NC State got out of Louisville with a 31-28 win on Saturday and its first ACC victory of the season, but the tape told a pretty rough story.
The Wolfpack’s tackling was the headline problem. Dave Doeren said NC State missed 23 tackles against the Cardinals, more than it had missed in the previous four games combined. Pro Football Focus had the number at 20, which still marked NC State’s highest total since a game against Memphis in last season’s bowl.
Either way, it was a huge jump from what the defense had shown early in the year. NC State had missed only seven tackles against Appalachian State, then nearly tripled that total against Louisville.
The damage showed up fast. Louisville ran for 231 yards on just 25 carries, a ridiculous 9.2 yards per attempt.
Isaac Brown piled up 125 yards on nine carries, and Keyjuan Brown added 88 yards on eight tries. The Cardinals finished with 485 yards of total offense and wiped out a 14-point second-half NC State lead.
The Wolfpack still escaped because it forced three turnovers, but the missed tackles were a major reason Louisville stayed alive.
Jackson Vick was the one defender who stood out for all the wrong reasons in the PFF chart. The starting nickel was charged with five missed tackles, the most on the team against Louisville. Ronnie Royal III had three, while Harvey Dyson III, Chase Bond and King Mack each had two.
For Vick, that outing was an outlier. Those five missed tackles were his only ones of the season. Dyson, meanwhile, now leads NC State with six missed tackles through five games.
Even so, Dyson came through with one of the biggest plays of the day. When Keyjuan Brown broke free for a 49-yard run in the fourth quarter, Dyson chased him down from behind and forced a fumble before Louisville could cash in. NC State recovered and eventually put together the drive that ended with the game-winning field goal.
Now the challenge gets more uncomfortable. Wake Forest is next, and the Demon Deacons have several players who can make defenders miss in space.
Quarterback Gio Lopez has already forced 14 missed tackles as a runner, which ranks third among ACC quarterbacks. Running back Deuce Lawrence has forced 12. Wide receiver Carlos Hernandez has forced 13, the most by any receiver in the ACC.
That is not exactly the matchup NC State wants after its worst tackling day of the season. The Wolfpack survived against Louisville by winning the turnover battle and doing enough on offense to hang on in a shootout. Banking on that again is a dangerous way to live.
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Wake Forest Has The Firepower To Test NC State Saturday
Wake Forests offense has enough established playmakers to make Saturday a meaningful test for NC State, starting with senior quarterback Gio Lopez and senior wideout Carlos Hernandez. Lopez has settled in as the centerpiece of the attack, while Hernandez has been one of the leagues more productive pass catchers and a reliable chain-mover. Add in the balance provided by the rest of the roster, and the Demon Deacons arrive with a group that has been good enough this season to demand full attention from a Wolfpack defense trying to keep pace in ACC play.
The challenge for NC State goes beyond just the obvious names on offense. Wake Forest also has defenders making noise, including linebacker Firenze, defensive end Langston Hardy and safety Davaughn Patterson, each of whom has contributed to a unit that has shown improvement and climbed into the mix in conference rankings. For the Wolfpack, the matchup is a reminder that this is not simply about containing one side of the ball. Wake Forest has enough firepower on both ends to turn Saturday into a real evaluation of where NC State stands. [Read more 🡒]
Harvey Dyson Is Becoming A Defensive Spark NC State Fans Needed
Harvey Dysons arrival has given NC States defense a jolt at a time when it could use one. The former Tulane transfer made his presence felt in a recent game against Louisville, finishing with three tackles, a sack, 1.5 tackles for loss and the kind of forceful play that can swing momentum in a hurry. It was the sort of outing that stood out not just on the stat sheet, but in the eyes of head coach Dave Doeren and captain Popo Aguirre, who both pointed to Dysons impact and leadership.
Through five games, Dyson has already become one of the more noticeable additions to the Wolfpack front. For a defense looking for reliable energy and timely disruption, he has offered both, and then some. The bigger question now is how far his role can grow as NC State moves deeper into the season, especially with his knack for showing up in the middle of game-changing moments. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Faces A Real Test Against Wake Forest's Hottest Threat
Wake Forest heads into its rivalry matchup with NC State riding a stretch that has put quarterback Gio Lopez squarely in the spotlight. He was a key factor in the Demon Deacons recent success, including a strong outing against Stanford, and his play has helped give Wake Forest a steadier offensive identity as it works through the ups and downs that usually define this stage of the season.
For the Wolfpack, that makes this game a meaningful early measuring stick. Both programs have shown strengths and weaknesses, and coaches on each side have already pointed to the competitiveness of the matchup as the central theme. With Lopez playing at a high level and NC State trying to sort out its own answers, this rivalry has the feel of a game where every possession could matter. [Read more 🡒]