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Yesterday NC State fell to Louisville 20-13 in their ACC opener, and since a loss can’t be attributed to one single thing, I am going to give you four reasons that the Wolfpack fell short.  You will notice that the four reasons are offensive, and that is because I believe they are more to blame in this loss, and I will have more to say about the defense later today.

Jacoby Brissett

After the game Brissett took a lot of the blame upon himself, and I think that was humble, but I also think it was accurate.  Yesterday’s performance was not the worst of his career, but it was easily his worst performance of 2015.  He completed 16 of 28 for 183 yards and a touchdown.  It doesn’t appear to be a horrific game statistically, but it is how Brissett threw the incompletions that give me pause.  You can blame an offensive coordinator or credit the defense all you want.  A lot of Brissett’s incompletions fall on him, and him alone.  They were either short, or deep, or in the dirt.

“There are some plays I know Jacoby would like to have back,” said Doeren. “He didn’t complete a couple that he would normally complete.  That’s not because of who we played.  We had guys open.”

Offensive Line

When Brissett had time in the pocket yesterday he missed plays that he normally makes, but the reality is he didn’t have time in the pocket a lot yesterday.  You can’t blame his incompletions on a play call when the player was open and the throw was poor, but you can look at the fact that the Louisville defensive line lived in the backfield yesterday.  The Wolfpack offensive line didn’t always give adequate time for Brissett, and they didn’t provide Matt Dayes with much to work with, in regards to running lanes.

Missed Opportunities

I don’t blame yesterday’s loss on the Wolfpack’s easy non-conference schedule.  I blame it on a failure to finish.  Three of NC State’s offensive possessions in the first half made it to the Louisville 40-yard line or beyond, and they walked away with zero points.  On the first, Jumichael Ramos fumbled on the 5-yard line.  On the second, the Wolfpack coaches decided to punt on 4th and 10 from the 33-yard line.  On the third, Brissett threw a 39-yard pass to Jaylen Samuels, moving the ball to the Cardinals 41-yard line.  The Wolfpack then lost three yards on the next three plays and punted from the 41-yard line.  You can’t get within the 40-yard line and walk away with no points three times in a game.  Well, you can, but you will probably lose.

Turnover Margin

NC State turned the ball over twice to Louisville, and the Cardinals did a perfect job of keeping the ball to themselves.  Jumichael Ramos fumbled the ball on the Louisville 5-yard line in the first quarter.  Had he not done so, NC State would have walked away with a touchdown or a field goal, which would have been the first points on the scoreboard.  Instead, the Wolfpack never had the lead a single time.  Matt Dayes fumbled right at midfield at about the halfway point in the third quarter.  NC State had the momentum at this point.  They had scored on a Jaylen Samuels touchdown two possessions’ before, and had held the Cardinals to two straight 3-and-out’s.  Dayes rushed for a gain of 7 and caught a pass for 9 yards before fumbling.  The Wolfpack were on their way down the field to possibly tie the game, but the wind was taken out from their sails.  Louisville scored 10 points off of NC State’s two turnovers.  The Wolfpack on the other hand scored zero points off of turnovers, because they failed to create any.

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Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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NC State Football

Auburn Transfer Linebacker Cam Riley Decommits from NC State

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4 mins ago

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April 26, 2024

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Auburn Transfer Linebacker Cam Riley (6’5″/242) announced tonight that he is decommitting from NC State.

Back on February 26th, Riley verbally committed to NC State. Players out of the Transfer Portal don’t sign a National Letter of Intent like players out of high school, making it easier for them to change their mind.

247Sports and ESPN both ranked Riley as a Top-300 4-Star prospect in the 2020 recruiting class. 247Sports ranked him as the #229 overall player nationally in the 2020 class, the #14 Outside Linebacker, and the #10 player in the state of Alabama.

In 2020 and 2021, Riley played in 22 total games (2 starts), playing in 160 snaps, tallying 23 tackles. In 2022, Riley broke out, starting in 7 of the 11 games, ranking 2nd on the team in tackles, with 65.

This past season, Riley played in 13 games, but only started in 1. He had 32 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. His PFF grade of 66.7 was the highest of his career.

Over 4 seasons, Riley played in 46 games (10 starts) for Auburn, tallying 948 snaps.

In my mind, there was a good chance that Riley was going to earn the starting role at the SAM Linebacker position at NC State, with Sean Brown at the WILL and Caden Fordham at the MIKE.

Unless NC State grabs a Linebacker out of the Portal now, I would expect Redshirt Freshman Kelvon McBride to be at the starting SAM position at the beginning of Fall Camp.

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NC State Football

ON3: NC State’s Dave Doeren is 1 of the Top-25 Best Coaches in College Football

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7 hours ago

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April 25, 2024

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ON3’s Jesse Simonton ranked the Top-25 College Football Coaches heading into the 2024 season, and NC State’s Dave Doeren ranks 23rd.

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Here’s what Simonton had to say about Doeren:

23. Dave Doeren, NC State

Doeren became the Wolfpack’s all-time winningest head coach last season, overcoming all manors of offensive ineptitude to win eight games for the fourth straight season. He still hasn’t busted through the glass ceiling and taken NC State to an ACC Championship, but the Wolfpack have legitimate conference title hopes in 2024 with the offseason work Doeren has done via the portal (quarterback Grayson McCall, tailbacks Jordan Waters and Hollywood Smothers and receivers Noah Rogers and Wesley Grimes). 

In 11 seasons in Raleigh, Doeren’s program has been steadily consistent and has become a model for development (17 NFL Draft picks since 2018) and strength and conditioning. (ON3)

ACC Coaches in the Top-25

6. Dabo Swinney (Clemson)

7. Mike Norvell (FSU)

20. Jeff Brohm (Louisville)

23. Dave Doeren (NC State)

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NC State has Produced 19 1st Round NFL Draft Picks

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16 hours ago

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April 25, 2024

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The 1st round of the 2024 NFL Draft will begin this evening at 8pm on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network. NC State has had 19 players drafted in the 1st round.

NC State ranks 8th in ACC history in 1st Round Picks.

Three of the Wolfpack’s 1st Round Picks have come under Dave Doeren’s watch, which ranks 2nd all-time in school history. Chuck Amato had 5 players drafted in the 1st round, which is the most ever under a coach at NC State.

Chuck Amato – 5
Dave Doeren – 3
Mike O’Cain – 2
Dick Sheridan – 2
Bo Rein – 2
Earle Edwards – 2

While most projections don’t have Wolfpack Linebacker Payton Wilson going in the 1st round tonight, a few do. Wilson was invited to attend the NFL Draft, but he will be tuning in from his home in Hillsborough. We’ll have to tune in tonight to see if Wilson hears his name called on the 1st night of the 2024 NFL Draft.

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WATCH QB Grayson McCall’s Tape from the 2024 NC State Spring Game

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2 days ago

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April 24, 2024

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NC State will have a new Quarterback in 2024 in Coastal Carolina Transfer Grayson McCall. A few weeks back, McCall looked sharp in the 2024 Spring Game, completing 16 of his 20 pass attempts for 205 yards and a touchdown. McCall was accuracy and composure were evident in his first time playing in Carter-Finley Stadium.

Check out McCall’s tape from the Spring Game.

 

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