Monday morning quarterbacking: NC State 38, Florida State 22

NC State Wolfpack football snapped a two-game losing streak with a 38-22 home win over Florida State.

It’s time for a final look at the contest with some Monday morning quarterbacking:

NC State led 7-0 and seemingly was on its way to expanding the margin when it was stopped twice for no gains on runs by junior running back Ricky Person Jr. at the Florida State 10-yard line, including on fourth-and-one, leading to a turnover on downs.

After converting an initial third down on the following drive, Florida State would face its own fourth-and-one but at its own 31-yard line. Brazenly, first-year FSU head coach Mike Norvell went for it, but running back Jashaun Corbin didn't make it past the line of scrimmage.

Florida State thus turned it back over to NC State, and five plays later redshirt junior quarterback Bailey Hockman found his classmate Thayer Thomas for a 10-yard touchdown.

1. Hockman-to-Thomas connection: What really separated NC State from Florida State, as much as anything, was FSU's inability to cover Thomas. Hockman found him repeatedly, and Thomas ended up catching 11 of 12 targets for 135 yards and two touchdowns.

That accounted for more than half of Hockman’s 265 passing yards and almost half of his 24 overall completions, plus two of the three scoring tosses.

2. Starting strong: The only way Florida State had a realistic path to victory was for NC State to make some self-inflicted, first-half mistakes with turnovers or allowing big plays on special teams and defense, and letting the Seminoles hang around. That did not happen.

The Wolfpack’s lone turnover came in the second half, and by that point NC State had already taken a 21-3 halftime edge that stretched to 28-3 after each team had a possession in the second half.

3. Defense for three quarters: Going into the fourth quarter, Florida State had just 190 yards of total offense on 47 plays, a meager average of 4.0 yards per play. The longest pass given up to that point was a 13-yarder.

1. Running the football for three quarters: Against a defense that allowed teams to rush for an average of 200.0 yards per game coming into the night, NC State really labored running the football for much of the contest. Going into the fourth quarter, it had 70 rushing yards on 26 carries (that included a sack that lost 10 yards).

2. Fourth quarter: On the season, Florida State had been outscored 50-7 in the fourth quarter, but on Saturday the Noles won the final 15 minutes, 13-3. NC State did run the football much more effectively in the final period (87 yards if you remove three kneel downs to end the contest), but Hockman also threw an interception in the end zone.

Defensively, the Noles piled up 157 yards, including scoring on a 69-yard pass against a busted coverage.

3. Dominating the FSU offensive line: The Noles were shorthanded and extremely young on the offensive line, yet they finished the night rushing for 4.3 yards per rush and the three sacks given up were actually below what Florida State had been giving up on a per-game basis prior to Saturday (3.57).

NC State’s offensive line vs. Florida State’s defensive front

The final numbers suggest a Wolfpack win, but perhaps it fell short of expectations. FSU had an early sack, and going into this game it had only eight in seven contests. It also held NC State to less than 4.0 yards per rush and had six overall tackles for loss, so just a small victory for NC State.

Florida State’s offensive line vs. NC State’s defensive front

Considering the circumstances, FSU can’t be too displeased. That said, it’s going to lose most battles at the line of scrimmage and overall that was the case again on Saturday. NC State still finished with three sacks and seven tackles for loss, and FSU’s rushing numbers were inflated in the fourth quarter when the game was already decided.

NC State’s wide receivers vs. Florida State’s secondary

A big win for NC State here. In addition to Thomas’ huge night, senior Emeka Emezie caught four passes for 50 yards and a touchdown.

Florida State’s wide receivers vs. NC State’s secondary

For three quarters, NC State dominated this matchup. FSU’s receivers showed life in the fourth quarter with the 69-yard touchdown by Ontaria Wilson and a 24-yard catch in the end zone by Warren Thompson, but at that point it was too little, too late.

Quarterbacks

Perhaps the biggest difference in the game can be found here. Hockman was really good, completing 24 of 34 passes for 265 yards with three scores and a pick, while also running for a touchdown.

FSU tried a pair of true freshmen who combined to complete 18 of 28 passes for 200 yards with two scores and a pick, but again the fourth quarter inflated that. In the first three quarters, FSU was 14-of-23 passing for a meager 93 yards with a pick.

Running backs

NC State sophomore Zonovan Knight came to life in the fourth quarter and finished with 17 rushes for 94 yards and a touchdown, but prior to that it was not a game where either team’s running backs necessarily shined.

Tight ends/fullbacks

NC State fifth-year senior Cary Angeline caught a pair of 20-yard receptions, and FSU did not involve its tight ends. So by default that’s a win for the Wolfpack.

Special teams

Truthfully a fairly nondescript game on special teams, but the edge goes to NC State thanks to a 23-yard punt return from Thomas and redshirt junior safety Max Fisher nearly returning an onside kick to the house.

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