NC State football report card: Tennessee

By Ethan McDowell

Head coach Dave Doeren said after the game he knew complementary football would be critical for the Wolfpack’s Saturday night clash against Tennessee. NC State fell well short against the Volunteers, dropping a potential statement game 51-10.

The offense turned the ball over and failed to keep possession for any extended period of time, while the defense conceded some big plays and struggled to get off the field on third down. Even the special teams units committed costly penalties and gave up a couple of long returns.

This week’s report card reflects a performance that led to an early exit for most Wolfpack fans at Bank of America Stadium.

NC State offense grade — F

NC State’s offense scored 3 points in this game. The only reason the Pack reached double-digits was a third-quarter pick six. Early in the contest, the offense drove into Tennessee territory on three occasions but could not finish with anything other than a singular field goal.

The Wolfpack ran 12 plays on its opening drive — a methodical 29-yard procession that ended in a punt. NC State did not run more than 6 plays on any possession for the rest of Saturday’s game. After quarterback Grayson McCall threw his second interception of the season, the program had to play with a 17-3 deficit.

This team did not have any answers for the Tennessee defense. The Pack averaged 1.4 yards per carry, giving up 13 tackles for loss. Hollywood Smothers paced the program with 6 carries for 25 yards. NC State fumbled 3 times. McCall lost 2 of them, bringing his turnover total up to 3.

During this 41-point blowout, the Pack did not run more than 4 plays on a second-half drive. Instead, the team failed on fourth down twice, coughed up the 2 fumbles and punted on its final 2 possessions. Both teams seemed ready to hear the final whistle of this prime-time game.

NC State finished the second half with 27 total yards of offense. Tennessee racked up more than that on 8 of its 13 offensive drives.

Running back Jordan Waters finished the game with 7 carries for -4 yards. The graduate had no room to operate. Tennessee’s defensive front absolutely swarmed into the backfield on nearly every handoff. Even though the passing game clicked at times early, no receiver other than KC Concepcion (5 catches for 54 yards with a long of 29) finished with more than 30 yards. Touted transfers Noah Rogers and Wesley Grimes combined for 2 targets and 1 reception for 7 yards.

Defense grade — D+

Defensive coordinator Tony Gibson threw an early wrinkle at Tennessee Saturday night, starting out in the program’s dime package with an extra defensive back on the field. The initial returns were strong. NC State held the Volunteers to 7 points on their first 3 possessions and forced a turnover on an interception by Bishop Fitzgerald.

Tennessee responded by deploying 12 personnel, countering the Pack’s 2-linebacker look with 2 tight ends. That worked for the SEC program, leading to a 460-yard day that included 249 rushing yards. From the 9:04 mark in the second quarter to the 4:02 mark of the third, the Volunteers scored on 5-consecutive drives.

The Vols started 6 drives in Pack territory, forcing the defense to deal with a short field for nearly half of Tennessee’s possessions.

Running back Dylan Sampson averaged 6.6 yards per carry on his way to a 132-yard performance that included 4 rushes of 10 yards or more. On 14 third-down attempts Saturday, Tennessee converted 7 and added a fourth-down conversion as well, averaging 13.6 yards per play.

The Wolfpack flustered redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava at times, forcing a couple of turnovers, but NC State did not record a sack. Tennessee averaged 13.2 yards per completion. Iamaleava also ran for 65 yards and a touchdown on 8 carries. Once the play broke down, he picked the defense apart with his legs.

Sean Brown made 11 tackles (2 for loss), and Aydan White’s pick six was the only reason the Pack scored a touchdown.

NC State gave up more than 50 points for the first time since 2019. Gibson was a co-defensive coordinator for the Pack at that point.

Special teams grade — C-

Caden Noonkester punted 6 times for an average of 43 yards, but that included a couple of deep kicks that led to 3 punt returns for 58 yards against the Pack. Kickoff specialist Collin Smith did not allow any returns.

Smothers returned 1 kickoff for 2 yards after a Tennessee boot took a strange hop inside the 10 yard line. NC State also committed a pair of personal foul penalties on special teams, which put the program in an even greater field position hole. Kanoah Vinesett hit his only field goal of the night from 24 yards out.