What they're saying about NC State football and its win over Florida State

Here are some of the thoughts from those who covered NC State football in its 28-14 win over Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla.      

• Matt Carter, The Wolfpacker — Column: NC State football defense keeps rising to the occasion

Already down four starters on defense, a fifth was declared out for this week when junior nickel Tyler Baker-Williams was unable to suit up. Doeren did declare that Baker-Williams should be able to return at some point, unlike the four others that were season-ending.

Baker-Williams’ replacement, fellow hyphenated name nickel Joshua Pierre-Louis. In his first start of the year, Pierre-Louis picked off a pass.

During the game, starting defensive end and sophomore Savion Jackson appeared to suffer a knee injury and spent most of the game watching on the sideline in shorts. Two guys that helped replace him, freshman Davin Vann and redshirt junior Ibrahim Kante, each picked up a sack. Vann added a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry.

With the game on the line, and NC State nursing a 21-14 lead going into the fourth quarter, the defense that at that point was down six starters found a way to shut out the Noles in the final 15 minutes, allowing only 42 yards on 22 plays and holding FSU to 1 of 5 on third downs and 0 of 2 on fourth downs.

“The kids are amazing, first of all,” Doeren said after the game. “They deserved all that. If you would have asked me at the beginning of the year which guys you couldn’t lose for the season, we’d start knocking out these names.

“The guys that are playing are playing their butts off, and the guys that were playing before that are playing as good as they can play. Not only fill the void of a good player with the next player, but the guys around that player has to play a little bit better, a little better.”

• Justin H. Williams, The Wolfpacker — Notebook: Devin Leary shines in NC State’s 28-14 win over Florida State

So how was Leary able to have such a great day at the office without leaning on his usual suspects?

“The guys that had opportunities, they took advantage of them,” Doeren said. 

Redshirt sophomore tight end Trent Pennix was the game’s leading receiver with three receptions for 97 yards and a score.

Fifth-year senior receiver C.J. Riley, redshirt freshman tight end Christopher Toudle and junior running back Ricky Person Jr. were on the receiving end of Leary’s other three touchdowns, each evenly spread over four quarters. 

Freshman receiver Porter Rooks was Leary’s top target, however, finishing with an efficient five receptions on six targets for 39 yards. 

“It’s just football, so there’s no flinch,” Doeren said. “I think it is a mature thing. Having a very poised quarterback helps you in scenarios like that. It’s great to see different guys score. 

“CJ Riley scored a touchdown, big play for him. Ricky Person on the screen play, and I thought Derrick Eason had an incredible block on that play that fired me up. Chris Toudle made a great catch, and then Trent Pennix again sparks us on a naked.

“It was really good just to see other guys. They were keyed in on Emeka Emezie. It’s hard for him to get open when they pressed with the safety over the top most of the night.”

• Jonas Pope IV, Raleigh News & Observer — Next chapter: NC State continues to write its own story with another crucial ACC win

Maybe you’ve heard by now, but there is a big game in Winston-Salem next week.

“Kind of,” N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren joked after his Wolfpack defeated Florida State 28-14 on the road.

N.C. State improves to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the ACC and rolls into Winston-Salem to take on Wake Forest in what could turn out to be the title game for the Atlantic Division crown.

But Doeren isn’t ready to talk about the Demon Deacons yet. He’ll talk about Wake Forest on Monday. He was more excited about the job his team did on the field. N.C State accumulated 400 yards on offense, held the Seminoles (3-6, 2-4) to 38 rushing yards and kept FSU scoreless in the fourth quarter after giving up two scores in the third.

Devin Leary was once again brilliant, completing 21-of-32 passes for 314 yards and four scores to four different receivers. The defense forced a turnover and stopped the Noles twice on fourth downs.

Yes, Doeren had plenty of reason to be in the moment and not get too ahead of himself. But he did take a second to address the success the team has had through nine games.

• Jonas Pope, IV, Raleigh News & Observer — NC State still controls its own destiny after a statement road win at Florida State

It all comes down to the game in Winston-Salem.

A lot can happen the rest of the season, sure, but with a 28-14 win over Florida State on Saturday night, N.C. State (7-2, 4-1) will take on Wake Forest (8-1, 5-0) for the keys to the Atlantic Division car.

The Wolfpack came into the game controlling its own destiny, and knew there was little room for error. After another four touchdown performance from Devin Leary, N.C. State still holds the pen to write their own story.

Despite a sleeper of a third quarter, the Wolfpack dominated it’s win over Florida State, never trailing the Noles all day. When they needed a stop and a score, N.C. State got it. Late in the fourth quarter, the Pack defense stopped the Seminoles on a 4th and 4, then forced a punt on the next FSU drive.

With a 21-14 lead, facing 3rd and 10, Leary found Ricky Person, Jr. out of the backfield. Person, the junior running back, did the rest, tipping the sideline and taking it 43-yards to the house. Now N.C. State has a chance to keep writing what could be a historic story

• David Thompson, Fayetteville Observer — NC State believes it’s the best football team in the ACC. Now the Wolfpack has the chance to prove it

The loss to Miami three weeks ago is in the rearview mirror, and honestly, not as bad as it previously looked now that the Hurricanes have won three straight. 

Now, this team has the opportunity to take a giant step forward to proving Pennix right. 

N.C. State (7-2, 4-1 ACC) will face Wake Forest (8-1, 5-0 ACC) next week in a de facto Atlantic Division title game, and a win would put the Wolfpack in prime position to play in an ACC title game for the first time in program history. 

Like Pennix said earlier in the week, “we have the pen and it’s our chance to write our story.” 

“This is what we worked for,” safety Tanner Ingle said. “This is what we worked for all summer. We want to win a championship. If we didn’t expect to be here and the beginning of the season then there was no point in starting one.”

Coach Dave Doeren wasn’t ready to focus on next week’s game, and you can’t blame him for enjoying what his team has accomplished so far. He’s never beaten Clemson and Florida State in the same year, and no N.C. State team has done that since 2002. 

• David Thompson, Fayetteville Observer — NC State shakes off Florida State to set-up showdown against Wake Forest

Road trips to Florida have been anything but easy this season. At least this time, the Wolfpack will return to Raleigh with a win and their ACC title game hopes intact. 

After a loss to Miami two weeks ago, N.C. State (7-2, 4-1 ACC) left the Sunshine State with a 28-14 win over Florida State on Saturday, surviving a comeback attempt from a Seminoles team battling through a campus-wide flu and another losing season.

It was the Wolfpack who barely avoided leaving Doak Campbell Stadium with a sick feeling in their stomach. 

A comfortable 14-0 halftime lead and turned into a dogfight in the second half as the Seminoles (3-6, 2-4 ACC) rallied behind backup quarterback McKenzie Milton.

FSU scored 14 points in the third quarter  while a 45-yard pass from Devin Leary to Trent Pennix allowed the Wolfpack to maintain a 21-14 lead.

• Nicholas Schnittker, Technician — Pack football wins in Tallahassee, defense holds after quick second-half TDs

In the first half, the Wolfpack held the Seminoles to negative one rushing yard and just 78 yards of total offense in the first half, as McKenzie Milton went 7 for 15 with no touchdowns and one interception. Milton started the game in place of usual starting quarterback Jordan Travis, who was out with the non-COVID-19 related illness that had already canceled other sporting events on FSU’s campus this week.

Doeren said after the game, the staff had no idea Milton would be starting over Travis this week and gave some credit to FSU for it not getting out in the news. With that knowledge not being public, Doeren said they spent the week preparing for a running quarterback.

“That’s one thing I like about our defensive scheme,” Doeren said. “It’s flexible. There’s a lot of things [Defensive Coordinator Tony Gibson] can do to add guys or pull guys out of the run game. … The 3-3-5 gives you a lot of variables. So when it becomes a passing game, regardless of who the quarterback is, it’s not hard for us to adjust that way.”

Leary went 21 for 32 with 314 passing yards, four TDs and one interception, despite the go-to wide receiver trio of redshirt sophomore Devin Carter, redshirt junior Thayer Thomas and senior Emeka Emezie combining for 11 yards on three receptions.

“Oh man, it’s like walking watching the artist out there,” said junior safety Tanner Ingle. “He just be dotting people up, man. It just keeps the morale up. It allows [the defense] to get a break. Leary does a great job managing the ball, so it allows us to not be winded when we go back on the field.”

• Andre C. Fernandez, Tallahssee Democrat: Florida State’s difficult week dealing with flu compounded issues vs. NC State

Florida State has overcome injuries, more talented opponents and sometimes big early deficits at different points of this season.

But on Saturday, the Seminoles were at a disadvantage days before they even stepped on the field at Doak Campbell Stadium to face 19th-ranked NC State.

The strain of influenza that spread across FSU’s campus this week affected numerous players throughout the Seminoles’ week of preparation, and it showed during a poor first half which led to a 28-14 loss to the Wolfpack.

FSU (3-6, 2-4 ACC) fell behind 14-0 as its offense struggled to move the ball without starting quarterback Jordan Travis, who was forced to sit after dealing with the flu, before pulling to within seven points heading into the fourth quarter.

In the end, mistakes down the stretch kept the Seminoles from completing their comeback.

FSU coach Mike Norvell refused to make excuses for the poor play, but said as many as 25 players missed at least one practice this week, affecting the team’s preparation for the game.

And key personnel who were among them such as Travis, left guard Dillan Gibbons, offensive lineman Baveon Johnson and cornerback Travis Jay, did not play.

• Curt Weiler, Tallahassee Demoract: Three takeaways from Florida State’s home loss to NC State

UCF transfer quarterback McKenzie Milton was called on to make the start in Travis’ absence. It was his fourth start of the season, but his first since Sept. 25.

He overcame a slow start to throw for 233 yards, but didn’t play at a consistent enough level as FSU was outgained 400 to 297. FSU managed just 3.8 yards per play while the Wolfpack averaged 5.8 yards per play.

FSU and NC State didn’t have drastically different average third-down distances to go. FSU faced an average distance of 7.4 yards to go while NC State averaged 7.3 yards to go per third down.

And yet, the Wolfpack converted on 8 of its 18 third downs (44.4%) while FSU was 2 of 16 (12.5%).

“Big plays and third downs really killed us tonight defensively,” Norvell said.

• Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel — Surprise starter McKenzie Milton can’t spark FSU past No. 19 NC State

After sleepwalking through the first half, Florida State used an onside kick to spark a second-half surge but the Seminoles couldn’t overcome No. 19 NC State in a 28-14 loss Saturday.

FSU quarterback McKenzie Milton earned the surprise start with Jordan Travis out with a non-COVID illness. Travis is dealing with a strain of influenza that had overwhelmed the campuses of Florida State and Florida A&M.

Travis had started the last four games for the Seminoles (3-6, 2-4 ACC), leading them to wins over Syracuse, North Carolina and UMass.

“It was a challenging week for everybody,” said coach Mike Norvell. “There was a sickness that spread and it made it really challenging. Twenty-five guys missed time this week. It’s not an excuse. It’s part of football.”

Milton and the Seminoles couldn’t get into an offensive rhythm with the graduate transfer missing on some early connections with his receivers before tossing an interception near midfield on their fourth possession.

“We really struggled there in the first half to get anything going offensively,” Norvell said. “I was pleased with the response by our guys from the second half. I liked the response from our guys but unfortunately, they weren’t able to finish it off in the fourth.”

• Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel — 3 things we learned from FSU coming up short vs. NC State

FSU entered with the second-best running offense (209 yards per game) in the ACC but managed a season-low 38 yards against the Wolfpack. It was the second straight game the Seminoles failed to total more than 100 yards.

“We played the top two run defenses in our league in back-to-back weeks and two of the best in the country,” said Norvell, alluding to Clemson in last week’s 30-20 defeat. “There are still things we can do much better. We’re still seeing missed opportunities.”

Jashaun Corbin entered averaging a league-best 7.52 yards per rush. He finished with 33 yards on 14 carries for a 2.4 yards per rush average.

“We know coming in that teams, their main objective is to stop the run,” said Corbin. “We have to do a better job to prepare for that and we will.”

FSU had 65 yards against Clemson, averaging less than 2 yards per attempt.

Norvell wouldn’t say the absence of Travis, who is third in rushing with 343 yards, was crucial to the Seminoles’ struggles but it was obvious in some cases.

“Jordan’s legs are pretty dynamic and he has an effect on the game regarding forcing teams to have to account for him,” added Norvell. “But I don’t know if they keyed in on the backs any more than what they would have done even if Jordan was there because he would have brought a different element.”

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