It did not matter who was under center on Saturday night, sophomore linebacker Drake Thomas was not letting them past. Thomas played like his hair was on fire in an impressive performance for the Wolfpack defense. The Wolfpack held Malik Cunningham and the Louisville Cardinals to 13 points, earning some impressive defensive grades this week.
Linebackers
The linebackers had a tall task Saturday night with Cunningham, who is one of the best dual threat quarterbacks in the country. The Wolfpack linebackers were in charge of containing Cunningham and making sure they limited how many yards he picked up on the ground. The Woflpack defense held Cunningham without a rushing touchdown for only the second time this season due in large part to the linebacker corps.
After redshirt junior linebacker Isaiah Moore went down with a season-ending injury last week, there were major questions about how the Wolfpack defense would respond this week. Someone needed to step up and become the new heartbeat of this NC State defense. Look no further than Thomas. Thomas finished the night with 15 tackles and two sacks in an impressive performance. Junior linebacker Vi Jones also stepped up to help fill the shoes of Isaiah Moore with a seven-tackle performance.
Grade: A
Defensive line
The Louisville rush attack is not one to be taken lightly. Louisville is averaging over 200 yards per game rushing this year. Louisville ran for 215 yards on Saturday night against the Wolfpack defense averaging 5.2 yards per carry. This in part was to the defensive line allowing too many gaps to open up at the line of scrimmage. They have to do a better job closing the gaps and keeping the edge against mobile quarterbacks like Cunningham. I was, however, impressed with the amount of pressure the Wolfpack defensive line was able to get on Cunningham throughout the night.
Grade: B-
Secondary
While Cunningham isn’t the most dangerous passer this Wolfpack defense will see this year, he is definitely not to be taken lightly. The Wolfpack defense held Cunningham to under 40% completion percentage and a mere 219 yards passing. There was one blown coverage, however, on a cornerback blitz that allowed for a 76-yard touchdown, the Cardinals’ only touchdown of the night. Freshman cornerback Shyheim Battle had the only interception of the night. Junior safety Tanner Ingle led the secondary with 10 tackles on Saturday night in Carter-Finley.
This was a very impressive overall performance from the Wolfpack defense only a week removed from losing its defensive leader. Any game in which you hold the other team to 13 points will give you a good chance to come out on top.
Grade: A-
