Wolfpack Rewind: A Defining Victory
The true identity of this year's NC State football team was still very much in question when it began Saturday's game at No. 24 Pittsburgh.
Was the Wolfpack the team that looked so good in beating Wake Forest in its opening game? Or was it the group that got manhandled so soundly on the road at Virginia Tech just one week later?
They're questions coach Dave Doeren and his team answered emphatically with a gritty, come-from-behind 30-29 win at Heinz Field. It was the kind of victory that could help cleanse the palate of a team trying to forget last year's 4-8 disappointment and become the springboard to a successful 2020 season.
Here's a look back at the good, the bad and the offbeat from a defining afternoon in Pittsburgh:
THE GOOD
There were simply too many meaningful individual performances to single out just one, so let's go with the collective resiliency and character the Wolfpack showed in a game it wouldn't have won a year ago. It's a tenacity that embodied itself in several ways. Among them were the offensive line bouncing back from a forgettable performance at Virginia Tech to win the battle of the trenches against Pitt's highly-touted defensive front; the defense shaking off an early 75-yard touchdown, a depleted secondary and an overturned pick six to make big plays every time its team needed one (including an amazing four-play goal line stand); and then of course quarterback Devin Leary and his offense driving 80 yards on eight plays in the final 1:44 to erase a five-point deficit and win the game.
THE BAD
Even with the extenuating circumstance of six defensive backs being sidelined by either injury, contact tracing or ejection for targeting, as in the case of true freshman Joshua Pierre-Louis, it's still never a positive when you give up 411 yards though the air. Pitt's Kenny Pickett not only rang up a big total, but he got it in big chunks with competions of 75, 50, 45 and 37 yards.
THE OFFBEAT
In order to help keep a Pitt pass rush that had recorded 17 sacks in its first three games away from Leary, offensive coordinator Tim Beck devised an effective scheme to use the Panthers' aggressiveness against them. It centered around the use of a hard count that lured Pitt into five off side penalties in the first half. Not only did the strategy help the Wolfpack steal some extra yardage -- and in one case, a third down conversaion -- but it also bought Leary more time to throw by forcing Pitt's defenders to wait an extra split second to make sure the ball was snapped before coming off the line.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
It took three games for Devin Leary to finally get his first start of the 2020 season, but it turned out to be worth the wait. He made an early statement by taking the Wolfpack 75 yards on 17 plays to answer Pitt's quick early score. He then finished the job by keeping his cool and driving his team for two come-from-behind touchdown drives in the fourth quarter -- including the game-winner. For the game, the redshirt sophomore completed 28 of 44 passes for 336 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.
STAT OF THE WEEK
State converted all three of its red zone opportunities against Pittsburgh, scoring touchdowns on each occasion. The Wolfpack is now a perfect 12 for 12 in producing point on possessions inside the opposition's 20-yard line, with 11 touchdowns. What makes this season's success so impressive is that a year ago, State ranked 67th nationally in red zone conversions 92nd nationally in red zone touchdowns.
UNSUNG HERO
Tanner Ingle missed last week's game at Virginia Tech with an injury and needed medical attention on at least three occasions for a variety of ailments on Saturday. But knowing how thin the Wolfpack was in the secondary and how important he is to the defense, the senior safety kept coming back into the game and contributing. The co-capatin led both by example and on the stat sheet -- recording a team-high nine tackles with a pair of pass breakups.
INJURY REPORT
The Wolfpack played without cornerback Chris Ingram and safeties Rakeim Ashford and Khalid Martin, along with several others in contract tracing quarantine. Of those that went down during the game, backup offensive tackle Timothy McKay and defensive tackle C.J. Clark appeared to be the worst with problem involving their left leg. As earlier noted, Ingle also suffered a number of bumps and bruises while defensive end Terrell Dawkins also had an issue that required attention from trainers.
THEY SAID IT
"Last week we didn’t put exactly what we wanted to on the field, and it was really disappointing for us and our coaches. We knew that we had to come out and put our brand of football on display. I think we did a good job of doing that." Sophomore linebacker Drake Thomas
"We’ve been waiting for him to become the guy. We’ve always known what his arm was. This team believes in him. You can see it in the locker room. They rally around him. He’s just calm and poised. He’s got a really, really good arm. He’s a tough kid and he really played a heck of a football game. I’m very proud of him and very happy for him." Coach Dave Doeren
NEXT UP
The Wolfpack will head back to the Commonwealth of Virginia for the second time in three weeks next Saturday when it travels to Charlottesville to take on the Virginia Cavaliers. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.
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