Notebook: Alim McNeill plays his last game at Carter-Finley

Getting the job done doesn’t always look pretty.

NC State defeated Georgia Tech 23-13 Saturday night in its 2020 regular-season finale on Senior Day at Carter-Finley Stadium.

The Wolfpack (8-3, 7-3 ACC) never trailed en route to a program-best seventh conference win this season, but it was pushed at times by the young Yellow Jackets (3-6, 3-5 ACC), who were missing six starters including leading rusher freshman running back Jahmyr Gibbs.

“I'm just proud to be a part of this football team with these young men and this coaching staff,” NC State head coach Dave Doeren said. “Looking at where we came from a year ago, we had one ACC win and now we have seven. That's quite a year when you talk about improvement. The beauty of it is, a lot of these guys are back.”

Unlike any Senior Day before it, the seven-percent capacity crowd celebrated a graduating class that will still have the option to return next season because of a free year of eligibility granted by the NCAA this fall due to the volatile circumstances the COVID-19 pandemic has presented.

The only Wolfpack player that was known to be playing his last game was junior defensive tackle Alim McNeill, who had announced Saturday morning that he would be entering the 2021 NFL Draft following the season.

“It was a series of weeks of talking to my parents, Coach [Charley] Wiles and Coach Doeren to figure out what the best thing was for me,” McNeill said. “I thought that was to enter the 2021 NFL Draft. I was really not focused on that this season. I was just trying to let my play do the talking, and I have so far. It was a lot of talking and meetings with my parents and coaches to come up with that decision.”

The 6-2, 320-pounder tallied two tackles and helped the Pack hold Georgia Tech, a team that averaged 25.8 points per contest entering the matchup, to just one touchdown and two field goals throughout the night.

NC State will not know its bowl game destination for another two weeks, but McNeill’s plan, for now, is to play in it. The Raleigh native from Sanderson High will join a long list of former Wolfpack players in recent years to turn pro, including notables such as Bradley Chubb, Larrell Murchison, Kentavius Street, B.J. Hill, James Smith-Williams and Justin Jones.

“I've grown a bunch,” McNeill said. “When I came in, I had never played D-line. To do some of the stuff I do now is kind of crazy. This is only my third year playing that position. I've just seen myself grow so much here as a person through college and living on my own.”

Saturday night marked the last time McNeill will play in Carter-Finley Stadium, which made for an emotional night for the run stopper.

“It was crazy,” McNeill said. “It's unfortunate with the fan situation we have with COVID. I was thinking about my first visit here. It was me, [redshirt sophomore running back] Trent Pennix and one of my friends. We were hanging out in the weight room, putting jersey on and whatnot. We weren't even recruits yet, it was just like, this is NC State football.

“Then I remember when I got my offer from NC State and then I remember committing at the Clemson game. I was just thinking about all of that stuff.

“For it to go by so fast, it's just crazy. Emotions were running really high. I was in the locker room going through it. I love my experience here at NC State, I wouldn't trade it for anything.”

McNeill finished the regular season with 26 tackles, 4.5 for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception that was returned for a 19-yard touchdown. He also entered Saturday’s game as the highest-graded Power Five defender according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).

Senior wide receiver Emeka Emezie led the team with six receptions for 91 yards, and he most likely would have had more had it not been for a handful of defensive pass interference penalties Georgia Tech committed against the 6-3, 220-pound pass catcher.

“Emeka had a big game,” Doeren said. “To be able to have a playmaker like him come up with the catches that he did and be able to have guys trying to rip his jersey off when they can't cover on, it was pretty awesome for us in the fourth quarter.”

After a disappointing junior season, Emezie led the team with 42 receptions for 694 yards this fall, 118 more than he had in 12 games in 2019.

“I took last season very personally,” Emezie said. “All of us, Bailey, Devin, would get in the indoor to throw almost every day. Guys were in there every single day working on their craft trying to get better. We got punched in the mouth early in the year against Virginia Tech, but we stood back up.

“We learned from it last year, and we brought back the same guys and different people stepped into different leadership roles. They really took that head-on. I feel like that's what made our team so resilient this year.”

Unlike McNeill, it is still unknown whether Saturday was Emezie’s last game in Carter-Finley Stadium. The receiver admitted that the emotions of Senior Day were still there, but he had not yet decided about his future after this season.

“Thankfully, we're allowed to have an extra year, which is really nice,” Emezie said. “I'll think about that. It's really just a true blessing. There were a lot of emotions at once.”

Redshirt junior quarterback Bailey Hockman had a second-consecutive 300-yard performance against the Yellow Jackets in the Wolfpack’s fourth straight win to finish the season.

The signal-caller completed 22 of 26 passes for 309 yards in his first game this fall without an interception.

“It's been a long time coming,” Hockman said. “I've just been working my butt off for years and have just stayed consistent and that's really all it comes down to at the end of the day. Just staying consistent and being able to love the teammates, love the guys you're around and be who you are every single day. If you just come in the building every day with that same attitude, the possibilities are endless.”

Hockman made big plays down the stretch to lead the Pack to victory. In its second-to-last possession of the game, NC State took over at its own 34-yard line with a seven-point lead and 6:45 to go.

The Wolfpack executed a nine-play, 59-yard drive that resulted in a 40-yard field goal from junior placekicker Christopher Dunn to extend the Pack’s lead to 10 with 3:31 remaining. Hockman completed two first-down passes for 27 combined yards, drew a defensive pass interference for another first down and added a seven-yard rush to put NC State in field goal range.

“Bailey was throwing good balls, and we needed to get first downs,” Doeren said. “It's really just trusting that we were going to make the plays. Devin Carter made a couple plays there on the slant route, and we were catching the ball well all night so we trust our wideouts. There was no reason not to trust what was going on in the passing game.

“At that point, we had not run the ball well for a while and just glad we're able to run one at the end to kind of put it away. We had to go with what was working at that point.”

The passing game was the most effective aspect of the Wolfpack’s offense all night. NC State was only able to rush for 88 yards and averaged 8.5 yards per pass attempt compared to just 2.8 yards per carry.

“They were loading the box, they were stopping their run,” Hockman said. “They had a good day, but our guys just kept pushing. The offensive line blocked their tails off, I think I got hit maybe one time the whole game. If they can hold up like that, we can throw for 300 yards every week. They're great, they've been working their butts off. Our receivers making plays, making consistent catches, it's just the guys around me. I'm just blessed to be a part of this team.”

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