NC State football improved its record to 5-1 (2-0 ACC) with a win on the road against Boston College on Saturday, Oct. 16. In a game that could’ve gone either way at the half, with the Pack holding a slim 10-7 lead after the first two quarters, the Wolfpack defense was really the deciding factor in how this game would end. 

That’s not to say the offense didn’t do its fair share in securing yet another conference win for the Pack as it looks to take the reins of a wide-open ACC, but the defense finding its groove in the second half really paved the way for the three-touchdown third quarter for the Pack. Anything that Boston College had left in the tank after the dominance shown on both sides of the ball by NC State in the third would prove to be too little too late, and the Pack would go on to win 33-7. A breakdown of position groups on defense highlights the poise shown by the Pack, who rallied its way to a much-needed victory.

Defensive line

Although the line wavered a bit in the first half, allowing for Boston College to rack up 100 rushing yards before the break, the unit’s resilience would show through as the Eagles would finish the game with 97 net rushing yards. If that isn’t indicative of dominance, then what is?

Getting to the quarterback was a point of emphasis for head coach Dave Doeren and company coming into this matchup, and the Pack managed to do so early and often behind a great performance from its defensive line. A duo of defensive ends including the likes of redshirt junior Ibrahim Kante and sophomore Savion Jackson, along with the defensive tackle graduate Cory Durden, were active all game for NC State, consistently making plays to stop the Eagles at or behind the line of scrimmage.

The defensive unit as a whole would end the game with 11 QB hurries as well as three sacks and seven tackles for loss for a total of 19 yards. Eagles’ quarterback Dennis Grosel was certainly feeling the pressure on Saturday night, and while the line wasn’t the primary contributor to that, it did its job in a remarkable way.

Grade: B

Linebackers

The narrative that the Wolfpack linebacker corps would be a weak spot in this defense following the loss of redshirt sophomore linebacker Payton Wilson has been quickly dismissed, as the dominant play of redshirt junior linebacker Isaiah Moore continues. Moore once again led the way for the Pack in total tackles, with a team-high nine on the night, racking up an interception and a pass breakup as well. Moore’s play not only stands out on its own, but inspires his teammates to perform at a higher level as he is really beginning to cement himself as a cornerstone of this defensive unit.

Moore’s partner in crime, sophomore linebacker Drake Thomas, also made his fair share of big plays for the Wolfpack defense, coming in second on the team for total tackles with seven and adding in a QB hit of his own.

Sophomore linebacker Jaylon Scott also had his number called on to make important stops throughout the game, getting into the backfield to put pressure on Grosel along with Moore on multiple occasions. While Scott is not one of the bigger names on this defense, his play provides a much-needed consistency to this Wolfpack defense that is constantly evolving due to injuries to key pieces.

Grade: A

Secondary

Quality play out of the Wolfpack linebacker core is almost expected at this point, but one massive question mark in this defense week in and week out is how well the secondary will perform. Fortunately for NC State, the secondary unit came in and did its job against a struggling Boston College passing attack. 

The box score numbers will be a little misleading when assessing this portion of the team’s performance, given that the Eagles were forced into full comeback mode after bleeding away 21 points to the Pack in the third quarter. Regardless, the unit held Grosel to a below-average 54% completion percentage for only 194 yards. Grosel was able to connect on some deep balls here and there, but the secondary never allowed itself to be taken advantage of consistently.

Graduate cornerback Derrek Pitts Jr. made plenty of key plays for the Pack, leading all members of the secondary in tackles with five and adding in a pass breakup. Along with Pitts, junior safety Tanner Ingle and freshman safety Devan Boykin were hawks on the field. Ingle’s high-energy play style empowers his teammates to go out and make big plays, and that’s exactly what Boykin found himself doing on Saturday. With three tackles and two pass breakups, the freshman was already performing above expectations before recovering a fumbled punt attempt by the Eagles and returning it 34 yards to the house.

The secondary held strong for the Pack in a game where it would be absolutely necessary to come out with a win in the fashion that NC State did. It’ll get a similarly tough test against Miami next week which has had its fair share of offensive struggles and inconsistencies so far this year.

Grade: B