Postgame observations: NC State 16, Syracuse 10
NC State got its first ACC win of the season and first against Power 5 opponent tonight with a 16-10 victory against Atlantic Division rival Syracuse. Besides the performance of the Wolfpack's defense, that's about the best thing that can be said about a game in which neither team distinguished itself offensively.
Here are a few postgame observations ...
◼ Bailey Hockman didn't make anyone forget Philip Rivers, Russell Wilson or even Ryan Finley in his first start. He was 16 of 27 for 205 yards and completed five passes of 20 yards or more -- a clear improvement from the first five games with Matthew McKay under center. But he failed to get his team into the end zone, leading only three touchdown drives. The one touchdown came on a 32-yard pass from wide receiver Thayer Thomas to freshman running back Trent Pennix. Clearly, State's quarterback situation is still a major concern heading into the second half of the season ....
◼ On the plus side, Hockman, backup Devin Leary and Thomas combined to complete six passes of 20 yards or more against the Orange. That's only two fewer than the Wolfpack had in its first five games combined. The addition of a vertical passing game was a major step forward as State reaches the halfway point in the season.
"We got the W tonight, and that's what it's all about," Hockman said. "No matter how many times we scored or what the score was, we got the W."
◼ On the minus side, however, the Wolfpack is still having trouble finishing drives. Officially, State was 2 for 2 in the red zone tonight and is now 24 of 25 for the season. But that's a deceiving stat, since only 14 of those scores (and none tonight) have been touchdowns. Coach Dave Doeren implied afterward that his wide receivers aren't making the tough catches in the end zone the way Kelvin Harmon and Jakobi Meyers did last year. But the playcalling is also to blame. When you have a 6-foot-7 tight end like State does in Cary Angeline, it makes sense to try to use him in the red zone on fades and jump balls. But that hasn't happened. At least yet.
Devin Carter wrestles the ball away from Syracuse defender Eric Coley for a catch during Thursday's win
Quarterback Bailey Hockman throws a pass during the first half of Thursday's game. The sophomore threw for 205 yards in his first career start
Defensive tackle Alim McNeil wraps up Syacuse ball carrier Abdul Adams. The Wolfpack limited Syracuse to just 41 rushing yards
Linebacker Isaiah Moore takes down Syracuse ballcarrier Moe Neal for one of his 10 tackles Thursday
Wide receiver Emeka Emezie reacts to a penalty call against Syracuse during Thursday's 16-10 win
◼ Defensively, the Wolfpack put on another strong performance, limiting the Orange to 41 yards on the ground and recording eight sacks for the second straight game. The 16 sacks in back-to-back games are the most in school history. Unlike the pass rush at Florida State two weeks ago, when the line in general and Larrell Murchison in particular did most of the damage, it was blitzing linebackers that did the damage against Syracuse. Louis Acceus had three of the sacks while Brock Miller had two. Not to be left out, Murchison also had two, including one on the game's final play to seal the victory.
"It’s all (defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable) and his crazy scheming," Acceus said. "ith these blitzes he’s drawing up, everybody’s crossing here, crossing there, crossing there. Somebody’s going to end up open, so that’s how that happens."
◼ On the minus side, the defense lost cornerback Chris Ingle, the team's second-leadingg tackler. Ingram's loss is even more critical considering that the other starting corner, Nick McCloud, hasn't played since the season opener against East Carolina because of injury. Ingle's absence was noticeable late in the game, when Syracuse quarterback Tommy DeVito finally started finding a rhythm. He threw for 127 of his 300 yards in the fourth quarter and got some help in the form of two pass interference penalties by safety Kishawn Miller on the Orange's only touchdown drive of the night.
"I thought it was a great win for our guys. I’m really proud of them," coach Dave Doeren said afterward. "I thought they showed a lot of grit, a lot of determination. Syracuse kept hanging in there. They are a good football team, and like I told them all week, ACC football is four-quarter football. You have to be ready to play every second of the clock and that’s what it took today."
No, it wasn't pretty and yes, the Wolfpack has a lot of rough edges to smooth out -- especially on offense -- before heading to Boston College next week. But pretty or not, it got the win it needed to break the ice in the ACC and move to within two victories of bowl eligibility with half the season still remaining.
