The Facts: On Saturday, the N.C . State Wolfpack defeated the Central Michigan Chippewas 38-24. The win pushes the Wolfpack to 3-3 on the season.

Our opinion: The win against the Chippewas was more than just a victory against a mediocre team. There were a lot of bright spots to be found in the victory. Those areas where the Pack found success on Saturday should inspire hope when looking towards the final six games of the football schedule. 

Central Michigan’s football program doesn’t exactly inspire fear into the hearts of their opponents. Over the past two years the Chippewas record is 5-13. They are not a football power house; however, more can be taken from the game than just a win.

The win was not easy, it pushed the Pack to respond and they did. Going into the half, the Pack was only up four points and it looked as though the Chippewas were going to keep it close. The Chippewas were playing great for the first half and a lesser team could’ve lost their cool and not endured their initial attack. However, N.C . State did not, they weathered the storm and outlasted the Chippewas . The Pack showed a resilience that will pay dividends as the season goes on.

There were great individual performances found in Saturday’s game. T.J . Graham was a bright spot, as always. With 186 all-purpose yards and an average of 21.6 yards per return, he was a constant source of excitement and promise throughout the game. There is nothing as exciting as when T.J . gets the ball in his hands, we only wish his return opportunities came more from punt returns than kick returns.

The defense showed an aptitude for getting out of tight spots. While allowing for 427 total yards of offense to be posted up against us by an average offense should be concerning, it could’ve been a lot worse. N.C . State’s defense created three turnovers with the Chippewas driving in State territory, likely keeping points off the board. A bend-but-don’t-break defense is not preferable, and at times can be unnerving; however, Saturday’s game demonstrated that the defense can step up when necessary.

Mike Glennon , who  struggled in his past two games, seems to be turning things around after his performance on Saturday. Glennon had a nearly flawless game Saturday with 244 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. His completion percentage, 55 percent, was the only sour spot in an otherwise great performance. However, with the Chippewas defensive backs John Carr and Jahleel Addae flying around the field like Troy Polamalu , his lackluster completion percentage is understandable. Hopefully, this outing will prove to be his standard performance moving forward.

Looking ahead, our season looks almost as good as our jerseys did Saturday. There are certain areas of the team that need to be beefed up, that’s for sure. However, the gap between expectations and performance that forced so many out of the stadium early against Georgia Tech appears to be shrinking. With the 3-2 Virgina Cavaliers on the docket for next weekend we have a perfect opportunity take the successes experienced against the Chippewas and apply them to a team of a greater stature.