NC State report card: Obviously QB gets an A. Runners, too? And what about defense?
After a stop-and-start training camp and postponed opener, N.C. State displayed an explosive offense — with a second-stringer an unexpected starter at quarterback — in a 45-42 win over Wake Forest, getting the new season off to a good start. Ricky Person ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as the Wolfpack scored its most points in an ACC game since a 52-10 win at Louisville in 2018 and the highest-scoring State-Wake game ever.
Passing offense
A-minus Pressed into action because presumed starter Devin Leary didn’t get enough snaps in camp, Bailey Hockman might be tough to displace. He completed his first 11 passes, spread the ball around to nine receivers and avoided any major mistakes. There’s room for improvement, especially down the field, and his third-quarter interception gave Wake Forest new life, but it was hard to expect any more from the lefty understudy. Bonus points for the goal-line jump pass touchdown thrown by running back Ricky Person.
Rushing offense
A Whether it was Person pounding the ball, Bam Knight and Jordan Houston slashing or Hockman scrambling, the Wolfpack was able to run the ball effectively with an array of backs, with seven runs of 20 yards or more. N.C. State averaged 5.5 yards per carry. Person and Knight were both less than three yards from triple digits and combined for three touchdowns.
Passing defense
C Payton Wilson was a constant threat on the pass rush but N.C. State just could not get off the field on third and fourth down. Sam Hartman converted on 4th-and-10 and 3rd-and-19, among others. Jakeen Harris had a huge pass breakup on fourth down with N.C. State nursing a three-point lead in the fourth quarter and the Wolfpack recorded a pair of sacks to shut down Wake Forest’s final drive.
Rushing defense
C-minus Wake Forest’s Kenneth Walker III was too much for the Wolfpack to handle, pounding out 131 hard yards, although he was left untouched on his short touchdown run that made gave Wake a 42-38 lead in the fourth. N.C. State thought it forced a Walker fumble in the first quarter, right before a Wake Forest touchdown, but did force a key fumble by Christian Beal-Smith in the third.
Special teams
B-plus No major errors, no game-breaking plays, very little action. Christopher Dunn made his only field goal attempt and was 5-for-5 on extra points. Definitely flattered by comparison to Wake Forest, which had punts of 33, 32 and 5 (five) yards in the second half.
Coaching
A-minus Give Dave Doeren credit: Not only did he somehow have the Wolfpack ready to play after a training camp completely and utterly disrupted by campus COVID clusters, his retooled staff — most notably offensive coordinator Tim Beck and consigliere Ruffin McNeill — made an offense with many of the same players as last season look like a completely different group. Some work remains on defense.
This story was originally published September 19, 2020 at 11:47 PM.
