NC State locker room notes from the win over Texas Tech

NC State’s defense made a statement Saturday night that no one can refute: the unit is one of the best in the nation. The Wolfpack held the Texas Tech in-check from the opening snap and defended its home turf in the 27-14 win. 

After donning its all-black uniforms for the primetime showdown against a power-five opponent under the shining red lights of Carter-Finley Stadium, the defense did not allow any breathing room for the opposing offense, forcing 4 turnovers and sacking quarterback Donovan Smith 4 times. 

Subscribe to The Wolfpacker today for a limited-time $1 deal for a year of premium access

Aydan White shuts down the air raid

For the second-consecutive game, Aydan White started in Shyheim Battle‘s place on defense, and he turned in the best performance of his career. Texas Tech threw the ball 43 times Saturday night, and the Red Raider signal callers made the mistake of leaving an errant pass in White’s direction twice.

White picked off two passes— the first coming on an 84-yard pick six. He said after the game that this was probably his longest pick-six since youth league football.

“That’s a DB’s dream right there, just seeing nothing but green, and then I see my boys, they started building a wall for me, and it was just the quarterback, and I knew that they were going to take care of him,” White said.

He intercepted another pass late in the matchup to help seal the win for NC State, while also delivering a hard hit to Texas Tech’s quarterback earlier in the game that resulted in what head coach Dave Doeren believes was a fumble.

“Aydan played a really good game,” Doeren said. “He had the sack, which I thought was a fumble, too. That’s a different conversation, but Aydan really covered well, made some plays on the ball. He’s very confident. It’s great to see him get a pick-six and give us some momentum when we needed it, and he had a really good football game.”

After the game, White made sure to credit his teammates with putting him in a position to succeed Saturday night.

“Playing against a passing team like that, there’s just opportunities,” White said. “The D-line got back there, making the quarterback rattled to throw those pick to us, so I think it was a good job for the defense all-around.”

Payton Wilson stars in his first full game back

Payton Wilson played a complete game against Texas Tech, leading the Pack in tackles in his triumphant return. After the win, both the excitement from the linebacker and Doeren was clear. While the 10 tackles are obviously a highlight for the night, it was just great to have the All-ACC star back at on the field for a full 60 minutes.

“He was so happy just now in the locker room,” Doeren said. “I’m super happy for him, and it was great having him. Seeing his speed in the open field, track guys down, it’s just different. Having him and Isaiah [Moore] and Drake [Thomas] is what we hoped for. So yeah, that’s a huge, huge deal. I think the whole locker room just is super happy for Payton, and he was ear-to-ear smiling downstairs.”

The NC State linebacker expressed gratitude towards Doeren, defensive coordinator Tony Gibson and God for helping him on his road to recovery from last year’s shoulder injury. Wilson has genuine love for the Wolfpack program and his teammates, and he shared that after the game.

“It means the world to me to be able to get back out there and compete with them and just play with them,” Wilson said. “We’ve built such a great bond here. It’s awesome. It’s truly awesome.”

Saturday’s win also served as the first complete-game reunion for starting linebackers Isaiah Moore, Drake Thomas and Wilson. The three All-ACC NC State athletes combined for 23 tackles and were flying all over the field, showing off elite speed and sound tackling that helped limit big plays by the Red Raiders.

The win tonight is the product of a year filled with hard work and commitment, paired with the knowledge of just how good the trio is on the field together.

“We’ve talked about this for so long,” Wilson said. “We haven’t been able to be healthy just due to injuries and, us three being out there, we truly think that we are the best three linebackers in the country. And if you try to run the ball, well, good luck to you.”

Demie Sumo-Karngbaye continues his ascent towards stardom

After leading NC State in rushing yards through two weeks this year, Demie Sumo-Karngbaye racked up more receiving yards than any other member of the Pack against Texas Tech, hauling in 4 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown. He also finished second in rushing with 54 yards, scoring again on the ground.

The night was not perfect for Sumo-Karngbaye, who was inches away from another touchdown before he fumbled out of the end zone. Despite the mistake, there is a mutual trust between the running back and Doeren that helped him bounce back quickly.

“He really just had my back, honestly, because he let me go out there again and let me prove myself and prove to everybody else that I’m more than capable of making touchdowns and making plays,” Sumo-Karngbaye said.

“I found him on the bench,” Doeren said. “He had his head down, and I told him to look me in the eyes and said ‘You need to make up for that. You’re going to get a chance and, when you get it, you need to help the team because you just let us down right there, and you can. You can go out there and be a difference maker.”

Doeren’s willingness to let the running back redeem himself ended with his second touchdown of the game— a 38-yard trick-play pass from NC State wide receiver Thayer Thomas.

“Thayer’s got a little arm on him,” Sumo-Karngbaye. “I almost lost the ball because the lights were so bright and the ball went so high in the air. I had to find it.”

“I was very proud of him,” Doeren said. “I thanked him after, and he thanked me for having his back.”