While offense tries to find its way, NC State defense meets expectations in win over Texas Tech
When the decisions were made, one after another, to come back for another season at N.C. State, this was the vision. In the micro, anyway.
The macro remains to be seen, with bigger games ahead. But the Wolfpack defense that became possible when Isaiah Moore, Drake Thomas and Payton Wilson all returned to give N.C. State one of the deepest and most talented groups of linebackers in the country showed up Saturday night.
“We talked about this for so long,” Wilson said. “We haven’t been able to be healthy, just due to injuries. Us three being out there, we truly think we’re the best linebackers in country. And if you try to run the ball ... good luck to you.”
The smothering performance against Texas Tech — missing when N.C. State let East Carolina back into the opener in the second half of that narrow win, not really relevant against Charleston Southern — came at the right time, because N.C. State’s offense has yet to reach its full potential.
Never mind that, for the moment. The Wolfpack once again threw away two touchdowns, one by penalty and one by fumble, that would have put a different spin both on the offensive performance and the overall discussion after this 27-14 win over Texas Tech that moved the Wolfpack to 3-0 to join the other three teams in the Big Four.
Whatever the offense did or didn’t do didn’t really matter, because the defense was fully functional and operational, daring Texas Tech to run and dominating that battle anyway, battering quarterback Donovan Smith and filling whatever holes opened on the line.
The talented trio at linebacker was a big reason for that, swarming to the ball, especially with Wilson back in action after being held out of the previous seven quarters. His injury during the first half of the East Carolina game was feared to be serious but wasn’t, a frightening situation after he missed almost all of last season. His return restored the integrity of the trinity and it showed.
“It’s great having him,” N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said. “Seeing his speed in the open field, tracking guys down. It’s just different. Having him and Isaiah and Drake, it’s what we hoped for. So yeah, it’s a huge, huge deal.“
But the secondary, not as heralded but just as experienced, was up to speed as well, even with Shyheim Battle out and Tyler Baker-Williams injured Saturday. Aydan White had a pair of interceptions and Jakeen Harris one, a demonstration of depth, and Tanner Ingle and Derrek Pitts joined the linebackers among N.C. State’s leading tacklers.
This was the defense N.C. State always envisioned and expected, even if it never envisioned or expected it to do this much heavy lifting. White even outscored Devin Leary, getting into the end zone on an 84-yard interception return on a night the quarterback did not as a passer or runner. (Leary did as a receiver, albeit on a touchdown called back for a penalty. Thayer Thomas got that TD pass back in the fourth quarter.)
Not only did he put up more points than the ACC preseason player of the year, White had more yards on that return than Texas Tech had in total offense at that point in the second quarter.
The occasional fits and starts of the offense made it a timely moment for the defense to announce its full arrival, but it had to happen anyway. For N.C. State to be the kind of team it thinks it can be, all of that hope and all of that optimism was built on the defense playing like this. And for the moment, inconsistencies on offense aside, everything’s still out there for the Wolfpack.
N.C. State escaped at East Carolina and took care of business against Texas Tech in the kind of game that’s often tripped up the Wolfpack in the past. UConn, which got stomped 59-0 by Michigan on Saturday, shouldn’t pose too much of a threat, which leaves Clemson looming only two weeks away.
The Wolfpack broke the streak against the Tigers last year but has to do it on the road this year, a tougher task to be certain. N.C. State thought it had the defense to do it and after Saturday knows for certain that it does — if the offense can get back to that level. And maybe even if it can’t.
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This story was originally published September 17, 2022 at 10:53 PM.
