NC State comes up short in reaching coveted 10th win
Kansas State started fast and then finished methodically efficient in the end Thursday to dash NC State’s latest attempt at winning 10 games.
The Wolfpack have made winning 10 games the bench mark goal under coach Dave Doeren. It isn’t the only goal, but it’s one that has been achievable, and could have been realized against UCLA in 2021 if not for the cancelation of the Holiday Bowl.
The Wolfpack have finished with nine wins four times now under Doeren. The 2021 Bruins and NC State's opponent Thursday — KSU in the in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Fla. — had one real similarity besides now being etched in NCSU lore as a missed opportunity.
UCLA had a talented squad but its personnel was uncertain due to a reported COVID outbreak. The Kansas State squad of the regular season relied on one set of players, but then needed several new players ready for the bowl game. Between players transferring or sitting out to ensure not getting hurt going into NFL Draft workouts, the Wildcats got revamped in the last month, especially at quarterback where fifth-year senior Will Howard was replaced by freshman Avery Johnson, who was making his first start.
NC State star outside linebacker Payton Wilson also missed the game and assuredly would have made a difference. Redshirt junior safety Devan Boykin was out with an injury and former starting nose tackle C.J. Clark has transferred to Miami (Fla.).
What was known about the Wildcats was that sophomore running back DJ Giddens was going to get the ball and run behind a big, talented and experienced offensive line. NC State knew it was coming but wasn’t ready on the first drive of the game. Giddens ran the ball four times for 38 yards, which set up him catching a 37-yard swing pass for a touchdown on a play that had the feel of KSU knowing exactly where NC State was going to blitz from.
The second Kansas State score took guts. Facing fourth and five at its own 29-yard line, the Wildcats did a fake punt that completely fooled the Wolfpack. Punter Jack Blumer took off and ran 30 yards to the NCSU 41-yard line. Three plays later — one a 28-yard toss to freshman tight end Garrett Oakley — set up Giddens on a four-yard touchdown run, and KSU led 14-0 with 7:29 left in the second quarter.
Playing from behind is not ideal for NC State’s offense. What was working, especially in the first half, was quarterback Brennan Armstrong running the football. He rushed 13 times for 117 yards and a touchdown in the first half, while adding 73 yards through the air. The quick start helped Kansas State take a 21-10 lead into hafltime.
"I got a little mad in the locker room," Doeren said. "I told them that wasn't the team I expected to see. I thought we were flat and not playing the way I expected."
The one hallmark of NC State’s five game-winning streak going into the bowl game was not trailing by more than three points in any of the five wins, and that happened just once. NC State led start-to-finish against Clemson, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and North Carolina. The outlier was Miami led 3-0 lead to start the game.
"I felt like a lot of things clicked," said Doeren on the winning streak. "Formulas for winning and guys understanding what it takes. Some guys emerged in some positions. It was a hungry team. It's a disappointed bunch of guys in the locker room."
Both teams made adjustments, and NC State had its own fake punt magic. Sixth-year senior tight end Trent Pennix sprinted 60 yards for a touchdown and the Wolfpack had momentum once again, cutting the lead to 21-19 with 1:50 left in the third quarter.
With the game on the line, Kansas State clearly showed it wasn’t going to let its own opportunity slip away. The Wildcats went on a back-breaking 14-play, 72-yard drive that ate up 7:24 off the clock, culminating in Johnson throwing a 11-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Jayce Brown to help put the game away. KSU also held NC State to just 10 yards of offense in the fourth quarter, including zero passing yards.
Doeren pointed out that KSU went 4 of 15 on third-down conversions for the game, and that particular drive had three of them, plus a fourth-down conversion.
"Bottom line is, we didn't finish, and they did," Doeren said. "That is really what it came down to, that drive. That was a heck of a football game."
Doeren also lamented that NC State missed a 52-yard field goal, and bypassed an early field-goal chance only to get stuffed on fourth and short.
That freshmen such as Johnson, Brown and Oakley made big plays, and Giddens is a sophomore, the youth movement was on for Kansas State in the bowl game. However, it was the four seniors on the offensive line and one junior that led the way. Kansas State rushed the ball 40 times for 258 yards and two scores, and Giddens tallied 28 rushes for 152 yards and a score.
Johnson went 14-of-31 passing for 178 yards and two scores, and didn’t turn the ball over and wasn’t sacked once. He added seven carries for 71 yards and a score.
"That is a really good O-Line that they have," Doeren said. "You have to give the running back credit because we didn't tackle him very well. He ran hard and that is on us.
"It's a good offense the way they run it. The kids played hard for him and didn't make a lot of mistakes. There wasn't a lot of penalties or turnovers. Pretty impressive for an offense playing a freshman quarterback."
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