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NC State 16 Syracuse 10: OUR TAKE

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5 years ago

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NC State beat Syracuse 16-10 last night in a defensive battle, which is the complete opposite of the shootout that took place in the Carrier Dome last year.

The Wolfpack D showed tremendous heart and resiliency.

They were without Senior Captain Cornerback Nick McCloud once again. They lost Junior Cornerback Chris Ingram during the game, in what looked to be a serious injury. Graduate Redshirt Senior Defensive End James Smith-Williams and Redshirt Junior Defensive Tackle Val Martin were both dinged up during the game, but were able to return.

Despite all of that, NC State’s defense held Syracuse to 341 yards of Total Offense, 41 yards rushing (1.1 yards per carry) and 10 points on the scoreboard. Since the beginning of the 2018 season, only two other teams have held the Orange to 341 yards of Total Offense or less: Clemson and Notre Dame.

Junior Linebacker Louis Acceus had the game of his life, setting career highs in tackles (14), tackles for loss (3) and sacks (3). It goes without saying that he led the Wolfpack in each category last night. His partner in crime, Redshirt Sophomore Isaiah Moore also had double-digit tackles, bringing down 10 Orangemen.

As a unit, NC State sacked Tommy DeVito 8 times, marking the 2nd straight game with 8 sacks. The 16 combined sacks over the past two games set a school record for sacks in consecutive games (previous record 14 – 1982). The Wolfpack also stacked up 11 tackles for loss.

After earning ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week his last time out for his 3.5 sack performance against FSU, Redshirt Senior Defensive Tackle Larrell Muchison followed it up with an impressive encore. Murchison sacked DeVito twice, including what ended up being a walk-off sack to end the game.

Sophomore Alim McNeil showed how special he can be, finishing the night with 6 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and 1 sack.

The Wolfpack secondary could head up to Boston next week without their two starting cornerbacks. If that’s the case, this aggressive pass rush by the Wolfpack will need to continue, to help take the pressure off of the secondary.

While the defense showed they might be evolving into one of the better units in the conference, the offense is still trying to figure out who they are.

They settled for field goals inside the 30-yard line 3 times, with two of them coming from in the red zone, and 1 inside the 10. As good as the defense was, they won’t always be able to bail the offense out if they continue to settle for field goals.

After struggling to get the ball in the end zone, Redshirt Sophomore Wide Receiver Thayer Thomas threw his 2nd touchdown of the season, a 32-yard pass to Redshirt Freshman Running Back Trent Pennix. For perspective, Redshirt Sophomore Matt McKay threw 3 touchdowns in 5 starts, and Redshirt Sophomore Bailey Hockman has thrown 1 in a game-and-a-half of play.

Hockman started his first career game, completing 16 of 27 for 205 yards with no touchdowns (1 interception), for a passing efficiency rating of 115.6. While he wasn’t perfect by any means, there’s no doubt in my mind that Hockman has already proven that he is the superior quarterback to McKay.

With that being said, Redshirt Freshman Devin Leary had one drive, and it was enough to keep Wolfpack fans in a tizzy, dying to know if he is the best option. His pass to Thayer Thomas might have been the best throw by an NC State Quarterback in 2019.

Hockman reminded fans last night that a football can in fact be thrown further than 20 yards, connecting with Devin Carter and Emeka Emezie on deep balls. His tenacity and athleticism helped him make a few plays out of nothing. At times he would lock on one specific target, but showed the ability to check down as well. He still needs to see the field better, make better decisions, and throw with a little more touch, but he managed to walk off the field with a victory in his first career start in an Atlantic Division battle.

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Matthew is Publisher and Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He is also the Lead Pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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NC State Football

NC State Offers FCS DT Brandon Lane

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47 mins ago

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May 6, 2024

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NC State offered Stephen F. Austin (FCS) Transfer Defensive Tackle Brandon Lane (6’3″/300) yesterday.

Lane started in 6 of the 11 games he played in for Stephen F. Austin this past season. He finished the year with 44 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. His PFF Grade was 74.6, which ranked 4th on the Lumberjacks Defense. His 79.9 Run Defense Grade ranked 3rd on the team. In 2022, Lane played 7 games as a reserve for Stephen F. Austin, recording 11 tackles 2.5 tackles for loss and 1 sack.

Lane spent his first two collegiate seasons at South Dakota State (2000-21). In 2000, he played in 1 game. In 2021, he played in 3 games as a reserve for the Jackrabbits. The 2000 season was the Covid Year, and the 2021 season was his redshirt year. As a result, Lane still has two years of eligibility remaining.

Around a week-and-a-half ago, Lane committed to Michigan St., but then he decommitted from the Spartans on May 2nd.

I don’t think Michigan St. is necessarily off the table, and he has visited Washington and West Virginia.

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NC State Football

Congrats to NC State Football’s Spring Graduates!

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3 days ago

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May 3, 2024

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Congratulations to the 7 NC State Football Players that just graduated this Spring.

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2024 Football Spring Graduates

Linebacker Devon Betty (1 year of eligibility)

Defensive End Davin Vann (1 year of eligibility)

Cornerback Aydan White (1 year of eligibility)

Offensive Guard Anthony Carter Jr. (2 years of eligibility)

Offensive Lineman Matt McCabe (2 years of eligibility)

Offensive Tackle Patrick Matan (2 years of eligibility)

Offensive Lineman Brendan Lawson (no longer on the roster)

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NC State Football

Proposed Bill in the NC House Would Require NC State & UNC To Play One Another, as well as ECU, UNCC and App St.

Published

3 days ago

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May 3, 2024

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A bill has been proposed by members of the North Carolina House of Representatives that would force NC State and UNC to play one another, as well as East Carolina, UNC Charlotte and Appalachian State.

According to House Bill 965, which you can read here in full, NC State and UNC would be required to play one another annually in Football, Men’s Basketball and Women’s Basketball. The Wolfpack and the Tar Heels would also be forced to play a game annually in all three sports against either ECU, UNC-Charlotte or App St. Every six years, NC State and UNC would be required to have played a home and away game against each of the three school in all three sports.

Here’s the exact wording from the proposed bill:

Competition Required. – A high-enrollment institution shall do all of the following in each eligible sport: (1) Every academic year, play at least one home or one away game against (i) another high-enrollment institution and (ii) an eligible constituent institution that is not a high-enrollment institution. (2) Every six academic years, play at least one home and one away game against each eligible constituent institution that is not a high-enrollment institution. A high-enrollment institution shall alternate home and away games that are scheduled against the same eligible constituent institution that is not a high-enrollment institution.

For glossary of terms being referenced above:

For the purposes of this bill, “High-enrollment institutions” = NC State and UNC, while “Eligible constituent institutions” = East Carolina, UNC Charlotte and Appalachian State.

It’s worth noting that NC State already has games schedule against each of these teams home-and-away in Football between now and 2031.

2025 – East Carolina (H)

2025 – @ App St.

2026 – App St. (H)

2028 – @ East Carolina

2030 – Charlotte (H)

2031 – @ Charlotte

What are your thoughts?

For more details, check out this article at WRAL.

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NC State Football

Akron Safety Kerry Martin Jr. will Take an Official Visit at NC State Next Week

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4 days ago

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May 2, 2024

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Akron Safety Kerry Martin Jr. (6’1″/195) confirmed with me that he will be taking an Official Visit to NC State next week beginning on May 7th.

After receiving an offer from NC State yesterday, it didn’t take him long to set up the visit.

Martin Jr. is familiar with NC State, because he was recruited by Wolfpack Defensive Coordinator Tony Gibson before he left West Virginia to come to Raleigh. Even though he never coached him, a relationship was established.

Martin Jr.’s connections to NC State are deeper than that. Former NC State Cornerback Derrek Pitts, who is currently a member of the Tampa Bay Bucs, is his cousin.

This past year, Martin Jr. recorded 45 tackles, 2 interceptions and 6 pass breakups for Akron, starting in 9 of the 11 games he played in. His PFF Grade was 68.9.

In 2022, he had 53 tackles, 1 interception and 1 pass breakup, starting in 9 of the 11 games he played in. Martin Jr.’s PFF Grade was 60.9.

In 2019, as a Freshman for West Virginia, Martin Jr. earned PFF Freshman All-American honors, recording a grade of 70.6, with 50 tackles and 3 pass breakups.

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