NC State football dropped a heartbreaker to the South Carolina Gamecocks in its season opener at the Belk College Kickoff at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte Saturday. It was certainly a tough pill to swallow but, as with any game, there are both positives and negatives to take away. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from the Wolfpack’s opening-game defeat.
The Good: Ryan Finley- If there’s a player you have to feel sympathy for from this one, it’s the Wolfpack’s redshirt junior starting quarterback. A player who worked hard all offseason to refine certain aspects of his game and become a better overall player, Finley put up a phenomenal performance against the Gamecocks. Consider his statline: a school record 45 completions on 64 passing attempts to go with 415 passing yards and three total touchdowns (his first of the game came on a QB keeper). How often is that the statline of a losing quarterback? Finley’s 296 first-half passing yards alone beat his total from all but four games last season.
The Phoenix native ran the offense both efficiently and aggressively against South Carolina. His short-yardage, possession, move the clock, game-manager type throws were still prominent, but with more deep throws to add a dynamic element to the offense and move the ball down the field that the Pack needs mixed in. After spending the offseason working on his deep ball, the results of Finley’s labor were on display in this one. Particularly impressive were a 29-yard strike to graduate tight end Cole Cook to help set up a game-tying touchdown in the first quarter, and a 24-yard dart on the sideline to sophomore wideout Kelvin Harmon as part of the team’s last-minute scoring drive to end the opening half.
Finley was smart with his decision-making as well. Last year, a few poor throws, particularly on end-zone interceptions in losses to Boston College and Miami, cost the Pack, but tonight, Finley made good calls. He seemed to be very in-sync with his receivers, and did not throw a single pick. You could probably count the number of “what was he thinking” type throws on one hand, and you’d probably still be fine if you were missing a finger or two on that hand. If Finley can bring that level of play in every game this season, the Pack’s offense will be in good shape.
The Bad: Pass defense- The worries about the one weak point on an otherwise strong Wolfpack defense were, at least for one game, justified. While the defense did lock it down nicely in the fourth quarter, big plays galore for the Gamecock passing attack through the first three played a big role in robbing NC State of a win.
On South Carolina’s second score of the game, a 34-yard catch and run for Gamecocks running back Rico Dowdle, the Pack’s inexperienced secondary, which was without injured senior corner Mike Stevens, was completely exposed. South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley found Dowdle wide open in the flat. Dowdle did not completely secure the catch initially, but had to bobble it for 5 yards on his way to the end zone. That Dowdle had room to essentially juggle for 5 yards was a result of him being completely unmarked by the Pack’s defenders. Those of us covering the action from the fourth-level press box were probably as close as any Wolfpack defender to stopping Dowdle from scoring.
South Carolina’s score on its first possession in the third quarter was similar, with redshirt senior wide receiver turned corner Johnathan Alston completely losing Gamecocks wide receiver Deebo Samuel down the field, leaving him wide open in the end zone for Bentley to find. Alston did redeem himself with a fourth-quarter interception, but the earlier play he allowed was part of what put the Pack in a two-score hole.
In order to compete with ACC heavyweights such as Clemson, Louisville or Florida State, the Pack’s secondary will have to clean up its game. Sloppy play the likes of which we saw against the Gamecocks will make for long games against the likes of Cardinals starter and reigning Heisman winner Lamar Jackson or Seminoles signal caller Deondre Francois.
The Ugly: Special Teams- An old achilles heel, combined with turnovers, was the biggest issue that cost the Pack what should have been a win to start off the 2017 campaign. NC State got an early indication it was in for a long day in the special teams battle, as Samuel returned the opening kick of the game 97 yards for a touchdown due to multiple missed tackles by the Pack. It did not get better from there, as the Gamecocks picked up 167 net yards on returns to the Wolfpack’s 79, and the kicking game continued to be a nightmare for NCSU with graduate Carson Wise drilling the team’s only field-goal try of the game, a 29-yard attempt off the upright.
The Pack outgained the Gamecocks 506-264 in total yards on the day, but part of that was the strong field position South Carolina enjoyed to open many of its drives. The drive that gave South Carolina a lead it would not relinquish in the third quarter started from the Gamecocks’ 49 thanks to a 26-yard return from Chris Lammons. Other than one 29-yard return for junior running back Nyheim Hines in the fourth quarter, the Pack for the most part started its drives from its own 25 or worse. Losing the field position game so consistently is a good way to tire out your offense, and may have played a role in the Pack’s being unable to execute with a chance to tie the game in the fourth.
One redeeming quality for the Pack’s special teams was junior punter AJ Cole, who averaged 49 yards on four punts, including a booming 69 yarder in the third quarter that pinned the Gamecocks deep in their own territory and allowed the Pack’s defense to force a three and out, setting up the drive that brought NCSU within one.
However, for the most part, it was an abysmal day for NC State on special teams, and that’s an area the team has to fix if it wants better results in games where it outplays its opponent by as wide a margin as it did South Carolina.
