NC State football report card: North Carolina
NC State walked into Kenan Stadium or, as quarterback Ben Finley affectionally referred to it, Cater-Finley West, and left with a thrilling 30-27 win that ended with a Wolfpack flag planted in the center of the field Friday night against North Carolina.
Not only was the victory against a bitter in-state rival, the Wolfpack handed UNC its second loss of the season thanks to a complete effort in all three phases of the game. After consecutive weeks with grades that did not inspire much confidence, NC State, now 8-4 headed into its bowl game, bounced back for a win that Wolfpack fans will not soon forget. This week’s report card reflects that.
NC State offense grade
Grade— A-
For all the flack that NC State’s offense has caught all year long, it stepped up in a huge way Friday night. Redshirt-freshman Ben Finley, formerly the fourth-string signal caller tasked with running the scout team, straight-up out-dueled UNC star Drake Maye.
He finished the game completing 27 of 40 passes for 271 yards and 2 touchdowns on a pair of super impressive throws into tight windows. Most importantly, he cut down on mistakes and did not give the North Carolina defense many opportunities to force turnovers. NC State amassed 330 total yards, with Michael Allen pacing the team with 53 yards on the ground.
Devin Carter played his best game of the season, breaking off the second play from scrimmage for a 52-yard gain and carrying that momentum into a 6-catch, 130 day punctuated by a fourth quarter touchdown.
The Wolfpack did not play perfect football, only scoring 7 points in the second half, and penalties and bad snaps continued to halt drives, but hanging with UNC’s offense for four quarters plus overtime was all anyone could ask from this group.
NC State defense grade
Grade— A
Time and time again, regardless of the opponent or available personnel, NC State’s defense showed up when it was needed this season. It did so once again Friday night, holding North Carolina to its second-lowest point total of the fall.
Defensive coordinator Tony Gibson continued to show why he is one of the top assistants in the nation, scheming up the right pressures and coverages to throw off Maye who, until recently, was a Heisman contender. NC State forced just one turnover, but it was an absolutely massive play by Tanner Ingle that pivoted the momentum back into the Pack’s favor and set up a touchdown. Ingle finished the game with 9 total tackles.
Drake Thomas continued his case for conference defensive player of the year with 10 more tackles and 2 more tackles for loss. Payton Wilson led the team with 11 stops, and the two linebackers combined for 5 quarterback hurries. Derrek Pitts also stepped up as the fourth-string nickel and helped hold receiver Josh Downs to 51 receiving yards.
The Wolfpack had a counter for every punch UNC offensive coordinator Phil Longo threw, which is not something many teams can say this season. Holding the Tar Heels to 3.9 yards-per-play is no small feat, and it should not go overlooked.
NC State special teams grade
Grade— A-
Christopher Dunn’s perfect season came to an end Friday with a rare miss from 43 yards out, but the senior kicker responded by drilling two kicks in overtime that helped NC State pull off the win. Caden Noonkester continued his solid end to the season. He had one punt take an unlucky bounce and end up as a 18-yard kick, but he also booted a 67-yard bomb. Overall, it was another solid day for punter who averaged 45.6 yards-per-punt. Julian Gray and Thayer Thomas each had productive days on return duty, with Thomas averaging 11 yards-per-return, and UNC only returned 1 punt and 1 kick.
