#24 NC State Picks up a STATEMENT Win Over #17 Louisville

#24 NC State pulled off the ‘upset’ over #17 Louisville last night, defeating the Cardinals 39-25.

But the Wolfpack’s demeanor after the game was cool, calm and collected. They didn’t look like they just ‘upset’ a team. They looked like a team that beat a team they thought they should beat.

In every facet of the game, NC State was better than Louisville.

Wolfpack Quarterback Ryan Finley faced off against the reigning Heisman trophy winner, Lamar Jackson, and on this particular night, Finley was the superior Quarterback. Finley was 20 of 31 for 367 yards with 1 passing touchdown. Jackson was 26 of 47 for 354 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Finley was composed all game long, and Jackson was rarely comfortable.

NC State’s offensive line was droves better than Louisville’s. The Wolfpack’s Band of Brothers didn’t allow Finley to get sacked for the third straight ACC game. That’s bonkers. On the other side, Louisville’s offensive line was unable to keep Jackson safe, allowing him to be sacked 4 times, and NC State also was credited with 5 more QB Pressures.

The Wolfpack’s receivers were superior to the Cardinals receivers. They were 1 yard away from rolling out 3 100-yard receivers in a single game. Sophomore Kelvin Harmon, who has been quiet in the past two games, played like a boss, catching 6 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. Senior Jaylen Samuels had 7 catches for 104 yards (a career high), and Redshirt Junior Stephen Louis had 3 catches for 99 yards. Louisville did boast two 100-yard receivers as well, in Dez Fitzpatrick (134 yards) and Seth Dawkins (133 yards), but their performance was overshadowed by the Wolfpack receivers.

NC State’s rushing attack was more impressive than Louisville’s. Yes, Lamar Jackson scrambled for 73 yards and two touchdowns, but NC State’s Nyheim Hines rushed for 102 yards (second straight 100-yard performance), averaging 5.7 yards per carry, and picked up 2 rushing touchdowns.

Wolfpack punter A.J. Cole continued to be one of the more impressive punters in the ACC last night, averaging 45 yards per punt, and also managed to pin two within the 20. Louisville punter Mason King was unable to match Cole, averaging 40.6 yards per punt, and pinned just 1 punt within the 20.

NC State’s Nyheim Hines was superior to Louisville’s Traveoon Samuel and Seth Dawkins in the kickoff return game. Hines racked up 105 yards compared to their 71.

Finally, the Wolfpack defense was better picking up 6 tackles for loss (Bradley Chubb picked up 2 more), compared to Louisville’s 3.

NC State believed they were the better team. They didn’t think they were walking on to their home field to claim what was rightfully theirs. They thought they were the better team, and they were.