaylen Samuels added to his 75 total yards outing when he scored State’s fifth and final rushing score to put the game away late in the fourth quarter. The Wolfpack ran all over the Tar Heels with 292 yards on the ground and an average run of 6.5 yards.

Receivers: B

A low-performing day from Finley also puts a damper on receivers’ contributions. The lone standout on the receiving end for the Pack was sophomore wide receiver Jakobi Meyers. Meyers recorded seven catches for 101 yards including a 35-yard reception late in the first quarter. Besides Meyers, no other receiver totaled more than 28 yards. However, Finley connected with seven receivers in the game.

Offensive Line: B+

The offensive line was as consistent as ever in the running game as it opened up gaping holes for Hines and the rushing attack all evening. The one hiccup that proved costly was in the last minutes of the first half when the play clock was winding down and Finley had to take a quick snap. The blitz by the Tar Heels overwhelmed the line, pressured the quarterback and forced a bad throw and interception by Finley.

Defensive Line: B+

The Pack was only able to sack Carolina quarterback Nathan Elliott twice. However, the pressure of six quarterback hurries eventually wore on UNC. The defensive line was stout in the run game as it allowed 3.5 yards per run and no runner to record any more than 29 yards.

Linebackers: A

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the game defensively for the Wolfpack was the play from junior linebacker Germaine Pratt. Pratt led the team with 10 total tackles and iced the game with an interception at the end of the game. Senior linebacker Airius Moore also recorded an interception at the beginning of the fourth quarter off of a deflected pass.

Secondary: B

Although the secondary did allow three passing touchdowns to its bitter rival, the secondary was able to keep Elliott and the Tar Heels receivers mostly in check with six passes defended and only allowing a 46.7 percent completion rate. Tar Heels receiver Anthony Ratliff-Williams was the thorn in the side for the secondary as he torched defensive backs for 131 and a 51-yard touchdown catch.

Special Teams: C

The play of NC State kickers this year has been absolutely awful. After replacing graduate kicker Carson Wise as place kicker, junior Kyle Bambard missed his lone field-goal attempt and an extra point after a touchdown on State’s opening drive. With no trust left in the kicking game, the offense was forced into two-point conversions and going for it on fourth down.

A bright side for the otherwise ugly special teams play was junior punter A.J. Cole with consistent kicks even when facing the wind. Senior wide receiver Gavin Locklear also impressed in punt returns with two totaling 41 yards. 

Coaching: B-

The coaching staff, especially the offensive play callers, have lost patience with the dreadful kicking game. This led to going for a play on fourth down deep in Tar Heels territory early on in the game which resulted in a turnover on downs. It is understandable that the field-goal unit has not been spectacular, however, there has got to be some level of trust in the players to do their job to put points on the board.

Play calling on both sides of the ball seemed to wake up after being down 14-12 at halftime. The offense opened up the playbook with run designs, and the defense mixed in a few blitzes and tight-man coverage to force punts and turnovers from Chapel Hill. Overall, things improved across the board after a tight opening half.