NC State Wolfpack football limped into the bye week with a lopsided 48-21 loss at archrival North Carolina.

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

The reality is that NC State was not going to win on this particular Saturday, but it did miss a chance to potentially make it a four-quarter football game.

The Wolfpack defense came up with a rare stop to start the second half, with UNC leading 17-7. NC State freshman quarterback Ben Finley, who earlier led what should have been a pair of touchdown drives (ended up being just one TD), trotted back onto the field, and NC State was quickly on the move again.

It had reached the UNC 45-yard line, where it faced second and one, and that's when the game effectively ended after Finley's pass was tipped at the line and intercepted by star UNC linebacker Chazz Surratt.

The Heels used just four plays to go 60 yards, with a busted coverage resulting in an easy 17-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Sam Howell to freshman receiver Josh Downs.

1. Making a switch to Finley: The truth is that one first down on the first three drives cannot be fairly pinned on redshirt junior quarterback Bailey Hockman. The offense around Hockman was not clicking, through no fault of Hockman's.

However, down 14-0 and in need of a spark, Finley, in what appeared to have been a pre-determined drive, did give NC State some energy. He drove NC State to what should have been two touchdowns and then on his third possession into UNC territory.

Finley even delivered one of the great pooch punts of all-time.

2. Going back to Hockman in the second half: The game was decided, and it was not all against UNC's starters, but Hockman quietly was 13-of-20 passing for 208 yards and a touchdown with an interception in the second half. That included three passes downfield that went for 34, 34 and 30 yards.

The truth is that with much to still play for this season, it's not realistic to expect the keys to the engine to be turned over to Finley at this point. Hockman is still going to be needed, and to have him get some success late was a positive.

3. Getting the freshmen receivers involved: Porter Rooks had already established himself, and he had a nice afternoon with four receptions for 48 yards. However, it was a couple of other rookies that made some fourth-quarter plays.

The Pack, late last fall, decided it wanted to bring some speed to the receiving corps in the 2020 recruiting class. It signed three out-of-state wideouts who were not offered by NC State until November of their senior year in high school. All three were noted for speed: Anthony Smith, Christopher Scott Jr. and Jalen Coit.

Smith had a cup of tea at Virginia and probably should have scored a touchdown in that game. Against UNC, he made his first career receiving TD by hauling in a 30-yarder from Hockman, and Smith finished with four receptions for 63 yards. Scott also made his first two receptions of his career, a 15-yarder and then a pretty 34-yard jump ball.

1. Defense:. There's no need for a deep dive into it. UNC could have gone over 600 yards of total offense if it wanted. Running or passing, the Heels got what they wanted and were not stopped.

2. Staying on schedule on offense in first quarter: UNC does not have a great defense, but in NC State's first game since redshirt sophomore quarterback Devin Leary's broken leg, it was going to be a challenge for the Pack to score enough to keep pace with the Heels' offense, especially if it was clicking.

On the opening possession of the game, junior running back Ricky Person Jr. made the wrong decision on what should have been a first-down run on third down, and instead it led to a three-and-out. On the second possession, redshirt sophomore receiver Devin Carter appeared to short-arm a nice deep pass from Hockman that should have been caught.

On the third possession, NC State ran twice for four yards on each gain, and then Person was stuffed on a third-and-two run.

3. Making plays. Carter not catching that pass (when the Heels were leading 7-0) was one of several that NC State missed on Saturday.

The most obvious example was fifth-year senior tight end Dylan Parham's bobble in the end zone that led to an inexplicable interception (when UNC was up 14-0 in the second quarter). Sophomore safety Jakeen Harris also failed to come up with what should have been an interception off a deflected pass (UNC was leading 17-7 in the third quarter).

There were also missed tackles that may have limited the damage.

NC State’s offensive line vs. UNC's defensive front

UNC finished with three sacks, but two came in the fourth quarter when NC State was throwing every down. In fact, NC State only ran it with the running backs three times in the second half.

It's hard to judge the offensive line, but it's worth noting that overall it received good grades from PFF, and UNC did not have a hit in the backfield outside the sacks. Thus we say NC State's offensive line did well enough to claim a victory.

UNC's offensive line vs. NC State’s defensive front

This was a huge loss for the Pack. It had three sacks, but it also gave up 354 yards rushing when you remove kneel downs and sacks on 50 carries. That's over seven yards per rush.

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

Had the game unfolded differently, NC State may have been able to do some damage on UNC's shorthanded secondary. The Pack's wideouts had some success from the second quarter onward.

UNC's wide receivers vs. NC State’s secondary

This may have been the worst game of the season for the Pack's young secondary, who was missing its captain in junior safety Tanner Ingle. A big win for UNC, led by receiver Dyami Brown catching seven passes for 105 yards.

Quarterbacks

Howell looked every bit of the potential future NFL quarterback he is likely to be, while NC State's duo combined to turn it over four times (even if it was not all their faults).

Running backs

Person was knocked out of the game with a concussion, and the score forced NC State to abandon its running game.

However, UNC's 1-2 punch of senior Michael Carter and junior Javonte Williams is hailed by some as the best in the country, and they would get no arguments from NC State. The two dominated the game, even more than Howell.

Tight ends/fullbacks

UNC senior Garrett Walston caught a pair of passes for 32 yards, while NC State fifth-year senior Cary Angeline hauled in just one eight-yard pass.

Special teams

It wasn't a factor because of the score, but NC State wins here. UNC missed a 22-yard field goal, and Finley delivered an excellent pooch punt.

——

• Talk about it inside The Wolves’ Den

• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolfpacker

• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolfpacker

• Like us on Facebook