NC State vs. Clemson: Impressed & Unimpressed

Last night NC State fell to Clemson 31-38 in the 2017 homecoming game in Carter-Finley Stadium, and there are quite a few things I was impressed with, and also unimpressed with.

Impressed

•  NC State didn’t come out with a “loss hangover” after falling to Notre Dame the week before. They came out with intensity early, and kept it going all game long.
• Wolfpack Wide Receivers Kelvin Harmon and Jakobi Meyers shined bright. Harmon has 8 receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown and Meyers had 9 receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown.
• NC State put 491 total yards of offense on a team that was only giving up 282 per contest heading into the game. Clemson was only giving up 13.1 points per contest, and NC State added 20 to that average.
• Wolfpack punter AJ Cole averaged 49.2 yards per punt. That’s far.
• Some might disagree with me in this, but kudos to the offensive playcalling most of the game by NC State. To put up this kind of performance against a top defense with your running back unhealthy, was impressive.

Unimpressed

• NC State’s special teams continues to make me want to cry. They allowed Clemson to return a punt 77 yards for a touchdown, after the Wolfpack missed a million (exaggeration) tackles.
• Carson Wise missed a 34-yard field goal. Not impressive.
• I swear I’m not this guy, but it was hard for NC State to beat Clemson, themselves, and the REFS. It’s beyond me that there was irrefutable evidence to overturn Jakobi Meyers catch on the sideline, and NC State hiked the ball before the whistle blew. Pass interferences were inconsistently called. Heinous.
• Allowing another huge run play for a touchdown for the second straight week, this one going 89 yards.
• Dave Doeren not going for it on 4th and 1 on the 50-yard line.
• I don’t think Kelly Bryant is a good quarterback. At all.
• I hate to say this, because Jaylen Samuels is my dude, but he dropped two crucial balls last night. One would have gone for a 1st on 3rd down and the other would have gone for a TD down the center at the end of the game. I admit that it would have been an unbelievable catch with the Safety smashing you, but you are Jaylen Samuels:)