The NC State football team sailed by the Furman Paladins to win 49-16. NC State will open ACC play this weekend when they travel to Florida State.Here is a look back at the strengths and weaknesses of the Wolfpack position groups seen against the Paladins.
Quarterbacks: A
Redshirt junior Ryan Finley added to his impressive season opening numbers, throwing for 231 yards and a touchdown. He had only five incomplete passes and has not thrown an interception so far this season. With Finley done for the day partway through the third quarter, junior Jalan McClendon finished out the game at quarterback for the Wolfpack with 17 passing yards and 67 rushing yards.
Running Backs: A
Perhaps the best aspect of the victory against Furman was the awakening of the running game. After struggling to put up consistent yardage in the first two games, junior Nyheim Hines lead the way with 92 yards at 8.4 yards a carry and a 28-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Senior Dakwa Nichols added 38 yards and a touchdown, while junior Reggie Gallaspy continued to struggle with only 22 yards on seven carries and a fumble.
Wide Receivers: A
With very few miscues, the wide receiver corps put up a solid showing. Junior Stephen Louis lead the position with six catches for 56 yards. Sophomore Kelvin Harmon saw his two game streak of 100 yards receiving end with only 33 yards on five receptions against Furman. The lone receiving touchdown on the day was a 30-yard connection between Finley and senior JuMichael Ramos. Overall, the wide receivers caught the ball well, contributed to the running game with solid blocks, and had adequate yards after the catch.
Tight Ends: A
Highlighted by the monster game from senior Jaylen Samuels, the tight end group also made blocking plays that improved the running game. Samuels was the only tight end to get stats on Saturday. He led the team in receiving yards with 75 and recorded three short-yardage rushing touchdowns.
Offensive Line: A-
Bolstered by the return of redshirt junior tackle Will Richardson, the line showed dramatic improvement in opening up the running game and giving Finley time in the pocket. The offensive line allowed one sack and allowed only two tackles for loss. A few pesky penalties were the only major drawback from the group.
Defensive Line: A-
The Wolfpack defense did not meet expectations yet again against the Paladins; however, there was improved execution. Despite a 54-yard run in the second quarter, the defensive line limited Furman’s run game as the team did run for over 100 yards but averaged only 2.8 yards a carry. Four defensive linemen combined for the team’s two sacks, and junior defensive end Darian Roseboro led the team with nine tackles and two tackles for a loss. Also, two defensive linemen recovered fumbles during the game. A few penalties from the line were also not ideal.
Linebackers: B+
The linebackers were somewhat consistent with tackles and run coverage but also allowed too many big plays from the Paladins. Despite aiding the defensive line in the stout run defense, blown coverage and missed tackles in the middle of the field set up big plays for Furman.
Secondary: B-
Yet again, not the performance you want to see from defensive backs. The only reason why the grade is this high is thanks to the athletic pick six from senior safety Shawn Boone. The Pack’s defensive backfield allowed yet another 100-yard receiving performance, and gave up huge gains of 71 and 41 yards. They allowed 17.8 yards per catch to the Furman receivers. There were some improvements, such as recording three passes defended, but nothing extremely forgiving of the mistakes the secondary has made so far this season.
Special Teams: B
Graduate student Carson Wise made all seven extra point attempts, but then tainted his otherwise good game with a missed 38-yard field goal toward the end of the fourth quarter. Special team defense showed some improvement in allowing only two kick returns for an average of 20.5. Kick returns for the Wolfpack also looked good against Furman with a 30.3-yard average which included a 50-yard return by Hines.
