This past Saturday, NC State held on to a 34-23 win against Ball State. Despite some rough points throughout the entire game, the offense helped the Wolfpack get to another 34-point game after 27 points at West Virginia.
Quarterback (Grade: C+)
Redshirt sophomore Matthew McKay went 17-of-30 for a total of 175 yards, his fewest number of yards in the season. He did not throw any touchdown passes and had one interception. The Wolfpack put in its backup redshirt sophomore Bailey Hockman to see how he would do in the middle of the game. He went 2-3 with one interception that bounced off his intended receiver and straight up into the air. Hockman also had one carry for 20 yards, showing his athleticism. McKay scored twice by taking it in himself and finished with six carries for 26 yards.
Running Backs (Grade: A-)
Sophomore Ricky Person Jr. had most of the carries with 17, going 53 yards and scoring a touchdown while taking on three receptions for 24 yards. Freshman Zonovan Knight had eight carries for 36 total yards and finished with two catches. These numbers are his lowest of the season so far because of an injury that kept him out for the entire second half of the game. Freshman Jordan Houston had six carries for 55 yards and one catch for 15 yards.
With plenty of depth and skill, the running backs will be more of an option as the season progresses, both in rushing and receiving. The Wolfpack needs to capitalize on the young running backs.
Wide Receivers (Grade: B)
With only 19 receptions out of 34 tries, the wide receivers did not have many opportunities to truly shine. Redshirt sophomore Thayer Thomas had four catches for 51 yards. Junior Emeka Emzie also had four catches for 47 yards. Graduate Tabari Hines had two catches for 22 yards.
With all three of these receivers averaging more than 10 yards per reception, they have plenty of potential and experience between them. With a very strong rushing package, the wide receivers make a good fallback going forward.
Offensive Line (Grade: A)
The offensive line had a great day against Ball State. With their efforts, they stopped the Ball State blitz and did not allow a single sack. Ball State was credited with hurrying the QB once. After a very rough time at West Virginia, the Pack has shown great improvement and needs to build on it to ensure continuous stops.
Next Up:
The Wolfpack takes on Florida State (2-2) in Florida for its first ACC game of the season. After losing to West Virginia on the road, the team hopes to bring up its road record to 1-1. The next home game will be against Syracuse on October 10.
