NC State pulled off a astronomical victory over #12 Florida St. down in Tallahassee yesterday 27-21, and there quite a few important ingredients that went into the Wolfpack’s recipe for victory.

Time of Possession and Turnover Margin

Florida St. might have had more total yards than NC State (385-362), but the amount of time the Wolfpack possessed the ball was more important than their total offensive production. NC State possessed the ball for 33:22, compared to Florida St.’s 26:38.

The Wolfpack also won the turnover margin game. In the second quarter Bradley Chubb forced the Seminoles to fumble the ball deep in NC State territory. Ryan Finley also managed to extend his streak of pass attempts without an interception. He entered the game with 192 straight pass attempts without a pick, and that number increased to 224 yesterday. Finley’s streak is the longest current streak in the FBS, and the 5th longest streak in ACC history.

Red Zone Defense

It’s not easy to keep any team out of the endzone when they get within 20 yards of the goal line…especially Florida St. in their own stadium. If you want to win big games, you have do hard things, and NC State did just that yesterday.

Florida St. was practically in the Red Zone when Bradley Chubb popped the ball out of FSU Quarterback’s hands (22-yard line). On five other Seminole possessions, the Wolfpack held them to a field goal attempt (they made 4 of 5) when they were in the Red Zone.

If you can hold a team to 5 field goal attempts in the Red Zone, that’s a crucial ingredient to victory.

Bradley Chubb

NC State preseason All-American Defensive End Bradley Chubb put on a clinic against Florida St. yesterday. His stat line of 7 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 forced fumbles is impressive, but it doesn’t do justice to the impact he made on the outcome of the game. Chubb had 8 QB pressures yesterday, with many of those ending with him pulverizing true freshman Quarterback James Blackman through the crust straight into the mantle of the earth right after he released the ball. Blackman was shaken up on many occasions, and fearfully altered his pass attempts whenever Chubb was in close proximity, which was most of the game.

Jaylen Samuels

I’m not quite sure how a player can quietly collect 12 receptions in a game, but NC State H-Back Jaylen Samuels did so. He had 12 receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown, and while that’s a nice line, Samuels contributed much more than that. Samuels also had a 2-yard rushing touchdown, and a clutch 25-yard pass to Tight End Dylan Parham. His 14-yard touchdown reception was a brilliantly drawn up fake pitch to Hines, that turned into a nifty shovel pass in which Samuels literally skipped into the endzone untouched. Florida St. knew NC State was going to go to JaySam, but their knowledge of that fact didn’t do any good. Finley completed 92.3% of the passes he threw Samuels’ way.

Jakobi Meyers

Florida St. boasts two of the best defensive backs in the country in Safety Derwin James and Cornerback Tarvarus McFadden, and they made sure that the Wolfpack’s dynamic duo of Kelvin Harmon and Stephen Louis didn’t beat them. What they wern’t prepared for was Jakobi Meyers.

The NC State coaches kept Meyers out of the Marshall game last week because they weren’t pleased with his preparation leading up to the game. Meyers obviously learned his lesson. He had 5 receptions for 112 yards and a 71-yard touchdown. On the touchdown reception, Meyers needed to elude the elite Derwin James, and elude him he did. Meyers put a video game worthy juke on James, and then he was off to the races.

Nyheim Hines

Hines was the little engine that could. He rushed for 94 yards, and he earned every last one of them. Not one of them came easy. He ran hard, and his legs never stopped moving. What was most impressive was Hines performance in the fourth quarter. 65 of Hines 94 yards came in the final segment. A lot of ingredients cooked up the Wolfpack victory, but Hines’ 15-yard run on 3rd and 7 was the play that was the cherry on top that guaranteed a W.