What they’re saying after NC State’s win over Northern Illinois

It wasn’t the prettiest offensive showing, but NC State’s defense rose to the challenge to help push the Wolfpack past Northern Illinois 24-17 at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Here is what those who covered the game are saying about the Pack’s third win of the season.

Ethan McDowell, The Wolfpacker — Column: NC State defense takes leap forward to overshadow offense’s step back

A short run, a dropped snap, and an NC State passing attempt that sailed over receivers and defenders alike. 

The Wolfpack’s first possession of the second half was a microcosm of the program’s offensive struggles during a hard-fought, 24-17 victory over Northern Illinois.

Two plays later, Davin Vann grabbed onto the leg of the Huskies’ quarterback, bringing him to the ground as the ball rolled loose. Brandon Cleveland recovered his first fumble of the year, setting up a touchdown that put the Wolfpack ahead by 10 points in the third quarter. 

The offense stumbled through Saturday’s win. Quarterback CJ Bailey avoided turnovers and catastrophic mistakes but finally looked like a freshman after carrying the Pack at times over the past few weeks. This time, the defense willed the program to victory. 

NC State recorded 4 sacks and 12 tackles for loss, scored a touchdown on a senior safety DK Kaufman fumble recovery and forced 4 turnovers.

“We knew we had to start fast,” Kaufman said. “We’ve been talking about this all year. Today, we just finally did that. We’re going to have to keep building off of that.”

Noah Fleischman, The Wolfpacker — NC State’s defense returns to its ‘DNA’ in Northern Illinois win

NC State coach Dave Doeren stood in front of his 120-man roster earlier this week with a challenge for the entire team: Return to the Wolfpack’s team identity. 

Hard. Tough. Together. 

Those three words have been the pillars of the Pack’s program since Doeren took over in 2013. But through the first four games this season, Doeren wasn’t pleased with seeing those traits inconsistently displayed by his team on the field — especially on defense. 

So, the coach presented an opportunity for the Wolfpack to do it in practice. If it didn’t, then a starting spot would likely change. Everything needed to be earned in practice — and those traits were required of NC State’s defense. 

The hope was that it would translate to Saturday’s game against Northern Illinois, a bruising Mid-American Conference team that Doeren led for two seasons before being hired by NC State. 

“If you were going to send that film to the person you loved the most, what would they say?” Doeren recalled asking his team “Would they talk about your effort? Would they talk about your toughness?”

Jadyn Watson-Fisher, News & Observer — One week after Clemson collapse, NC State football defense shows growth against NIU

Cream-colored rawhide bones attached to metal chains hang on the wall of the Northern Illinois football center. They’re accompanied by a date, score and opponent logo. Each one represents a win over a power program. The Huskies, already with an upset over Notre Dame in Week 2, hoped to add another to the collection. The Wolfpack defense made sure that didn’t happen. 

One of the biggest plays Saturday took place 51 seconds into the second quarter. Safety DK Kaufman ran past the line of scrimmage on NC State’s blitz and wrapped his arms around Northern Illinois quarterback Ethan Hampton, sacking him and forcing a fumble. Kaufman outran everyone to recover the loose ball and scored a 2-yard touchdown.

His turnover came one week and about 40 minutes after Clemson’s Cade Klubnik scored a 55-yard rushing touchdown on the first drive of the game. It was exactly the kind of response NC State wanted to see after its abysmal showing in Death Valley. 

“Last week, it was embarrassing. There’s really no other way to put it,” Kaufman said. “It’s sad that it had to be that way for me and others to come out with that fire in us. You don’t ever really want to get hit in the mouth first and then fight back, but last week definitely proved pivotal for us.”

Rodd Baxley, Fayetteville Observer — How NC State football’s defense beat Northern Illinois, avoided same fate as Notre Dame

NC State football can thank its defense for helping the Wolfpack avoid the same fate as Notre Dame. 

Northern Illinois, which upset the Fighting Irish earlier this season, battled until the final whistle at Carter-Finley Stadium. But Dave Doeren’s current club knocked off his former program in a 24-17 win. 

“That was a very personal win for me,” Doeren said. “That was the first program that gave me an opportunity to be a head coach. … It may be the last time I ever see that team. So, yeah, it means a lot.” 

After allowing 59 points at Clemson, the Wolfpack (3-2, 0-1 ACC) defense had four takeaways, including a scoop-and-score touchdown by DK Kaufman that put N.C. State ahead for good. 

“Last week, it was embarrassing,” said Kaufman, who has two defensive TDs this season. “There’s really no other way to put it. … We knew what we had to do. We knew we had to start fast.” 

Noah Teague, Technician — NC State football holds on for 24-17 win over Northern Illinois

Behind an opportunistic defense and elite special teams, NC State football escaped Carter-Finley Stadium with a 24-17 win over Northern Illinois on Saturday.

Head coach Dave Doeren’s previous coaching job was with the Huskies, making for an emotional matchup with his former team.

“That was a very personal win for me,” Doeren said. “It’s the program that gave me my first opportunity to be a head coach. I had really fond memories of coaching there. … Losing to the place you used to coach at is something you don’t want to carry around. All wins are precious, but that one meant a lot to me as an individual. I thank the players and the staff for that.”

Leading the charge for NC State (3-2) was redshirt junior punter Caden Noonkester. On eight punts, Noonkester pinned Northern Illinois (2-2) within its own 20 seven times while racking up 398 total yards. Doubling the Wolfpack’s offense’s total yards, Noonkester saved the day for a struggling Wolfpack squad.

“It was very important that [Noonkester] got those punts down, pinned down,” said freshman quarterback CJ Bailey. “We had a lot of drive killers with the flags and everything. … I appreciate him as our punter.”

Mitchell Northam, Associated Press — Bailey, strong defense guide NC State past Northern Illinois 24-17

CJ Bailey scored on the ground and through the air as North Carolina State defeated visiting Northern Illinois 24-17 on Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Bailey, a true freshman making his second start for the Wolfpack (3-2), completed 13 of 20 passes for 108 yards. He supported a strong defensive effort from NC State that forced NIU (2-2) into four crucial turnovers.

“It was a team win. Offensively, obviously, statistics are not good, but we did not turn the football over the whole game,” N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said. “We punted the football really well, and we played dominant defense against a really good football team.”

Northern Illinois Athletics, NIU drops 24-17 decision at NC State in defensive battle

North Carolina State turned four Northern Illinois University turnovers, including two fumbles inside the 2-yard line, into 14 points to claim a 24-17 win over the Huskies at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Turnovers were the difference in a defensive battle that featured 13 punts – eight by NC State. For the second straight game, NIU held an opponent to less than 200 yards as the Wolfpack were held to a season-low 171 yards, 63 on the ground, and were 1-of-11 on third down.

“It’s hard to win games when you don’t win the turnover battle,” said NIU head coach Thomas Hammock. “Even with the turnover battle being what it was, we still had a chance at the end. I think it’s a credit to our program that our guys expect to win those type of matchups and were disappointed that we not get the result we wanted.”

Trailing 24-17, NIU got the ball at its 10-yard line with 2:31 to play and drove to the NC State 34 with nine seconds to play but three incompletions ended the game with the final pass intercepted in the end zone.

Running back Antario Brown gained 114 yards on 28 carries to record his first 100-yard rushing game of the season, while quarterback Ethan Hampton was 14-of-29 for 159 yards but was sacked four times.