NC State football Monday morning quarterbacking: Wolfpack 34, UNC 30
NC State football ended its regular season with one of its most memorable wins in program history, a thrilling 34-30 triumph over archrival North Carolina.
It’s time for a final look at the contest with some Monday morning quarterbacking:
Key Moment Of The Game
Three Things That Worked For NC State Football
1. Not quitting: Let’s be honest, the ball finally bounced for NC State football in the final 2:12 of the game.
UNC should have won that game, but it missed multiple opportunities and made multiple mistakes. All of that would not have mattered if NC State had given up. Instead, the Wolfpack took advantage of the Tar Heels’ miscues.
That never-quit attitude created a moment that will live in Wolfpack lore for a long time.
2. Punt block unit: It is clear that the special teams unit, led by coordinator Todd Goebbel, saw a weakness in the North Carolina punt formation and took advantage of it, not once but twice.
The first was a block by sophomore running back Jordan Houston that was picked up for a touchdown by redshirt senior receiver C.J. Riley in the end zone for the game’s opening points.
The second was redshirt junior linebacker Vi Jones’ fourth career blocked kick, but this time it was UNC that had the lucky bounce and Carolina tight end Garrett Walston picked it up and ran for a first down.
NC State led 14-3 at that point, and had it recovered the blocked punt in the red zone would have been in prime position to go up 21-3.
3. Containing UNC’s passing game: Before the final possession for UNC, junior quarterback Sam Howell was 12-of-22 passing for 112 yards and one touchdown while being sacked five times.
He went 2 of 4 on the final possession for 35 yards and the game-ending interception. Those extra yardage however were not enough to prevent Howell from having a season-low in passing yards in a game.
His 53.8 percent completion percentage was the second lowest, as was his 106.3 passer rating. The only time Howell had lower numbers was when he completed just 53.1 percent of his throws and had a 99.3 rating in the season-opening loss at Virginia Tech.
Three Areas Where NC State Football Struggled
1. Stopping the run: Playing a game without seven starters/contributors on defense, NC State football showed a few cracks for one of the few times this season.
North Carolina piled up massive totals on the ground, and NC State probably played a role in that by missing more tackles than it normally does.
UNC finished with 297 yards rushing and averaged 7.2 yards per carry, and that’s including five sacks that resulted in losses of 38 yards. It was 82 more rushing yards than NC State had allowed in any other game this season.
2. Protecting Devin Leary: UNC also established a season-high in sacks against NC State by piling up six hits on Wolfpack redshirt sophomore quarterback Devin Leary. The previous high had been four sacks in a loss at Mississippi State in week two.
The result was with 2:12 left, NC State had less than 300 yards of total offense. It was able to finish with 360 yards, surpassing the 335 at Mississippi State that remains the fewest in a game this year.
3. Committing to running the football: Against Power Five teams, NC State did not have a good running game this year.
However, this was the second game, joining the road loss at Wake Forest, where the Pack probably could have had an impressive rushing total had it committed more to the ground game. The duo of sophomore Zonovan Knight and junior Ricky Person Jr. ran 20 times for 132 yards, an impressive average of 6.6 yards per rush.
Neither were ever tackled for a loss in the game, either. NC State ended up doing 38 passing plays and 22 rushes. It felt like the offense would have had more success had it been more balanced.
Position-By-Position Battles
NC State football’s offensive line vs. North Carolina’s defensive front
UNC gets the win here with an assist from NC State. The Pack controlled the line of scrimmage in the running game, but it lost in pass protection. Because NC State went with more throws than runs in the game, North Carolina won the battle.
NC State football’s defensive front vs. North Carolina’s offensive line
Similar story. NC State had five sacks and was all over Howell during the game, but it struggled mightily to control the run. North Carolina stuck to the running game, and thus gets the win here.
NC State football’s wide receivers vs. North Carolina’s secondary
Senior receiver Emeka Emezie’s two catches in the final 2:12 of the game alone won the battle for NC State. Redshirt junior Thayer Thomas’ 26-yard touchdown catch was another key play in the game.
NC State football’s secondary vs. North Carolina’s wide receivers
UNC sophomore Justin Olson had a nice touchdown catch on a contested play. But star sophomore Josh Downs was contained to 9.4 yards per catch, and receivers not named Downs finished with three catches for 39 yards.
This was a win for the Wolfpack.
Quarterbacks
Howell was a beast with his legs. He ran 18 times for 98 yards and two scores and when you remove sacks that becomes 13 runs for 136 yards.
But to the winner goes the spoils. Leary threw for four touchdowns and was 19-of-30 passing for 247 yards.
Running backs
There was quite a bit of good running back play in this game, but UNC’s backs had the slight edge.
Former walk-on British Brooks had a career day with 15 rushes for 124 yards, and former Tennessee transfer Ty Chandler ran six times for 59 yards while adding a seven-yard reception. That’s 190 total yards.
NC State’s duo of Knight and Person finished with a total of 190 yards, too, but Brooks’ performance tilts it slightly to UNC.
Tight ends/fullbacks
Redshirt sophomore Trent Pennix had three receptions for 26 yards and a touchdown, and that outshined anything UNC got from its tight ends.
Special teams
NC State scored a touchdown on special teams, and it recovered an onside kick. Those two plays meant the win for the Wolfpack in special teams, even though the Pack itself had a punt blocked, missed a field goal and received an unlucky bounce on one of its own blocked punts.
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