The NC State Wolfpack lost to South Carolina Saturday afternoon in Charlotte at Bank of America Stadium. Before we move on to next week’s matchup with Marshall, let’s review and assign grades to each position group.

Quarterback: B+

On paper, redshirt junior Ryan Finley had the best game of his NC State career. There is no doubt that he was phenomenal in the first half, keeping the team in the game while the defense struggled. However, when he had three opportunities for game-tying drives in the fourth quarter, he was unable to come through.

Finley wasn’t helped by drops and questionable calls against State, but his offense had four plays from the 8-yard line to tie the game and was unable to cash in. He undoubtedly played the game of his career, but was unable to push the team over the top, which is something great quarterbacks are capable of doing.

Running Backs: B

Juniors Nyheim Hines and Reggie Gallaspy II complement each other well, but Hines was much more successful against the South Carolina defense running outside of the tackles than Gallaspy was running inside the tackles. Both guys were solid in pass protection as well. Neither made any game breaking plays out of the backfield, but they did their job.

Wide Receivers: B+

Sophomore Kelvin Harmon showed that he is a star for this Wolfpack team. He had 10 catches for 114 yards, drew one pass interference, and probably another big one that wasn’t called. The rest of the group had bright spots and low points.

Freshmen C.J. Riley and Emeka Emezie both made nice catches but weren’t called upon often. Sophomore Jakobi Meyers had an excellent performance, including five catches and a touchdown, until he dropped a deep pass when the Pack was trying to make its comeback. Junior Stephen Louis made five catches, but had a costly fumble.

Tight Ends: B-

Graduate student Cole Cook and senior Jaylen Samuels are as good as it gets in the ACC. Samuels tied a school record with 15 catches, but only managed 85 yards. He was barely short on a catch on fourth and five in the fourth quarter, that was extremely close to moving the chains, but not overturned after a video review. Cook made a 29-yard catch on a trick play in the first quarter, but was also called for a penalty that negated a third-down conversion to Samuels which stalled the drive.

Offensive Line: C

Just before kickoff, it was announced that junior Will Richardson had been suspended for two games. Freshman Justin Witt filled in for him and held his own. The line gave Finley plenty of time to find receivers for the majority of the game, except during two drives in the third quarter that resulted in two third-down sacks that ended drives.

Junior Terronne Prescod was also in and out of the game with an injury, which did not help the cause, especially for the running game, where not many holes were to be found between the tackles.

Defensive Line: D-

The defensive line has been the most talked about part of the NC State roster and for good reason. However, the unit combined for just three tackles for loss and zero sacks, and had no game changing plays. This was an area of the game where the Pack had to dominate to win, and that did not happen. The defense buckled down halfway through the third quarter, but it was too little too late.

Linebackers: D-

Just like the defensive line, the linebackers came in with high expectations, and failed miserably in the first game. The defense only gave up one long touchdown drive, but it was still a disappointing effort. Senior Jerod Fernandez did lead the team with nine tackles.

Secondary: A-

The secondary was the obvious question mark coming into this game, and it struggled at times, giving up two big plays, but that was expected. This was where South Carolina had an obvious advantage, but the Pack was able to limit it. Seniors Johnathan Alston and Shawn Boone combined for two sacks and three tackles for loss.

Alston added an interception in his first game as a defensive back, having been converted from a wide receiver during the offseason. If the secondary plays like they did Saturday for the rest of the season, the Pack could win a lot of games.

Special Teams: C-

The kicking game continues to be a nightmare for State, with another missed field goal and a kickoff return for a touchdown that included four missed tackles. Junior A.J. Cole III had a couple of nice punts, but also a very poor one that gave South Carolina a short field.

Coaching: A

What could head coach Dave Doeren have done differently? He didn’t drop passes or fumble the ball. He didn’t miss a field goal or give up a kickoff return touchdown. The players were in position to make plays the entire game, and they didn’t execute enough of them. The decision to move Alston to cornerback showed genius, and it almost won the game for State. However, the plays called at the 8-yard line to the end the game were questionable.