After a 4-0 start showed signs of a turnaround from the horrific 2013 season, the NC State football team’s performance has nose-dived, suffering three straight losses to conference teams.
In his second year, Head Coach Dave Doeren has yet to come away with an ACC victory. The team put up a fight against No. 1 Florida State and turned a lot of heads in doing so but has slumped in the last two games against Clemson and Boston College.
What happened to the team that went undefeated through its first four games and out-dueled the defending national champions for three quarters in its fifth?
Redshirt junior quarterback Jacoby Brissett started off the season well, passing for 1005 yards, 10 touchdowns and just one interception while completing over two-thirds of his passes. He was pure gold compared to last year’s sub-par duo of Brandon Mitchell and Pete Thomas.
He continued his strong play against FSU, finishing with 359 yards and three touchdowns despite being under constant duress from the opposing pass rush. He had two costly fumbles at the end of the game, but could only carry the team so much as he got little help from the defense and poor protection from his offensive line.
Brissett struggled mightily the next two games, combining for just 209 yards, one touchdown and one interception while completing about 35 percent of his passes. Much of this can be attributed to Clemson’s stellar defense and awful weather conditions against Boston College, but, as the quarterback, he is the commander of the team and needs to overcome these factors.
Despite all this, Brissett is far from the biggest problem on the team. He has been sacked 11 times in the past three games, and that number would be a lot higher if not for his size and evasiveness when escaping countless sacks.
The offensive line has done a decent job run blocking, as State’s running backs average about six yards per carry, but the group needs to do a better job of protecting its quarterback. Wolfpack fans everywhere cringe every time Brissett drops back to pass because there are defenders in his face instantaneously. Brissett has little time to go through his progressions and complete an accurate pass because he’s forced to scramble out of the pocket.
The offensive line is easily one of the biggest problems on a struggling Wolfpack team, but not the only one. Last season, it was a lackluster offense that failed to do much of anything that brought the team down. This year, it is pretty much the entire defense.
The run defense has been porous. Clemson ran for 226 yards and Boston College ran for 310 yards, with their respective dual threat quarterbacks picking the Wolfpack line apart with designed run plays. NC State’s defense simply hasn’t been able to defend the read option, and will most likely continue to be picked apart by quarterbacks who can run the football.
NC State’s pass rush hasn’t fared much better. The defensive line has struggled to exert pressure, only averaging about two sacks per game, giving opposing quarterbacks and receivers time to make plays.
While the lack of pressure hasn’t helped, the secondary still needs to play better. Run support has been average, and in coverage, they are often out of position or struggle locating the ball. Clemson receiver Mike Williams humiliated them two weeks ago, finishing with six catches for 155 yards and two touchdowns.
State’s balanced offense allowed the team to power past the lesser opponents faced early in the season and hang around with FSU, but high-powered opposing offenses showed the weaknesses inherent in a Wolfpack defense in desperate need of fixing.
It is imperative that the Wolfpack finds solutions quickly if it plans on making a bowl game this season. With a bye week coming after this weekend’s game at Louisville, State has time to regroup and bounce back, but if unable to find a rhythm, NC State fans should expect changes amongst the coaching staff and personnel department next season.
