NC State loses appeal on targeting call, will miss key defender against Duke
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- N.C. State defender Sabastian Harsh will miss first half vs. Duke for targeting.
- NCAA upheld ejection despite appeal; Harsh made helmet contact on late sack.
- Backup defenders like Bond and Adedire may see increased snaps in Harsh’s absence.
N.C. State will be without one of its top defenders during the first half of Saturday’s game against Duke, the result of a targeting call during the Wake Forest game.
Head coach Dave Doeren said Monday the team appealed the call with NCAA National Coordinator of Officials Steve Shaw but the decision was upheld.
Defensive end Sabastian Harsh was ejected in the fourth quarter after ACC officials stated he lowered his head and made contact with Wake Forest quarterback Robby Ashford’s helmet as he was sacked by Wolfpack teammate Cian Slone. The call was ruled targeting on the field and upheld by the replay center, based in Charlotte.
Harsh left the game and is required to miss the first half against the Blue Devils, according to NCAA rules.
“I was really disappointed in the targeting call. I’m going to tell you. I thought that that was not a good call,” Doeren said in his post game press conference on Thursday. “Last year we lost Grayson McCall to a play that wasn’t targeting, but that was today. I’d love an explanation on that. I thought that was about as clean as you could do what he did when the guy was running the football.”
Harsh and Slone are the two highest-rated N.C. State defensive players, according to Pro Football Focus.
Through three games, Slone narrowly beats his teammate with an 83.7 overall defensive grade. Harsh has an 83 PFF grade, with 14 total tackles and one pass deflection.
His teammates on offense, including Teague Andersen and Cody Hardy, also said during fall camp he’s one of the toughest defensive players to practice against, citing his strength and technique.
Doeren compared Harsh’s first-half absence to Brandon Cleveland’s suspension in the season opener against East Carolina. Cleveland was unable to play after he was ejected from the 2024 bowl game for fighting. That allowed Chazz Wallace and Josiah Victor an opportunity to take game reps at nose tackle.
“He’s a good player for us. So, it hurts when you lose a guy like that for a half of football. But at the same time, that’s part of the deal,” Doeren said of Harsh. “You’ve got to step up; next man up. Got to be able to take advantage of your opportunity, for one, and I know that the guys we have will be prepared to do that.”
Doeren would not specify who will start in Harsh’s place. Chase Bond and Texas Tech transfer Joseph Adedire are behind Harsh on the depth chart.
Bond played in the first two games and recorded five tackles. Though his playing time has been limited, he ranks No. 4 on PFF — behind Slone, Harsh and Isaiah Shirley — for his defensive contributions. Adedire recorded two sacks and 44 tackles during his time with the Red Raiders.
Temple transfer Tra Thomas is also listed as an edge rusher, though he typically plays behind Slone in a hybrid defensive end/linebacker position.
“I’m not going to talk about who we’re playing, but there’ll definitely be opportunities for guys to get more reps in that first half with him out,” Doeren said.
Wake Forest hit against Grayson McCall
Last season, Grayson McCall left the game against Wake Forest at Carter-Finley Stadium after a much harder hit, causing McCall to lose his helmet and mouth guard. His uncovered head made contact with two other defenders as he fell to the ground and briefly lost consciousness.
The former Coastal Carolina graduate transfer was carted off the field on a stretcher and taken to an area hospital. McCall medically retired several weeks after the injury.
At the time, the play was not called targeting nor did on-field officials immediately stop play, despite N.C. State players signaling for medical attention and requesting review. Wake Forest scored on the fumble resulting from the hit. The replay center reviewed the play, though it wasn’t announced, during the extended period of stoppage to care for McCall. N.C. State lost the game, 34-30.
After evaluating the film, Doeren said last year the hit was clean and not targeting because McCall was not considered a defenseless player and the defender did not hit McCall with the crown of his helmet. Doeren, however, spoke against the current targeting rule and said he spoke with ACC Head of Football Officials Alberto Riveron, stating the two were in agreement regarding the need for additional study on the targeting rule and how it is officiated.
“I think the language in it puts the refs in a tough spot, particularly on a play like that one,” Doeren said. “There’s not a lot of plays where a helmet comes off and at the same time someone else is coming in to hit him like that. It really highlights the rule and the verbiage of the rule.”
This story was originally published September 15, 2025 at 6:33 PM.
