9/19/2021 football Edit

Column: All you could ask for from NC State against Furman

Matt Carter • TheWolfpackCentral

Editor

Well, that was easy.

Give Furman quarterback Hamp Sisson credit, the junior showed some toughness as he was hammered on repeated occasions, especially from NC State linebackers redshirt junior Isaiah Moore and sophomore Drake Thomas, yet kept getting back up off the turf.

Furman has some nice pieces for a Football Championship Subdivision team, especially when Sisson can try to complete passes against a defense more at Furman’s level than the Wolfpack, who even without star linebacker Payton Wilson and starting safety Cyrus Fagan are still an athletic bunch that looks well above average at the Power Five level.

But that was also the overall point of this game: Furman is not at NC State level, literally. Furman belongs in the more scholarship-restricted, less talented FCS and the Pack represents a Power Five conference, the highest level in all of college football, even if that particular league (ACC) is isn't much acting like a Power Five on the field these days.

That disparity between Furman and NC State was known going into the contest, and solidified by halftime. The most entertaining aspect of the first half may have been an impressive execution of the wave by fans at Carter-Finley Stadium near the end of the first quarter that successfully carried through to the earliest portions of the second.

There were only a few real questions about this game.

NC State redshirt junior receiver Thayer Thomas had 137 all-purpose yards in the win. (Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports)

First question: would NC State show up motivated to play and not sleepwalk through an inferior opponent?

Answer: Yes.

The defense used its superior strength and athleticism to do what it was supposed to do. Furman gained an initial first down on its opening drive before punting, and then did not have a first down until after taking the opening kick off the second half.

Meanwhile, NC State’s offense had 379 total yards at halftime and was averaging 8.4 yards per play. It converted 7 of 9 third downs, and sophomore running back Zonovan “Bam” Knight was over 100 yards (11 carries for 104 yards and a score) before halftime. Knight didn’t even get a rush to pad those numbers in the second half.

Second question: would there be any injuries or targeting penalties?

Answer: Doesn’t appear so, but there were a couple of scary moments involving Thomas

At halftime, as the teams were exiting the field for the locker room, Thomas was seen being attended to by a pair of NC State trainers while on his knees. He would walk off on his own power and was obviously fine, as Thomas was back on the defense to start the second half.

That’s when Thomas initially drew a penalty for targeting on quarterback Sisson for a hit on him just as Sisson was delivering a pitch on an option play. Fortunately for NC State, review correctly overturned the call on the field.

Had Thomas been ejected, he would have been forced to sit out the opening half against Clemson next week.

Third question: Could the backups earn some playing time?

Answer: Resounding yes.

This was especially needed for the offense. In the opening 45-0 win over South Florida on Sept. 2, the reserves appeared set to play the majority of the fourth quarter. Yet the Bulls pulled off a surprisingly lengthy, time-consuming drive on the Pack's reserve defenders that ate much of the clock and limited freshman quarterback Ben Finley and company to just a snap to end the game.

Not only did Finley play Saturday, completing 5 of 8 passes for 28 yards, but so did true freshman quarterback Aaron McLaughlin. He handed off three times to redshirt freshman running back Delbert Mimms to end the game.

Doeren noted that players who were on the scout team all week, like freshmen receivers Jalen Coit and Jakolbe Baldwin, were on the field for much of the entire fourth quarter.

“We were able to play a lot of players, a lot of firsts, guys getting in there for the first time,” Doeren said.

With a 38-0 halftime lead, NC State did not let Furman be pesky. It did so seemingly unscathed ahead of the start of conference play, and it afforded an opportunity for reserves who may not have many more chances the rest of the season to see the field.

Given the context of the opponent and situation, it was NC State wanted after its loss at Mississippi State the week before.

“I thought we responded well, and that’s what I was looking for, the response,” Doeren noted.