There are always good and bad when it comes to analyzing a football season. We figured we’d start with the bad.
Here are four areas that, statistically speaking, were glaring shortcomings/problem areas for NC State football in 2020 and could be focal points moving ahead.
Running Game
The most obvious glaring statistical issue in the 2020 season was running the football, which was a surprising development considering the talent level in the room and the success the Wolfpack had on the ground in the season opener against Wake Forest (270 rushing yards).
Yet NC State finished the year averaging 122.5 yards per game, 107th out of the 127 teams that played at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level in 2020.
Furthermore, NC State’s 3.39 yards per carry was tied with Pittsburgh for 108th, ahead of just Syracuse and Boston College in the ACC.
A game-by-game breakdown shows that NC State exceeded its opponent’s average of allowed rushing yards per game just three times during the season — Wake Forest, Virginia and Liberty. NC State won all three of those games.
Overall, however, the Wolfpack averaged 45.3 yards per game less than what its opponent was giving up a contest. In its last three games, the Wolfpack ran for over 100 yards less than what the opposition had been giving up on an average basis.
