NC State football report card: North Carolina
No. 22 NC State football continued to roll against North Carolina Saturday night. The Wolfpack improved to 9-3 after a 39-20 blowout win over the Tar Heels, highlighted by 8-consecutive scoring drives to start the prime-time senior night game.
North Carolina, the ACC’s No. 1 passing offense, finished the first quarter with 0 yards through the air. NC State’s offense executed at a level never seen against an ACC opponent this year, and the defense made critical plays to slow down and stifle the Tar Heels’ attack.
This week’s report card marks the end of the regular season. If the annual rivalry matchup with UNC serves as a sort of final exam, then the Wolfpack passed its final test with outstanding marks.
NC State offense grade vs. UNC
Grade— A
Brennan Armstrong played the most impressive game of his Wolfpack career on the largest stage possible. The graduate quarterback threw for a season-high 334 yards and 3 touchdowns, completing 71 percent of his passes. He did not record a turnover-worthy play for the third-consecutive week.
Once again, the Wolfpack signal-caller played with tremendous poise and never looked rattled despite playing through injury. He did not throw a pass in practice all week, but that did not seem to matter against the Tar Heels. Armstrong slid more than he usually does but, even with his rushing opportunities limited, he made a huge impact through the air.
As always, freshman wide receiver Kevin Concepcion was a huge part of that. UNC simply could not cover the first year pass catcher. He finished with a career-high 131 receiving yards on 7 receptions and also led NC State with 55 rushing yards.
The Pack rushed for 170 yards, averaging 4 yards per attempt and allowed just 1 sack. NC State blocked well, Armstrong found his open receivers and the running backs ran through weak arm-tackling attempts by the Tar Heels to propel the program to a rivalry win.
Defense grade
Grade— A-
UNC is an incredibly explosive offense that averaged 514.8 total yards per game coming into this game. The Pack held the Heels to 384 Saturday night. A dominant first quarter really set the tone for the matchup. NC State shut North Carolina out over the first 24 minutes of game time.
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The Tar Heels finished with 6 three-and-outs to go along with 3 turnovers by star quarterback Drake Maye. UNC’s pocket never felt stable, and the Pack sent blitzes from all over the field to keep the visitors out of their rhythm.
NC State held Omarion Hampton, the ACC’s leading rusher, to 28 yards on 9 carries. Maye found some success on the ground, racking up 106 rushing yards, but the Pack successfully shut down the Tar Heels’ offense otherwise.
Junior safety Devan Boykin played another outstanding game, wrapping up the game with an interception and forcing a fumble earlier in the contest. Graduate linebacker Payton Wilson starred once again, pacing the program with 15 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and a sack.
NC State allowed a total of 12 explosive, which kept the defense from a perfect week, but NC State defended the Tar Heels extremely well and never really allowed its ACC rival any true momentum in the contest.
Special teams
Grade— A+
For the second time in his career, graduate kicker Brayden Narveson hit 4 field goals. He nailed attempts from 24, 28, 32 and 40, showcasing his reliable leg that helped put the Pack ahead early when drives stalled out in UNC territory.
NC State’s kickoff and punt coverage was phenomenal. UNC did not run back a punt and only managed 27 total yards on a pair of kick return attempt. Redshirt sophomore punter Caden Noonkester pinned 2 of his 4 punts inside North Carolina’s 20-yard line as well.
