Quick hits and notes from NC State football’s 41-0 win over Western Carolina in front of 55,681 fans at Carter-Finley Stadium on another hot Saturday afternoon in Raleigh.
Defensive shutdown
The proof is in the numbers:
• Western Carolina had a meager six first downs. At least that’s more than it had when it came to Raleigh in 1990.
• It ran for only eight yards and averaged a meager 0.4 yards per rush. The 301-yard difference in rushing output between the two teams is the most for State’s favor since 358 yards separated them and UNC in 2014.
For the Pack, freshman running back Zonovan Knight became the fastest player since Tremayne Stephens in his career debut in 1994 to rush for 100 yards in a game at NC State. Knight carried 18 times for 119 yards and two scores.
• WCU completed 15 passes for only 98 yards, an average of 6.5 yards per completion.
• The Catamounts did not once reach the red zone.
• It finished with just 106 total yards, but that is still two yards better than what East Carolina had against NCSU in the 2018 regular season finale.
For the Pack’s defense, it is the first shutout since 2015 against Eastern Kentucky, and NC State has not allowed a touchdown in three straight home contests. The last time that happened was the final game of 1990 and first two of 1991.
Lineup changes
Mostly injury related, there were a few changes in the lineup and rotation between game one and game two.
Senior corner Nick McCloud did not play after sustaining an injury in the opener and was replaced by sophomore Teshaun Smith, who had three tackles Saturday.
Also not starting and not playing was redshirt junior nose tackle Val Martin, who started the opener. In the Pack’s 3-3-5 defense, fifth-year senior Larrell Murchison slid down from his defensive tackle to nose tackle spot, and redshirt sophomore Ibrahim Kante received a start. Kante had three tackles, including assisting on a sack.
Fifth-year seniors defensive end James Smith-Williams and safety Jarius Morehead played limited snaps and were seen not wearing their shoulder pads late in the game. Benefiting with extra playing time were sophomore safety De’Von Graves, freshman defensive end Savion Jackson and redshirt sophomore defensive end Xavier Lyas.
Lyas had a pair of tackles for loss, including a sack, and also forced a fumble in the game’s only turnover. Graves had a tackle, and Jackson had two hits.
With redshirt junior receiver C.J. Riley lost for the year, redshirt freshman wideout Devin Carter picked up the start and caught two passes for 21 yards. Freshman Cecil Powell, previously a safety, also made his debut on offense and caught an eight-yard pass.
Pack still loves noon starts
They remain unpopular with the fans, especially in August and September. But NC State’s track record in noon games continues to be a story worth noting.
The Wolfpack has now won 16 straight games that started at 1 p.m. or sooner dating back to 2016, including nine in a row at home.
NC State is playing at noon at West Virginia Saturday, and it should find out Monday its scheduled start time against Ball State on Sept. 21.
Spotted at the game
A couple of notable recruits in attendance were four-star wide receiver commit Porter Rooks from Charlotte Myers Park and three-star offered junior offensive tackle Andrew Canelas from Raleigh Leesville Road.
True freshmen vs. redshirt freshmen watch
We’ll keep a rundown 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 Western Carolina.
• Offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu — 2 games*
• Running back Jordan Houston — 2 games*
• Running back Zonovan Knight — 2 games*
• Receiver Keyon Lesane — 2 games*
• Offensive lineman Dylan McMahon — 2 games*
• Linebacker Jaylon Scott — 2 games*
• Long snapper Joe Shimko — 2 games*
• Linebacker Drake Thomas — 2 games*
• Safety Cecil Powell — 2 games*
• Nickel Jalen Frazier — 1 game
• Safety Jakeen Harris — 1 game*
• Defensive end Savion Jackson — 1 game*
• Safety Khalid Martin — 1 game*
What the win means
NC State is 2-0 and Doeren improves to 45-34 as the head coach in Raleigh. He needs four more victories to tie Chuck Amato for the third most wins as a head coach in school history.
The Pack is now 7-0 against Western Carolina. The 41-point margin ties for the second largest in the series history.
NC State has now won 15 straight non-conference games at home and is 18-1 in such games under Doeren.
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