Heartbreak seems to have a tendency to follow the NC State football team, and that was apparent Saturday night in Winston-Salem as Wake Forest held on to beat the Pack 30-24 in a contest where NC State out-gained the Demon Deacons 502-334.
Here’s a breakdown of what went wrong, and what went right, for each position group:
Quarterback — D+
Redshirt junior Ryan Finley has been perhaps the most valuable offensive player for the Pack this season, but his performance Saturday at Wake was one to forget. Finley’s stat line was not bad, 34 of 52 passing for 327 yards and touchdown, but a number of missed throws and poor decisions from the gunslinger cost NC State.
The most costly decisions from Finley came on the final drive of the game. With no timeouts, less than one minute on the clock and the Pack down six points, Finley threw a short pass over the middle of the field to junior running back Reggie Gallaspy, who was downed short of the first-down marker and in bounds.
With the waning seconds of the game running off the clock, Finley rushed to the line and snapped the ball to run a play, sat in the pocket waiting for the play to develop and heaved a prayer towards the end zone that was intercepted, ending the game.
In addition to the questionable decision-making and execution from Finley on the final drive, the quarterback also had quite a few poorly-placed throws to open receivers that cost the Pack vital yards. Finley did have a few highlight plays though, including a long touchdown throw to freshman wide receiver Emeka Emezie.
Running backs — B-
The Pack had a well-balanced running attack against the Deacs, with four members of the Pack rushing for at least 35 yards, but was not explosive. Junior running back Nyheim Hines picked up 46 yards, but sustained an injury in the game. Senior all-purpose back Jaylen Samuels led the rushing attack with 50 yards and one touchdown, and Gallaspy added a touchdown of his own.
Wide receivers — A-
The wide receiver corps was the best skills unit for the Pack on Saturday, despite redshirt junior starter Stephen Louis missing the game with an ankle injury. Emezie picked up most of the slack for Louis and had a breakout game, picking up 67 yards on five catches, including an acrobatic catch for his first career touchdown. Emezie’s game ended on a sour note though, as he fumbled on the goal line on what would have been the go-ahead score.
Apart from Emezie, sophomore Kelvin Harmon had 108 yards, despite two uncharacteristic drops, and redshirt sophomore Jakobi Meyers had 90 yards on 10 catches.
Offensive line — A
The offensive line has been a strength for this Wolfpack all season, and it was good again against the Demon Deacons. State rushed for 175 yards in the game, and Finley had plenty of protection on passes. Wake Forest had just one sack and only three quarterback hurries.
Defensive line — D-
The Wolfpack defensive line that features four senior starters, all potential NFL Draft picks, was absolutely pedestrian against the Demon Deacons and their unusual run-pass-option offense.
The senior quartet of Bradley Chubb, Kentavius Street, B.J. Hill and Justin Jones totaled just three tackles for loss, and got absolutely no pressure on Wake quarterback John Wolford, who was not sacked or even hurried in the game.
However, NC State was able to limit Wake Forest to just 87 yards on the ground, as the Deacs never really established a consistent rushing attack.
Linebackers — C+
The NC State linebackers were okay in this one, playing a role in limiting the Deacs to just 87 rushing yards. Redshirt junior Germaine Pratt and redshirt senior Jerod Fernandez each had four tackles and one tackle for loss. Additionally, Wake Forest tight end Cam Serigne was limited to 29 yards on three catches.
Secondary — D
What has been the Achilles’s heel for the Pack all season struggled yet again Saturday, as Wolford and wide receiver Tabari Hines torched the NC State secondary. Hines had eight catches for 139 yards and three touchdowns, his first multi-score game in his career.
A lot of the problem for NC State was freshman Chris Ingram, who was starting his first game of the season at cornerback, and couldn’t contain the playmaking ability of Hines who completely dominated the first-year defender.
Coaching — F
The final drive of the game left fans scratching their heads, as NC State essentially threw the game away with very questionable decisions. After being gifted 15 yards for a Wake Forest personal foul, the Wolfpack ran the short passing route over the middle to Gallaspy and then inexplicably decided to run a play instead of spike the ball to stop the clock, a play that turned into a game-ending interception.
Apart from the poor decision-making in the final seconds of the game, the NC State defense was clearly not prepared for the run-pass-option offense that the Deacs implemented. The Pack looked lost and incapable of slowing the Wake Forest attack.
