NC State football report card: Clemson

NC State football bounced back against Clemson Saturday. The Wolfpack played an extremely solid game defensively, generated explosive plays when it needed to on offense and executed well on special teams.

In all three phases, the program stepped up following its bye week. NC State won 24-17, stopping Clemson on a potential game-tying drive in the final minute. Now, the Pack heads into the final third of its season with a win over the Tigers for the second time in three years.

Carter-Finley’s crowd made a lot of noise Saturday, and junior safety Devan Boykin said the atmosphere made the difference. Wolfpack Nation receives an A on this week’s report card.

Here are the other grades.

NC State offense grade vs. Clemson

Grade — B-

NC State did not turn the ball over and only committed one offensive penalty— a 5-yard false start. The offensive line finished with 0 infractions against a talented defensive front. Even though the unit only recorded 202 total yards, that nearly mistake-free football is enough to earn a solid grade.

Freshman wide receiver Kevin Concepcion was the star of the show once again. NC State generated three plays of 10 yards or more. Concepcion recorded two of them and accounted for more than half of the team’s total offensive yardage with 134. On the second offensive possession of the game, he took a handoff 50 yards to the red zone before hauling in a 9-yard touchdown pass a few plays later. In the third quarter, he broke off a 72-yard touchdown catch and run.

Sophomore quarterback MJ Morris finished the matchup 11-for-20 passing for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns. Through the air, Concepcion paced the Pack with 5 catches on 7 targets for 83 yards. Senior receiver Keyon Lesane also added a pair of timely receptions for 24 yards.

NC State averaged 2.5 yards per carry. Removing Concepcion’s long run, that number drops to 0.5 yards per attempt.

Clemson’s defense is an extremely solid run-stopping unit and plays talented defensive backs, but the Wolfpack avoided any critical mistakes. It also scored off Boykin’s first-quarter interception, taking advantage of that momentum swing.

The offense did not light many fireworks Saturday, but it kept the field position battle in NC State’s favor, which was enough to defend home field with a win.

Defense grade

Grade — A

Clemson is a turnover-prone team, and NC State took advantage of that Saturday. Boykin read an overthrown ball well and intercepted a pass on Clemson’s second drive of the game. In the third quarter, junior linebacker Devon Betty played a pass perfectly, deflecting the ball into the waiting arms of graduate student linebacker Payton Wilson, who ran it back 15 yards for a touchdown.

Those plays, paired with a couple of hugely important sacks by senior linebacker Jaylon Scott and junior defensive lineman Davin Vann, helped keep momentum in NC State’s favor throughout the contest. Clemson possessed the ball for nearly 34 minutes, but the Pack never really wore down.

The secondary stood out, with nickel Robert Kennedy III helping lock down Tyler Brown, the Tigers’ leading receiver coming into the matchup. Brown finished with 3 catches for 6 yards.

Redshirt sophomore safety Sean Brown continues to develop into a really solid player and paced the Pack with 11 tackles against Clemson, and Scott added 10 stops as well. Clemson recorded 8 explosive plays, including 4 through the air, but the Tigers’ longest passing play went for 28 yards.

Special teams grade

Grade — A+

Graduate student kicker Brayden Narveson is putting together a pretty special season. He converted a 41-yard attempt for his ninth make of the season. The Pack specialist is 6 of 7 from 40 yards or beyond and 9 of 11 overall.

Redshirt sophomore punter Caden Noonkester punted 9 times, pinning Clemson four times inside the 20-yard line. Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Anthony Smith also played a strong game in punt coverage, delivering a great hit to stop Clemson’s lone return of the afternoon.