Florida State takeaways: Offense squanders solid defensive performance

NC State lost its ACC opener at Florida State, 31-13 in a game that saw head coach Dave Doeren move away from redshirt sophomore Matthew McKay at quarterback, giving redshirt sophomore Bailey Hockman, a former Seminole, the keys to the offense. Here are some takeaways from the loss:

None of NC State’s QBs looked much better than the other

The operative word in the header for this section is “much”. One thing Saturday made clear is NC State isn’t going to go to its bench and find a savior at QB. Hockman looked better than McKay, for the most part, likely because of his willingness to sling the ball around. McKay’s biggest problem was settling in, feeling comfortable and trusting himself in the pocket. Through two drives, McKay seemed improved in those areas, even throwing his best ball of the year–a perfectly placed corner route to Emezie for 17 yards–but couldn’t get any points on the board for NC State, subbed out after three drives. Doeren wanted to spark the offense, Hockman did that much for the fans but struggled to get NC State into the end zone.

Hockman established himself as more of a gunslinger, standing confident in the pocket and trying to make plays, ending the game 21-40 for 208 yards and a touchdown. Hockman also had accuracy issues, with a few passes that were almost intercepted as well as a couple drops from his receivers. He didn’t impress from a scoring perspective, getting just 13 points in his time under center. NC State’s reliance on Hockman from the point of his insertion on may have been motivated by the bye week NC State has ahead. The coaching staff appears to be re-evaluating at quarterback, and wanted as much game action for Hockman as possible to aid that.

Redshirt Devin Leary even saw time for the Wolfpack, entering the game late in the fourth for an injured Hockman, going 4-5 for 54 yards and what should’ve been a touchdown on a catch and run and fumble by redshirt sophomore Max Fisher. With Hockman’s availability up in the air for Syracuse after this bye week, NC State’s QB competition appears to be wide open again, with any of the three quarterbacks able to start for NC State.

NC State’s defense played its best so far, despite injuries

Beating up on small teams while fully healthy is one level of accomplishment, but stifling Cam Akers for 3.5 quarters, and continually bailing out an ineffective offense is noteworthy. NC State’s front, especially, deserves praise for wreaking havoc on the Seminole offensive line with eight sacks and 14 tackles for loss. At one point, Florida State was forced to have the entire offensive line cut block at the snap to slow the line down. Graduate defensive tackle Larrell Murchison really had himself a day, credited with six tackles, including 3.5 sacks and a knockdown of his position coach, Kevin Patrick.

Head coach Dave Doeren was clear that stopping Akers was a priority, and he finished the game with only 83 yards. Through three quarters, the running back was held to 42 yards. Pass defense was a different story. Florida State quarterback Alex Hornibrook went for 316 yards on close to 75 percent completions, but was forced to do it by spreading the ball around. NC State wasn’t able to shut down Tamorrion Terry and Ontaria Wilson, who each broke long touchdowns that mired an otherwise decent performance from NC State’s still McCloud-less secondary.

Injuries chip away at NC State’s running back corps

True freshman Jordan Houston told reporters earlier in the year that co-offensive coordinator Des Kitchings believed his group could be the best part of the offense. NC State’s strength, its trio of backs, is now down to one healthy member: Houston. After freshman Zonovan Knight hurt his hamstring against Ball State, Houston got the start against Florida State and performed well with 61 yards on 6.8 yards a carry. He’s the smallest back NC State has, but he might run the hardest, getting nine carries to Knight’s seven as the coaching staff slowly brings him along. Sophomore Ricky Person, the vet of the group, went down with a lower leg injury during the second half, and his status for the rest of the season is unknown.

Payton Wilson establishes himself as a force for the defense

Coming off an ACL injury, NC State has increased Wilson’s role bit by bit each week, recently listing him as OR behind starter Brock Miller at buck linebacker. The defensive end/linebacker hybrid made his presence felt time and time again on Saturday, whether it be breaking up passes, getting into the backfield, or slinging down runners like they’re dolls. Wilson just has grown-man dad strength, and some impressive athleticism to boot. He put his vertical on display by jumping over an offensive lineman to block an extra point, earning a penalty but wowing those watching the game. It’s just a matter of time before he’s starting for the Wolfpack.