Whatever can go wrong for NC State has this season
If it can go wrong for N.C. State this season, it has.
The end of the second quarter in a 28-26 loss at Georgia Tech on Thursday night was further proof, not that N.C. State needed it.
The raft of injuries and mistakes up to this point in the season were sufficient to convert any true believers before Thursday’s loss eliminated the Wolfpack (4-7, 1-6 ACC) from the postseason.
But when you’re running cold, there’s no thawing your way out of the misery. There’s only new ways to freeze.
Down 14-3 near the end of the first half, N.C. State’s beleaguered defense came up with a stop. Georgia Tech punted, from its own 25-yard line, with 1:14 left in the half.
N.C. State coach Dave Doeren was thinking maybe a late field goal could make it an eight-point game before the half and he knew his team was getting the ball to start the second half.
That’s not how it worked out.
Sophomore receiver Thayer Thomas, who probably has the best hands on the team, called for a fair catch at his own 30-yard line. He missed the ball but had a chance to jump on it at the 33. Then he muffed the mulligan and a gaggle of Jackets fell on the loose ball at the 31.
“I know no one feels worse about that than Thayer,” Doeren said.
Georgia Tech, which was shutout on the same field last week by Virginia Tech (45-0), needed three plays — with a little extra help from a roughing the quarterback penalty — to score a touchdown. Freshman quarterback James Graham found receiver Ahmarean Brown for a 10-yard touchdown and a 21-3 halftime lead.
“I thought the last 2 minutes of the first half really hurt us,” Doeren said.
It really did. After playing about as poorly as they have at any point this season (or the past five) N.C. State summoned a second-half rally.
A mistake in previous games has been giving up on the run game too early in the game. Doeren did not on Thursday with freshmen Bam Knight (100 yards) and Jordan Houston (89 yards) both finding 5.6 yards per attempt. The 230 rushing yards were a season-best against an FBS opponent.
The weary defense, gashed by Graham through the air in the first half, held the Jackets to only a touchdown in the second half. Graham, after a 6 of 10, three-touchdown start, only completed one pass (on five attempts) in the second half. (He did run for the bulk of his 112 rushing yards, however).
And there were turnovers caused by the defense. Graham fumbled in each half. Those are the first two turnovers in seven ACC games this season for the Wolfpack defense.
The second fumble, at 13:24 in the fourth quarter, turned into seven points for N.C. State. The Wolfpack was able to apply some game-pressure on a team that was used to losing this season and it was working.
Ricky Person’s 1-yard touchdown run, with 5:17 left, gave N.C. State a chance to tie the game on a 2-point try. The pass play, which was supposed to be a throwback to tight end Cary Angeline in the back of the end zone, was blown up by Georgia Tech safety Christian Campbell.
The Jackets were able to pick up two first downs on the subsequent drive and put the game away.
“We felt like we played some good football in the second half,” linebacker Isaiah Moore said. “We just couldn’t overcome our first-half woes.”
When it’s not your year, it’s not your year and this clearly hasn’t been N.C. State’s year.
This story was originally published November 22, 2019 at 1:29 AM.
