Football report card: Grading the Wolfpack after a 23-21 loss to Virginia Tech

By Noah Fleischman

Unlike last weekend’s loss at Duke, it never felt like NC State was in control against Virginia Tech, a team with an interim coach and several key players missing to preserve a year of eligibility.

And it showed as the Wolfpack wasn’t able to find a way to hold a large enough lead to withstand the Hokies’ offense that was aided by a successful rushing attack that gashed NC State’s defense in a 23-21 result on Saturday night at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Let’s take a look at each phase of the Wolfpack’s game and how they did in the loss. Here are the week’s grades for NC State’s offense, defense and special teams.

NC State offense grade

Grade – C-

Initially, NC State’s offense appeared it was going to have its way with Virginia Tech’s pass defense. Sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey started the game 9-for-9 for 77 yards and a touchdown through the air, but that quickly changed. The Hokies’ pass rush eventually started to get home on Bailey, and sacking the signal-caller five times — the most the Wolfpack has allowed this season. 

Bailey, in all, finished the game 26-for-34 passing for 240 yards and 2 touchdowns. He logged a new career-best 77 percent completion rate in the defeat, while he didn’t log a turnover for the third time in five games. Bailey, however, did hold on to the ball too long, which led to the high sack output in the defeat. 

Senior tight end Justin Joly was Bailey’s most-frequented target, posting 6 receptions for 60 yards on 10 passes that were thrown his way. Sophomore wideout Keenan Jackson, meanwhile, logged 5 catches for 35 yards and a touchdown, and fellow classmate Terrell Anderson added 4 catches for 65 yards. Senior tight end Dante Daniels posted a 4-yard touchdown grab, his first of the season. 

Although the Wolfpack’s passing attack was able to move the ball fairly consistently, the rushing attack didn’t have the same success. NC State logged just 59 yards and 1 touchdown on 32 attempts. Even when it was sack-adjusted, the Wolfpack failed to reach 100 yards, compiling 93 on just 3.4 yards per attempt.

Redshirt sophomore Hollywood Smothers recorded a season-low 67 yards on 16 attempts and was the only Pack player to rush for more than 8 yards. Redshirt freshman Duke Scott posted his first-career touchdown on just 3 carries for 6 yards. 

It was a winnable game based on the scoreboard, but NC State’s offense struggled to find consistent play. That led to a season-low in points. Any of its first four scoring outputs of the year would have been enough to leave the contest with a victory.

Defense grade

Grade – D+

NC State’s defense had a tough week with defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot’s daughter, Drue, dying after a five-year battle with cancer. The Wolfpack played with a heavy heart, wanting to put on a performance on the field that would help uplift its coach. And although it tried to do just that, the Pack’s defense struggled to tackle. 

The Wolfpack allowed the Hokies to gain 406 yards on offense, propelled by 229 rushing yards — the second-most the unit has allowed this season. Virginia Tech running back Terion Stewart, who had rushed for just 65 total yards all season, ripped off 174 on 15 carries. He barreled through NC State’s defense with ease, at times, to post a career night in Raleigh. 

While Stewart was the engine that powered Virginia Tech’s offense, quarterback Kyron Drones was also effective with 177 yards and two touchdowns on 20-for-34 passing. 

NC State’s defense didn’t force a turnover, while it allowed the Hokies to convert on seven of their 15 third-down conversion attempts. Additionally, Virginia Tech was 1-for-1 on fourth down and was 3-for-3 in the red zone to score 17 of its 23 points. The Hokies averaged 6.2 yards per play, propelled by its 7.4 yards per carry in their win over the Wolfpack.

Graduate linebacker Caden Fordham led the Pack with 15 total tackles, including one for a loss, while redshirt freshman nickel Asaad Brown Jr. added nine total stops. 

Although it wasn’t a clean performance from the Wolfpack defense, it did post its second straight multi-sack game. Transfer pass rushers Cian Slone and Sabastian Harsh both put Drones on the ground for their first sacks of their NC State tenures. 

Special teams grade

Grade – B

After NC State seemed to have a special teams error in each of its first four games, this was the first time where the Wolfpack’s unit played a completely clean game. The Pack was able to rely upon critical punting from redshirt senior Caden Noonkester , who headlined the group’s performance. 

Noonkester totaled five punts for a 51.8 per attempt snf placed three kicks inside the 20-yard line. His best boot was a 66-yarder that pinned Virginia Tech at its own 11-yard line, completely flipping the field. 

While Noonkester did his thing, NC State did not record a punt return or kickoff return. Freshman wideout Teddy Hoffman fair caught all four Virginia Tech punts, while the Hokies’ kickoffs all went for touchbacks.