9/21/2019 football Edit

Quick hits from NC State’s 34-23 win over Ball State

Matt Carter • TheWolfpackCentral

Editor

Quick hits and notes from NC State’s 34-23 win over Ball State in front of 57,702 fans at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh Saturday evening.

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Second-Half Offense Falters (Again)

For the second straight game, it was a night-and-day difference between the first half and second half for the Wolfpack offense.

Offensive Stats

Stat	First Half	Second Half
Points	20	7*
First Downs	18	5
Rushes-Yards-Avg. Per Carry	22-116-5.3	19-88-4.6
Pass Comp.-Att-Yds	17-25-169	2-9-16
Total Yards	285	104
Yards Per Play	6.1	3.7

* Seven points were also scored by a punt return for a TD but not credited to the offense for this chart.

Injury Updates

When NC State trotted out for the coin toss, which was delivered by rape survivor Brenda Tracy for the #SetTheExpectation Game, three of the four captains for the Pack were unavailable.

Senior cornerback Nick McCloud missed his third straight contest, while fifth-year senior defensive end James Smith-Williams sat out at a second consecutive game. Redshirt junior tight end Dylan Autenrieth was also injured and did not play for the first time this year.

NC State gained one player back when redshirt freshman defensive end Joseph Boletepeli, who missed the WVU loss, returned and played as a reserve.

However, it also potentially lost another when freshman running back Zonovan Knight hurt his hamstring after four carries.

Special Teams Deliver

Redshirt sophomore receiver Thayer Thomas’ 76-yard punt return for a touchdown was the first such score for the Pack since Nyheim Hines did it against Pitt in 2017.

Redshirt sophomore receiver Max Fisher’s blocked punt was the first for NC State since Tyrone Riley had one at Boston College in 2017.

Spotted At The Game

Former NC State football player Dewayne Washington and former basketball player Tommy Burleson watched the game. The women’s basketball team was also introduced between quarters.

For a few of the recruits seen, click here.

True Freshman Vs. Redshirt Freshman Watch

We’ll keep a rundown each week in quick hits of how many games the Wolfpack true freshmen have played. They can play up to four games before burning their redshirt. An asterisk means they participated against Ball State.

• Offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu — 4 games*

• Running back Jordan Houston — 4 games*

• Running back Zonovan Knight — 4 games*

• Receiver Keyon Lesane — 4 games*

• Long snapper Joe Shimko — 4 games*

• Linebacker Drake Thomas — 4 games*

• Safety Cecil Powell — 4 games*

• Safety Jakeen Harris — 3 games*

• Defensive end Savion Jackson — 3 games*

• Offensive lineman Dylan McMahon — 3 games*

• Safety Khalid Martin — 2 games*

• Linebacker Jaylon Scott — 2 games

• Nickel Jalen Frazier — 1 game

What The Win Means

NC State is 3-1 and has won 16 straight non-conference games at Carter-Finley Stadium. Head coach Dave Doeren is 18-1 in home contests versus non-ACC opponents.

The Pack is 2-0 against Mid-American Conference teams under Doeren, and if you count his two seasons at Northern Illinois, the coach is 19-1 against that conference.