After a gut-wrenching, season-opening loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks that saw the NC State football team dominate but fall short due to a few key mistakes, it was fair to wonder if this was just another talented team that would fail to execute when it mattered most. Fast-forward six weeks, and it’s fair to wonder if the Wolfpack is going to lose again this season.
Following Saturday’s 35-17 win at Pittsburgh, NC State has won six straight games, putting the team in sole possession of first place in the ACC Atlantic at 6-1 thanks to Clemson’s loss to Syracuse Friday night. The 4-0 ACC start is the Wolfpack’s best since the 2002 season with now-NFL star Philip Rivers at quarterback, and by far the best under head coach Dave Doeren. In addition, the team finds itself in the No. 16 spot in the AP poll, its highest ranking since 2003.
With the Pack on bye this week ahead of next week’s contest against Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, and the monumental showdown with the Tigers on homecoming weekend looming, now’s a good time to take a look at what has gotten the Wolfpack to this point, with wins over, at the time, top-25 opponents in Florida State and Louisville. The answer is, in short, everything.
The Wolfpack’s success this year starts with football’s most important position: quarterback. Redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Finley has broken out in a big way to lead the NC State offense. Finley has had a nice season for the Pack, completing 69.4 percent of his passes, good for second in the ACC and ninth in the country (his 172 total completions rank second in the conference and fifth in the nation) for 1,968 yards and 11 touchdowns. Finley has also been perfect in interception avoidance, and his 327 consecutive pass attempts without an interception dating back to last season is the longest active streak in the FBS.
Finley’s brilliance has allowed him to utilize his plethora of weapons, giving the Wolfpack’s offense a strong, multifaceted attack. The Pack ranks third in the ACC with 2,030 total receiving yards. Sophomore receiver Kelvin Harmon has been money to start the year, with 36 catches for 547 yards and two touchdowns, good for at least one Randy Moss-style catch a game, where he goes up over a defender to make a leaping grab, leaving fans, opponents, teammates and media alike with their jaws on the ground.
For senior all-purpose back Jaylen Samuels, the Pack’s most versatile weapon in both the passing and rushing game, it’s probably simpler to list the offensive categories he doesn’t dominate in. His 10 total touchdowns put him first in the ACC and ninth in the country, and he is in the top two for both receiving and rushing yards for the Pack, combining for 644 yards from scrimmage, and leading the team with 54 catches. Samuels does it all for NC State, and is a key cog for a dominant offense.
Of course, a big factor for the team’s offensive revival is the play of the dominant, yet unheralded offensive line. Since getting redshirt junior right tackle Will Richardson back from a two-game suspension to start the season, the O-line has kept a clean pocket for Finley; in fact, he has not been sacked in ACC play.
The offensive line has also paved the way for the Pack’s strong ground game, with the team ranking sixth in the ACC with 4.6 yards per carry. Junior Nyheim Hines, in his first year as a full-time running back for NC State after making the transition from slot receiver, leads the way for the Pack’s rushing attack, with 116 carries for 648 yards, with his 92.6 rushing yards per game good for fifth in the ACC.
The defense has also held its own for the Pack in its win streak. While the one weak point is the secondary, a rock-solid front seven led by an elite defensive line more than makes up for that. The Wolfpack can pressure the opposing passer, with the team’s 18 total sacks putting it third in the ACC. Senior defensive end Bradley Chubb, a likely top-10 pick in April’s NFL draft, leads the way, ranking first in the ACC and tied for third in the nation with 6.5 sacks, and first in the conference and second in the country with 14 tackles for loss.
The Pack can stuff the run as well, with senior defensive tackles B.J. Hill and Justin Jones, along with senior linebackers Airius Moore and Jerod Fernandez clogging up the middle of the field to hold opposing ground units to 91.3 yards per game, the seventh-fewest total in the country.
If there’s one alarming concern for the Pack, it’s the kicking game, with graduate kicker Carson Wise only making six of his 11 field goal attempts, missing several from short range. However, with the Pack’s offense being so adept at sticking the football in the end zone, the kicking woes have, so far, not been enough to cost the team a game.
In order to enjoy the kind of start NC State football has had, you have to have all hands on deck. That’s exactly what the Pack has had, and will need to continue that notion with several tough matchups on the horizon. If the team can continue to get such balanced contributions throughout the lineup, its ultimate goal of an ACC title, and perhaps more, is well within reach.
