Monday morning quarterbacking: NC State football 28, Florida State 14

NC State football kept its ACC title hopes Saturday evening with a 28-14 road win over Florida State.

It’s time for a final look at the contest with some Monday morning quarterbacking:

Key Moment Of The Game

Truthfully, a strong case could be made for the surprise onside kick by Florida State to start the second half. Up to that point, NC State seemed to have control of the game, leading 14-0, and an early second-half score may have been all she wrote.

But, FSU turned the tables with its recovery, which led to a touchdown that made it a one-possession game at 14-7.

Florida State head coach Mike Norvell went bold again by going for it on fourth-and-four at the Noles’ own 43-yard line. A short pass to receiver Ontaria Wilson was well defended by NC State redshirt junior corner Derrek Pitts Jr. and fell incomplete with 8:13 left in the fourth quarter.

After a pair of incomplete passes from redshirt sophomore quarterback Devin Leary, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Tim Beck dialed up a screen for junior running back Ricky Person Jr.

After making the initial defender miss and picking up a key block from redshirt sophomore right guard Derrick Eason Jr., Person took it 43 yards for a touchdown to put the game on ice, giving the Pack a 28-14 advantage.

Three Things That Worked For NC State Football

1. Stopping the run: Going up against, statistically speaking, one of the top rushing offenses in the ACC, NC State held Florida State to a season-low 38 rushing yards.

Yes, the absence of starting FSU quarterback Jordan Travis played a role in that. Travis is one of Florida State’s top rushing threats, and his replacement, McKenzie Milton, is not near the athlete of Travis.

Still, to hold one of the league’s top running backs, Jashaun Corbin, to 33 yards on 14 carries and only allow two runs all game of more than 10 yards, with 12 being the longest, is a strong effort regardless of who was at quarterback.

2. Spreading the wealth: The top five receivers in this game were none of the top three on the season. The H-back duo of redshirt sophomore Trent Pennix (three catches for 97 yards and a score) and redshirt freshman Christopher Toudle (four catches for 42 yards and a TD) were a particularly tough matchup for Florida State.

Reserve receivers redshirt senior C.J. Riley (three receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown) and second-year freshman Porter Rooks (five catches for 39 yards) also stepped up.

3. Trenton Gill punting: There cannot possibly be a more effective punter in the ACC, and perhaps the country, right now than Gill, a redshirt junior. He averaged 45.2 yards on his eight kicks Saturday, pinning five inside the 20.

That’s not a surprising development. Gill is averaging 45.5 yards per punt on the season, and nearly half of his 52 punts (25) have gone inside the 20.

Three Areas Where NC State Football Struggled

1. Third quarter: The surprise onside kick was a brilliant call by Norvell, and it led to a third quarter in which the Noles outscored the Pack 14-7. NC State football head coach Dave Doeren acknowledged after the game that FSU won the third.

2. Having a bigger first-half lead: The truth is the way NC State’s defense dominated the first half, the Wolfpack should have put this game away by halftime. Instead it was up 14-0 because it had two three-and-outs after scoring its initial touchdown, and it did not cross midfield on its final two possessions of the half.

3. Running the football: It was better than previous weeks, to be fair. Sophomore Zonovan Knight rushed 18 times for 75 yards, or 4.2 yards per rush.

Officially, NC State ran for 86 yards, but when you remove three kneel downs and the sacks, the end tally was 31 carries for 113 yards. Against a weak Wake Forest rush defense, the Pack will need a better effort Saturday on the ground.

Position-By-Position Battles

NC State football’s offensive line vs. Florida State’s defensive front

FSU has a pretty good defensive front, and it gave the Pack issues. NC State struggled to crank up the running game and allowed three sacks. Thus, at best, this was a draw and in reality probably a slight win for the Noles.

NC State football’s defensive front vs. Florida State’s offensive line

NC State had a clearer win here. FSU did not run the football effectively at all, and Milton was sacked three times while being pressured on numerous other pass attempts.

NC State football’s wide receivers vs. Florida State’s secondary

Give FSU credit, it held the trio of senior Emeka Emezie, redshirt junior Thayer Thomas and redshirt sophomore Devin Carter to just three receptions for 11 yards.

But the duo of Riley and Rooks were able to help pick up the production to make this a draw.

NC State football’s secondary vs. Florida State’s wide receivers

This was a solid effort from NC State’s defensive backs. It was not a perfect game, with Keyshawn Helton being a difficult cover. ‘Noles wideouts caught 15 of 25 passes thrown their way, or 60.0 percent, but had just two receptions longer than 20 yards.

A slight win for NC State.

Quarterbacks

This was probably where the biggest difference of the game laid. Leary was aided by yards after the catch, but he threw for 314 yards and four scores while Milton completed just half of his passes for 233 yards.

Running backs

A win for NC State here, too. Knight had a workmanlike rushing performance, and Person had the big touchdown reception. Combined, the two finished with 151 total yards on offense.

Tight ends/fullbacks

This was another big difference. FSU’s Jordan Wilson did have a nice 35-yard catch, but you could make a case that Toudle and Pennix were two of the best playmakers on offense in the game.

Special teams

Florida State was not bad on special teams, but Gill was so good that he single-handedly gave the Pack the edge here.

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