Quick hits from NC State's win over Louisiana Tech

Here are quick hits and notes from NC State football’s 34-27 win over Louisiana Tech at Carter-Finley Stadium Saturday night in front of a crowd of 51,064 fans on a pleasant evening.

Louisiana Tech came into Saturday evening statistically one of the poorer defenses in the country, so the expectations were that the NC State offense should move the football. The Bulldogs were allowing 485.0 yards per contest prior to arriving in Raleigh.

Yet at halftime, NC State looked mostly sluggish and flat on offense.

Perhaps it was a late drive in the final 38 seconds of the first half that yielded a field goal to put NC State up for good at 13-10 with two seconds left in the second quarter that may have ignited the offense.

Or maybe the halftime talk from the coaches.

Whatever it was, there was a noticeable difference in intensity and production after halftime, especially in the running game led by junior Ricky Person Jr. and sophomore Zonovan "Bam" Knight, who finished with a combined 28 carries for 175 yards and two scores.

Whereas the offense showed noticeable spark in the second half, it appeared that NC State's defense wore down, allowing Louisiana Tech to answer every Wolfpack score in the second half on the ensuing Bulldogs' drive.

Here is a statistical breakdown of the defense between halves.

Players in the 2020 and 2021 classes, both listed as freshmen on the roster because eligibility was frozen a year ago, can play up to four games and preserve their redshirt status.

The following players in the freshmen class with asterisks by their names played on Saturday.

We will keep track of this list throughout the season to see who burns their redshirt. Thus far, receiver Porter Rooks, receiver Anthony Smith, defensive lineman Davin Vann and cornerback Aydan White have officially played more than four games and cannot redshirt.

Receiver Porter Rooks (class of 2020) — 5 games played*

Receiver Anthony Smith (class of 2020) — 5*

Defensive lineman Davin Vann (class of 2020) — 5*

Cornerback Aydan White (class of 2020) — 5*

Safety Devan Boykin (class of 2020) — 4

Nickel Joshua Pierre-Louis (class of 2020) — 4*

Linebacker Devon Betty (class of 2020) — 3

Quarterback Ben Finley (class of 2020) -— 3

Receiver Julian Gray (class of 2021) — 3

Linebacker Caden Fordham (class of 2021) — 3*

Linebacker Jayland Parker (class of 2020) — 3

Tight end Ezemdi Udoh (class of 2021) — 3*

Safety Sean Brown (class of 2021) — 2

Receiver Jalen Coit (class of 2020) — 2

Center Lyndon Cooper (class of 2021) — 2

Receiver Joshua Crabtree (class of 2020) — 2

Defensive lineman Claude Larkins (class of 2020) — 2

Offensive lineman Patrick Matan (class of 2020) — 2

Cornerback Nate Evans (class of 2021) — 1

Quarterback Aaron McLaughlin (class of 2021) — 1

Running back Demie Sumo (class of 2021) — 1*

With the Cincinnati Bengals having played (and won) Thursday evening, a couple of former Pack players on the team — defensive tackle B.J. Hill and linebacker Germaine Pratt — were at the game.

Also seen at the game was former Pack pro and ACC Defensive Player of the Year, linebacker Levar Fisher.

The heralded men's and women's swimming teams were recognized during the contest, as was Olympic silver medalist and NC State rifle alum Lucas Kozeniesky.

In recruiting, a pair of top in-state juniors were spotted.

NC State is 4-1 and concludes its regular season out of conference slate at 3-1. The Pack has now won both games it has played against Louisiana Tech.

Head coach Dave Doeren is 27-6 against non-conference teams during the regular season in his nine seasons at NC State (he's 30-9 if you include bowl games), with only one loss coming at home — East Carolina in his first season.

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