How NC State beat another ranked team and stopped Liberty QB Malik Willis
Dave Doeren preaches complimentary football. His defensive players even talked about it this week.
It’s almost as if they knew Saturday’s game would come down to them slowing Malik Willis and No. 21 Liberty. And that’s exactly what happened.
The N.C. State defense, along with its special teams, saved the day as the Wolfpack knocked off the previously undefeated Flames, 15-14, in a nail biter in Carter-Finley Stadium.
With 1:18 remaining in the game, Liberty (8-1) lined up for a 39-yard field goal attempt. Alex Barbie, the Flames’ senior kicker, had already nailed a pair of kicks from beyond 50 yards this season; a shot from 39 yards seemed like easy automatic But. N.C. State’s Vi Jones, a transfer from USC, blocked the kick — his third block of the year — securing the win.
It was the second victory over a ranked opponent this season for the Wolfpack (6-3) this year.
Instead of a shootout — Liberty entered the game averaging 40.5 points, and N.C. State 33.5 — defense dominated. The scoreless first quarter was an early indicator that it wasn’t going to be a big offensive night. The first half had almost as many penalties (12) as combined points (14). And the Flames proved they were worthy of their top-25 ranking by taking a seven-point lead in the third and slowing down the Wolfpack’s offense. But there are three phases of the game, and N.C. State’s other two came to play Saturday.
“Really proud of our guys finding another way to win,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said. “Defense, obviously, was really, really good tonight. The three takeaways, the fourth-down stop, blocked field goal to win it, they carried us. It was awesome to see those kids rise up against a really good Liberty offense.”
Willis, the Flames’ quarterback, came into the game with one interception this season and threw 128 consecutive passes without a turnover before Jakeen Harris picked him off in the first half. True freshman Aydan White and redshirt freshman Isaac Duffy each intercepted Willis in the second half.
Liberty rolled into Raleigh with an offense that was ranked in the top 20 in three different categories (Rushing yards per game, first downs and total offense), but the Pack held them to 279 yards of total offense and a season low 14 points. The Flames had knocked off two ACC opponents, but their head coach, Hugh Freeze, talked all week about his concerns with the N.C. State defense, and they proved him right.
The game plan to not let Willis beat them worked. With his three interceptions, the Auburn transfer finished with 216 yards of total offense and was sacked three times.
“(Defensive coordinator Tony) Gibson challenged us ... to play a full game, 60 minutes, and see what happens when we did that,” junior linebacker Isaiah Moore said. “We were able to hold a top-25 team under their averages and definitely happy with it.”
Moore said they were able to give Willis different looks, causing him to hold the ball longer than he liked; that got him rattled early. Moore did his part to get the Wolfpack on the board, tackling Liberty running back Peytton Pickett three yards into the end zone for a safety to pull N.C. State within five with 3:34 remaining in the third quarter.
The Flames were pinned so close to their own goal line was because Bailey Hockman, the Wolfpack quarterback, punted the ball with a quick kick on fourth-and-18, pinning Liberty at the 3. On the next play Moore burst through the offensive line, bringing down Pickett for the safety.
“I felt like we needed a spark,” Moore said. “We definitely needed a spark, and I was happy I was able to go out there and make the play.”
One bright spot for the N.C. State offense was running back Bam Knight, who scored both of the team’s touchdowns and rushed for 96 yards on 14 carries. His final score of the night, a four-yard rush with 6:53 remaining, put the Wolfpack up one, but the team still needed a couple of bailouts from the defense. They got their first one in the form of a Duffy interception. The Wolfpack didn’t score on the ensuing possession, punting the ball back to Liberty with 4:12 remaining. Willis and the Flames quickly moved to the Wolfpack 21-yard line with 1:18 remaining and N.C. State was staring down the barrel of another heartbreaking loss.
But Jones picked up his third block of the season — one shy of tying the school record — putting enough of his elbow on the ball to change the trajectory.
“I just jumped as high as I could,” Jones said. “My coaches put me in the right position to be successful and give me an opportunity to make something happen.”
That’s part of the complimentary football Doeren likes to see.
“I thought we would score more points than we did,” Doeren said. “Special teams needed to be great. Our defense and special teams won and that’s two-thirds of the game. That’s how it goes. We knew that we needed to do that tonight with our special teams.”
State won in spite of itself (14 penalties for 123 yards) and the offense having an off night. The defense heard all week about how explosive Liberty was, but rose to the occasion in a primetime matchup. With two games remaining in the regular season, the Wolfpack have a legit shot at eight victories and proved they can win in different ways when needed.
“We found a way to win,” Doeren said. “We have to get better offensively than we were tonight. That hasn’t been an issue this year and I know those guys will take that to heart, but tonight it’s about celebrating the win and knocking off a top 25 team. For us to find a way to win, I’m very proud of this football team and this coaching staff.”
This story was originally published November 22, 2020 at 10:07 AM.
