Turnovers elusive for NC State defense

Dave Doeren went through the good and the bad from the Clemson loss in his post-game press conference last week.

The third-year N.C. State coach got to the fumbles his defense forced, three more in the 56-41 loss to the third-ranked Tigers, and then stopped for a short laugh to keep from crying.

“Again, we’re getting some balls out and not recovering all of them,” Doeren said. “We did get a couple of takeaways in the second half but we need to get a few more.”

No team this season has forced as many fumbles (16) as N.C. State (5-3, 1-3 ACC) while recovering so few (3).

Turnovers play a big role in any game but N.C. State’s 0-5 record at Boston College (3-6, 0-6) can be directly linked to the turnover margin. The Eagles are a plus-8 in their five home wins over the Wolfpack since division play started in the ACC in 2005.

With Boston College’s problems on offense this season, and with N.C. State playing its first game without leading rusher Matt Dayes against the country’s best rush defense, Saturday’s game in Chestnut Hill, Mass. probably will be decided by turnovers.

N.C. State defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable has been pleased with the number of fumbles the Wolfpack has caused this season. The 16 caused fumbles ranks third in the ACC behind Virginia Tech and Virginia, both with 19.

“That number is good,” Huxtable said. “Now we just have to finish it.”

That has been the rub for N.C. State’s defense, especially in ACC play. N.C. State has caused seven fumbles in four conference games and recovered only one, in the second half of the Clemson game.

The five-year ACC average is to recover 46.7 percent of the fumbles caused. N.C. State’s recovery percentage, 18.7, is an eight-year low mark in the ACC, according to the numbers on CFBstats.com, which start with the 2008 season.

N.C. State recovered 47.6 percent of the fumbles it caused last season (10 of 21) and 52.9 percent (9 of 17) in Doeren’s first year in 2013.

One of the main reasons for N.C. State’s fast finish last year, winning four of its last five games, was its ability to produce turnovers.

The Wolfpack caused nine turnovers in the last five games of 2014. It only has seven through eight games this season, which ranks last in the ACC with Wake Forest, and only two FBS teams have fewer this season.

Boston College’s defense, which leads the country in total defense (223.8 yards per game) and rushing defense (64.2 ypg), has recovered six of the eight fumbles it has forced and produced 15 turnovers in nine games.

“They’re a very good football team on defense that hits you in the mouth, plays tough, creates takeaways and helps their offense with field position,” Doeren said.

It’s the offense that has slowed Boston College in coach Steve Addazio’s third season. The Eagles’ offense ranks 127th, out of 128 teams, in yards per game (275.7) and has scored only five touchdowns in six ACC games.

Quarterback Darius Wade was injured in a 14-0 loss to Florida State on Sept. 18. Backup Jeff Smith has also been hurt while Troy Flutie doesn’t quite fit Addazio’s running scheme. That led to walk-on freshman John Fadule taking most of the snaps in last week’s 26-10 home loss to Virginia Tech.

Doeren has focused on Boston College’s strength, its defense, with his players because this has not been a game that has treated N.C. State well recently.

The Wolfpack has lost the five ACC trips to Boston College by an average of 18.6 points per game. The only close game was in 2011, a 14-10 final. That Boston College team had its share of problems on offense and finished the season at 4-8 but still beat an 8-5 Wolfpack team led by quarterback Mike Glennon.

N.C. State ended one long losing drought on the road earlier this season with a 35-17 win at Wake Forest. Doeren said his team would like to add another to the list.

“They want to go up there and win at a place that no other (N.C. State) team has done in 10 years,” Doeren said. “That’s important to them.”

This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Turnovers elusive for NC State defense."