NC State football report card: Northern Illinois

By Ethan McDowell

NC State improved to 3-2 on the year and wrapped up its nonconference schedule with a 24-17 win over Northern Illinois — an absolute grind of a game that asked a lot out of the Wolfpack defense. The offense finished with 176 total yards.

Per ESPN, that’s the program’s fewest yards in a win since 1999. The Pack relied on a strong defensive effort that included 4 forced turnovers, 1 fumble recovery for a touchdown, 1 fumble recovery at the 1-yard line and 12 tackles for loss.

After winning the field position battle and controlling the tempo of the game, this felt eerily similar to how the program picked up wins over the past couple of seasons with an offense that struggled to build much momentum. NC State did not try to throw the ball much, and the rushing attack could not establish much success on the ground.

Here’s TheWolfpacker.com’s report card for the Wolfpack’s 7-point win over the Huskies.

NC State football offense grade

Grade: D

NC State did not turn the ball over in a game for the first time this season. That’s pretty much the only positive thing you can say about this side of the ball Saturday. The Wolfpack scored just 10 points that did not follow an interception or fumble recovery by the defense. After starting the game with an 8-play, 64-yard touchdown drive, NC State did not put together a drive that covered more than 5 plays or 36 yards against NIU.

Those struggles, paired with the Pack’s defensive excellence, led to the offense completely turtling up. CJ Bailey attempted 4 passes on the opening drive and just 16 for the rest of the game. NC State threw the ball 5 times in the second half. The freshman finished the day 13 for 20 for 108 yards and a touchdown while adding another score on the ground. He missed a few throws, and the passing game looked out of sync throughout the contest.

Redshirt freshman Noah Rogers led the team with 2 catches for 48 yards. Both of those receptions came on the opening drive. Sophomore KC Concepcion scored a touchdown, but his 4 catches traveled 4 total yards. No receiver other than Rogers recorded a reception longer than 15 yards. NC State finished the game just 1 for 11 on third-down conversions.

The Wolfpack chose to rely on a rushing attack that was not much better. None of the program’s rushers finished with more than 23 yards. Graduate Jordan Waters recorded the longest run of the day — 12 yards. NC State ran the ball 15 times for 13 yards in the second half, using its offense to wear down the clock, whilethe defense showed up time and time again.

Defense grade

Grade: A

NC State came into this game with 15 tackles for loss over its first 4 games and nearly doubled that total against Northern Illinois. The Pack recorded 4 sacks over those contests and finished the win over the Huskies with 4 more. This unit played with an urgency, speed and physicality that did not show up until Saturday, returning to a level of defensive excellence that looked much closer to the program’s proclaimed standard.

Northern Illinois running back Antario Brown was the focal point of the MAC program’s offense, as expected. He rushed for 114 yards on 28 carries, but the Wolfpack limited his explosive plays. Quarterback Ethan Hampton started the day strong, completing 7 of 10 passes for 105 yards in the first half, but he finished with 159 yards, 1 touchdown 2 interceptions and 3 fumbles (2 lost).

This was the defensive line’s best performance of the year with redshirt freshman defensive end Isaiah Shirley slotted into the starting lineup. Graduate defensive tackle Davin Vann recorded 10 total tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss and 2 forced fumbles.

The linebackers stepped up as well. Redshirt juniors Caden Fordham and Sean Brown both recorded career-high tackle numbers, combining for 26 total stops. Brown recorded 3 quarterback hurries as NC State used his speed to consistently disrupt the NIU passing attack.

DK Kaufman also scored his second touchdown of the season on a play where he sacked the quarterback, forced a fumble, recovered the ball and found the end zone.

Safety KJ Martin, nickel Tamarcus Cooley and Shirley all earned their first career starts in this contest, and cornerback Devon Marshall played a ton as well. They all made plays. Martin recorded a tackle for loss and 7 total stops, Shirley logged a quarterback hurry and half a TFL, and both Cooley and Marshall intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter.

NC State’s defense carried this team to victory, taking a significant step forward from last week, and the unit receives standout marks as a result.

Special teams grade

Grade: A+

Northern Illinois did not start a drive beyond its own 25-yard line in this contest. NC State absolutely dominated the field position battle thanks to a strong performance from redshirt junior punter Caden Noonkester. The Pack only scored 7 points in the second half, so he was busy Saturday afternoon. He punted 8 times for an average of 49.8 yards and pinned 7 attempts inside the 20 yard line.

NC State spent the entire fourth quarter defending a 7-point lead. Northern Illinois’ average starting field position over its final 3 possessions was the 14.3 yard line. Noonkester gave up 1 punt return for 8 yards. Redshirt sophomore kicker Kanoah Vinesett converted his only field goal attempt from 37 yards out, and graduate Collin Smith still has not allowed a kick return this fall.