Monday morning quarterbacking
NC State enters its bye week on a six-game winning streak after defeating Pittsburgh 35-17. Now it’s time for a final look at the contest with some Monday morning quarterbacking.
Key moment of the game:
The contest was not in doubt by the end of the fourth quarter, but through a good portion of the third it was very much in the air. The score was tied 14-14 at half and remained that way when Pitt began its third drive of the third quarter with 8:41 left.
The Panthers first two drives after halftime consisted of a third-down interception by NCSU senior cornerback Mike Stevens and a three-and-out. On drive three, Pitt picked up a pair of first downs to reach its own 44, but on first down from there, Pitt junior safety/running back Jordan Whitehead was dropped for a four-yard loss, and then the Panthers got flagged for holding, setting up a second-and-24 that proved too much for Pitt’s struggling offense.
NC State gained possession at its own 23 and went to work immediately with a 43-yard pass from redshirt junior Ryan Finley to sophomore Kelvin Harmon. Four plays later, Finley found redshirt sophomore Jakobi Meyers for a three-yard score to put NC State up 21-14 with 2:32 left in the third quarter.
Three things that worked:
1. Big plays
If it seemed that all of NC State’s points coincided with a big play, there’s some truth to that. Junior running back Nyheim Hines had touchdowns via an 83-yard run and 92-yard punt return. Senior H-back Jaylen Samuels capped the scoring with a 40-yard touchdown run. Harmon’s 43-yard haul set up the Meyers touchdown. And Harmon also caught a 36-yarder in a highlight-worthy grab to set up a one-yard scoring run by Samuels.
2. Running the football
Hines’ big run stole the show, and he finished with 16 carries for 135 yards for his third straight 100-yard effort. Junior Reggie Gallaspy averaged a solid 4.2 yards per rush, running 11 times for 46 yards. Samuels added six runs for 62 yards. Overall, the Pack ran for an average of 6.8 yards per carry when you remove two kneel downs for a loss of five yards to end the game.
3. Second-half defense
Head coach Dave Doeren noted after the game that Pitt made a concerted effort to attack the perimeter of the Pack defense to negate NC State’s advantage in the trenches. It was obvious the NCSU defensive coaches picked up on the trend and made the adjustments. The Panthers had only 127 yards of total offense in the second half, including just 10 on the ground.
Three things that did not work:
1. First-half passing attack
It appeared to be a combination of unusual drops and atypical inaccuracy from Finley that led to NC State being just 6-of-14 passing for 69 yards, 34 of that coming on one play to Harmon.
2. First-half defense
Pitt had 11 first downs and 199 yards of total offense at the break, including 85 rushing yards. For some perspective, NC State came into the game allowing opponents an average of 90.7 rushing yards per game, and Pitt was the worst rushing offense in the ACC at 116.8 yards per game.
3. Finishing first-half drives
Doeren was probably correct in his postgame comments. Had Finley’s fourth-and-three pass on the game’s opening drive at the Pitt 34 to Meyers not been a tad off the mark and subsequently dropped, NC State seemed to be moving towards a touchdown. Then at the end of the first half, NC State got bad luck with a questionable offensive pass interference penalty that wiped off a touchdown pass to Meyers and forced a 34-yard field-goal attempt by redshirt junior Carson Wise that missed wide left.
Position-by-position battles
NC State’s offensive line vs. Pitt’s front seven
The under-reported story of the first half of NC State’s ACC season is the emergence of the offensive line. Finley was not sacked or pressured once, and the running backs collectively averaged 7.4 yards per rush. Finley still has not been sacked in an ACC game this season.
Pitt’s offensive line vs. NC State’s front seven
The Panthers wisely schemed to give its line help, but at the end of the day the NCSU front asserted themselves and won the day. Pitt averaged just 3.0 yards per rush. NCSU only had one sack but also had eight quarterback hurries, including three alone from senior nickel Shawn Boone.
NC State’s wide receivers vs. Pitt’s secondary
This was not the best afternoon for NC State’s wide receivers. Redshirt junior Stephen Louis was held without a reception for the first time this season. Another noteworthy recent development: over the past three games no wideout other than Harmon, Louis and Meyers have caught a pass for the Pack.
Pitt’s wide receivers vs. NC State’s secondary
Pitt senior Jester Weah had seven receptions for 106 yards and a score, but overall this was one of the Pack’s better games in the secondary. It held Pitt to just 9.6 yards per completion. Stevens had a nice interception, and the Pack broke up an impressive total of eight passes.
Quarterbacks
Finley may not have had his “A” game, but he was still fairly efficient by the end of the contest, completing 14 of 25 passes for 198 yards with a score. Some of the incompletions were also not his fault. Redshirt sophomore Ben DiNucci got off to a nice start, but cooled off in the second half and gave way to freshman Kenny Pickett.
Together, DiNucci and Pickett combined for 24-of-45 passing for 231 yards with a score and two turnovers (one pick and one fumble).
Running backs
Hines had one of the best all-around games a running back could have, when you factor in special teams. He was the MVP of the game. Pitt simply does not have a running game to scare defenses at the moment.
Tight ends/fullbacks
Samuels had another nice all-around game, rushing for 62 yards and two scores and catching four passes for 28 yards. That was better than anything Pitt’s tight ends had to offer.
Special teams
NC State wins the day with its flawless execution of the punt return for a touchdown, but it was not a perfect game on special teams. Wise is now 6 of 11 on field goals with all five misses coming from inside 40 yards. Junior A.J. Cole averaged an impressive 44.7 yards per punt, but he may have out kicked his coverage once to set up a 28-yard punt return by Pitt junior wide receiver Quadree Henderson.
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