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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 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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52 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.

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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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