Skip to main content
nc-state logo

NC State football report card: Maryland

On3 imageby:Ethan McDowell•12/31/22•

ethanmmcdowell

On3 image
Payton Wilson finished the 2022 Duke's Mayo Bowl with a pair of sacks. (Larry Blankenship/On3)

NC State recorded the final installment of its 2022 season Friday— losing the Duke’s Mayo Bowl 16-12 to Maryland. The Terrapins win dropped the Pack to 8-5 on the year. 

After delivering a heroic performance against North Carolina, Ben Finley’s bowl game performance was more reminiscent of the Louisville loss. Christopher Dunn played another great game, and the defense delivered one more elite performance to wrap up the year. 

Here is the final NC State football report card of the season. 

NC State offense grade

Grade— D-

NC State could not get any momentum going on the ground, rushing 18 times for an average of 1.5 yards-per-carry. The Pack’s longest run of the day was 5 yards with sophomore Demie Sumo-Karngbaye missing the bowl game and freshman Michael Allen leaving the game early with an injury. Finley threw the ball 48 times, surpassing a previous career-high of 40 he set in double overtime against UNC in the regular season finale.

He racked up a solid 269 yards on 22 completions but tossed 2 interceptions, including the game-sealing pick in the fourth quarter. The Wolfpack signal-caller had accuracy problems at times but still showed some flashes.

Injuries were a significant issue for this unit, which keeps the offense’s grade above an F. Grant Gibson and Chandler Zavala, two first-team All-ACC interior linemen, missed the game, so it makes sense that the offense struggled to create holes in the running game. The line held up extremely well as a whole in pass protection and allowed 0 sacks.

Friday was the second time NC State has failed to score a touchdown in a game, with the first coming in a 24-9 loss to Syracuse.

NC State defense grade

Grade— A

Tanner Ingle and Isaiah Moore played one of their best games of the season against Maryland, wrapping up their respective NC State careers with impressive outings that included 10 and 11 tackles respectively. Drake Thomas recorded 4 tackles for loss, cementing himself as one of the Wolfpack greats as well as he heads for the NFL Draft. 

NC State was down to third and fourth string players in the secondary at points, but everyone stepped up. Rakeim Ashford secured a crucial interception, and Sean Brown made some plays as well with 3 solo tackles. It has been clear all fall that this is a well-coached, talented and extremely deep unit.

Maryland averaged 28.2 points-per-game this season, the fifth most in the Big 10. Friday was just the third time the Terrapins scored fewer than 20 points in a game, and they averaged just 1.9 yards-per-rush. The defense showed up this week and should be remembered as one of the best in NC State history. 

NC State special teams grade

Grade— A-

Dunn, the 2022 Lou Groza winner, scored all 12 points for the Wolfpack on 4 field goals with a longest attempt of 38 yards. He ends his collegiate career as one of the best kickers in college football history, and he carried the program’s offense Friday. 

Caden Noonkester punted 7 times for an average of 41 yards, with his longest boot traveling 52 yards. He was a very pleasant surprise this season and should be a productive punter for years to come in Raleigh.

The only critique from this phase of the game comes from the kickoff coverage unit, which allowed a 41-yard return early in the game after several missed tackles. Other than that, this was another great performance from a reliable special teams unit.

You may also like