The NC State football team lost its first game of the season 41-7 to Clemson in an abysmal performance at Memorial Stadium Saturday.
This game did not portray the best of the Wolfpack’s offense or defense. The one touchdown the team did score was from senior running back Reggie Gallaspy Jr. in the fourth quarter. This is a breakdown of how each position group performed:
Quarterback: F
It’s safe to say that graduate quarterback Ryan Finley struggled behind the line of scrimmage with only 156 completion yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. Finley’s longest pass complete was 26 yards in his worst performance of the season.
Wide Receivers: F
The most outstanding performer from this group was junior wide receiver Jakobi Meyers who had eight receptions for 61 yards. Behind Meyers was senior wide receiver Stephen Louis who concluded his game with two receptions for 16 yards. Although the wide receivers can’t catch a pass if the pass is not there, they did struggle trying to find a slot away from the Clemson defensive backs.
Running Backs: B
Gallaspy was no doubt the best player from this game, scoring the Wolfpack’s only touchdown and tallying 59 rushing yards for nine attempts. Freshman running back Ricky Person Jr. also had a better game than most with 54 yards on 12 attempts. Overall the running backs were the leaders in the offensive game for the Wolfpack.
Tight Ends: D
Tight ends such as sophomores Cary Angeline and Dylan Autenrieth are difficult to grade for this game considering they were never targeted, but did not have a great performance blocking either.
Offensive Line: C-
Considering the strong defensive line of the Clemson Tigers, the Wolfpack’s offensive line did a decent job holding off defenders from Finley. Although they did allow for two sacks this game and did not create many slots for the running backs or Finley, the line as a whole was adequate.
Offensive Overall Grade: D
Defensive Line: F
Senior defensive tackle Eurndraus Bryant and junior defensive end James Smith-Williams were the only decent players from the defensive line. Bryant came out with three total tackles, two of which were solo and Smith-Williams ended the game with three tackles and one sack. But, when looking at the overall picture the Tigers rushed three of their four touchdowns when running back Travis Etienne continued to get into the wide open slot down the middle.
Linebackers: C
Senior linebacker Germaine Pratt and freshman linebacker Isaiah Moore were the two noteworthy defenders from the position group as Pratt carried eight tackles with one sack and Moore came out with six solo tackles. The linebackers could have rushed Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence more than they did in order to slow down the fast moving offense.
Defensive Backs: D-
Although only one of the Tigers’ touchdowns came from passing, the defensive backs were responsible for the 308 yards that Trevor Lawrence passed down the field to score against us so many times. Junior cornerback Nick McCloud had the best game out of this entire position group finishing with ten total tackles.
Defense Overall Grade: D-
Special Teams: B
Senior punter A.J. Cole III punted six times against Clemson averaging 48.3 yards per punt and freshman kicker Christopher Dunn went 1 for 1 on extra points. Also contributing to the special teams was freshman Thayer Thomas who had two punt returns for 13 yards.
Special Teams Overall Grade: B
