NC State football report card: Marshall

NC State football wrapped up its nonconference schedule Saturday with a 48-41 win over Marshall. The Wolfpack covered the betting over/under of 44.5 by itself in this game and, during a matchup that went in a few unexpected directions, the team played complementary football in key moments and earned a win at home.

Even though the defense gave up more than 40 points for the second time this season, the unit showed up when it needed to, forcing 3 turnovers and recording 6 sacks.

This week’s report card is treated the same way as the start of a new semester. NC State looks different with sophomore MJ Morris at quarterback, and today’s grades take his growing pains into account.

NC State offense grade

Grade — A

Yes, Morris threw 3 interceptions. One was his fault on a screen pass that should not have been thrown, another was dropped and Marshall tipped the third at the line of scrimmage. That does not take away from a really impressive scoring outburst by the Wolfpack. Before Saturday, the last time NC State scored more than 45 points against an FBS opponent was a 2018 showdown with ECU.

Since then, the program has played eight Group of Five opponents and averaged 31 points per game in those matchups.

Morris surpassed that mark in his first game of the season. He showed some truly impressive poise, rebounding from an awful start to deliver a 17-yard strike to freshman wide receiver Kevin Concepcion for the Pack’s first score of the afternoon. The Wolfpack offense finished the game with 11 explosive plays, surpassing offensive coordinator Robert Anae’s weekly goal of nine. Morris threw for 265 yards, a season-high mark for NC State, and he accounted for 4 passes of 38 yards or more.

Concepcion finished last week’s Louisville game with 1 reception. The Pack needed that to change, so the offense targeted the first-year receiver 16 times Saturday, leading to 8 receptions for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns. He is the program’s top receiver by a wide margin, and his target share now reflects that. The Wolfpack sent him in motion for pop passes throughout the game and took advantage of his tough running after the catch to bolster a solid running game.

Sophomore Michael Allen finally showed off his explosiveness, breaking off a 37-yard touchdown run. He led the Pack with 70 yards on the ground, averaging a whopping 7.8 yards per attempt, and redshirt junior Delbert Mimms III continued his red zone excellence with 65 yards and his sixth score of the year.

The offensive line blocked well on the pop passes and cleared some running lanes for short-yardage success. It also held up well in pass protection and only allowed 2 sacks against a formidable Marshall front. Notably, NC State scored 14 points off 3 forced turnovers. This was an encouraging effort from a unit that desperately needed to take a step forward.

Defense grade

Grade — B

Marshall tied its season high for points against the Wolfpack. Earlier this week, graduate student linebacker Payton Wilson said Rasheen Ali, who finished the game with 63 rushing yards, was one of the best running backs in the country. NC State held the Thundering Herd to just 104 yards on the ground on 2.7 yards per attempt.

Quarterback Cam Fancher hurt the Pack with his legs and scored 2 rushing touchdowns. Wilson said he was one of the fastest signal-callers he has ever competed against. Fancher extended plays well and took advantage of NC State’s communication mistakes to finish with 315 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. The Pack allowed 9 passing plays of 10 yards or more.

It is worth noting that 7 of Marshall’s points came on a pick six, and Morris’ other 2 interceptions gave the Herd possession in Wolfpack territory. NC State forced 3 turnovers of its own, which help offset those mistakes. Junior defensive lineman Davin Vann forced a fumble on a tremendous hustle play after a completed pass. Graduate student Robert Kennedy III picked off a pass and forced a fumble that he also recovered.

NC State stopped Marshall on 4 of 5 drives in the fourth quarter, showing up in the most important moments to secure the win.

Special teams grade

Grade — C+

Graduate student kicker Brayden Narveson converted his 2 field goal attempts, and redshirt sophomore Jalen Coit averaged 14 yards per punt return. Marshall tried to keep the ball away from redshirt sophomore Julian Gray on kickoffs, and both graduate student tight end Trent Pennix and senior wide receiver Keyon Lesane returned short kicks to help put the Pack in solid field position.

Redshirt sophomore punter Caden Noonkester struggled Saturday. He averaged just 38.7 yards per punt. NC State also gave up 2 kickoff returns for 60 yards. Collin Smith tried to take advantage of a huge gap in Marshall’s kickoff return alignment but could not execute the game plan. The Herd started drives beyond its own 40-yard line on three occasions after NC State kickoffs.