NC State football quick hits and notes from Clemson loss
Here are quick hits and notes from NC State football’s 30-20 loss at Clemson. The game was played in front of an announced crowd of 81,500 fans at Memorial Stadium on a beautiful, hurricane-free evening in Clemson.
Column: NC State flaws exposed, league hopes dashed
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NC State Offense Struggles
The stats paint a picture of the offense against the 3 more quality opponents — at East Carolina, vs. Texas Tech and at Clemson — and the 2 lesser opponents, which were Charleston Southern and Connecticut at home
| Stat | 3 better opponents | 2 lesser opponents |
| First downs | 53 | 61 |
| Rushing Yards Per Game | 92.7 | 193.0 |
| Passing Yards Per Game | 205.0 | 322.0 |
| Total Yards Per Game | 297.7 | 515.0 |
| Yards Per Play | 4.6 | 6.4 |
Against Clemson, NC State was held to a season-low 34 rushing yards while attempting just 21 carries. That included 3 sacks that lost 19 yards. Fifth-year redshirt junior quarterback Devin Leary finished with 245 yards passing, 51 of which came when the game was decided late in the fourth quarter.
Secondary Watch For Next Week
NC State played the game without super senior starting nickel Tyler Baker-Williams, who was absent a second straight week.
Furthermore, super seniors safety Cyrus Fagan and cornerback Derrek Pitts Jr. were both seen leaving the game for apparent medical reasons. Pitts will also have to sit out the first half of next Saturday’s game against Florida State due to a late targeting penalty that led to his ejection. Pitts was injured on that play.
Several other players who were seen injured vs. Connecticut or missed the game the week prior did return. Super senior kicker Christopher Dunn made both of his field goal tries, including a 49-yarder. Fourth-year junior running back Jordan Houston, who sat out the UConn win, led NC State with 7 rushes for 32 yards.
Sophomore running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye ran 5 times for 10 yards and caught 3 passes for 28 yards. Like Dunn, Sumo-Karngbaye left the Connecticut game for precautionary reasons.
Top 25 Losses Soften Fall In Polls?
The following teams in the top 25 of the Associated Press poll also lost Saturday:
• No. 15 Washington at UCLA
• No. 16 Baylor at home to No. 9 Oklahoma State.
• No. 17 Texas A&M in lopsided fashion on the road at Mississippi State
• No. 18 Oklahoma in a rout at the hands of TCU on the road
• No. 21 Minnesota at home to Purdue
• No. 23 Florida State at home to No. 22 Wake Forest
• No. 24 Pittsburgh stunningly at home to Georgia Tech
That could mean NC State hangs around in the top 15 despite the loss Saturday.
NC State Football Freshman Watch
We will keep track of this list throughout the season to see who burns their redshirt from the 2022 recruiting class, although early indications are there may not be many, if any.
Players can play up to 4 games to preserve a redshirt.
• Running back Michael Allen — 1 game (Connecticut)
• Defensive lineman Nick Campbell — 1 game (Connecticut)
• Defensive lineman Brandon Cleveland — 1 game (Connecticut)
• Quarterback MJ Morris — 1 game (Charleston Southern)
• Wide receiver Terrell Timmons Jr. — 1 game (Connecticut)
What The Loss Means
NC State football is 4-1 and 0-1 in the ACC. Clemson is 5-0 and 3-0.
The Tigers now have a 37-game home winning streak that matches the longest in ACC history. The Wolfpack has not won there since 2002.
Under head coach Dave Doeren, NC State is 5-5 in conference openers, including 1-2 vs. Clemson in such games.
