Here are quick hits and notes from NC State football’s 45-24 loss at No. 20 Virginia Tech in Lane Stadium Saturday night on a cool, early fall evening.
About The Defense
Two of the most noteworthy numbers that emerged from Saturday's defensive performance: rushing yards and yards per carry.
Virginia Tech ran 41 times for 314 yards, an average of 7.7 yards per rush. That total includes 21 yards lost on a pair of Wolfpack sacks and a kneel down to end the game that was a six-yard loss.
A week after Wake Forest's Kenneth Walker III was never tackled in the backfield among his 27 carries, the VT trio of Khalil Herbert, Raheem Blackshear and Jalen Holston ran 19 times and were hit for a loss only three times.
It was the most rushing yards in a game for Virginia Tech since it had 318 against Old Dominion in 2018.
The 7.7 yards per rushing attempt allowed were more than any contest from a year ago for NC State's defense.
It is worth noting that NC State finished the game with true freshman Devan Boykin playing safety after junior and team captain Tanner Ingle was inactive with an injury, and both of the top reserves — sophomore Rakeim Ashford and redshirt freshman Khalid Martin — were injured during the game.
Scary Scene
The game took a somber turn in the third quarter when Martin was laid motionless on the turf for an extended period of time before being taken away from the field and transported to a local hospital via an ambulance. Later, Martin was transferred from the local county hospital to a larger one in Roanoke.
The initial report from NC State was that Martin was dealing with a hip injury but conscious and alert. Head coach Dave Doeren said after the game that Martin was able to move his fingers and toes.
On Sunday, Martin was released from the hospital with no radiographic abnormalities and was headed back to Raleigh.
Familiar Faces In Passing Game
A pair of players who many figured would prominently be in the mix in the passing game made their season debuts: redshirt sophomore quarterback Devin Leary and fifth-year senior receiver C.J. Riley.
Leary came in as a reserve in the third quarter and did lead a couple of touchdown drives by completing 12 of 16 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown. Riley, who tore his ACL in the 2019 season opener on special teams before catching a pass, made his first receptions since the 2018 Gator Bowl when he hauled in a pair of passes for 24 yards and a score.
Kicking Into The Record Books
To end the first half, junior Christopher Dunn made a 53-yard field goal as time expired. That was impressively the 13th straight made field goal for Dunn and tied for the fourth-longest kick made in school history. It was the Pack's longest conversion since John Deraney made a 54-yarder in 2006.
Dunn is now 46 of 52 on career field goal attempts.
Redshirt junior Trenton Gill also excelled by averaging 51.0 yards per punt on his six tries.
Spotted At The Game
There was a "Enter Sandman" entrance for Virginia Tech, but the COVID-19 version of it was far different.
What The Loss Means
NC State is 1-1 while Virginia Tech is 1-0.
The Hokies lead the overall series 28-18-4 and are 11-3-2 against the Pack in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech is 5-1 against NC State since joining the ACC, with four of the five games coming in Lane Stadium.
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