NC State’s 41-31 win over Appalachian State came with a clear message on defense: DJ Eliot trusted his starters, especially in the secondary, and the snap counts showed it.
Cornerback Brian Nelson II was on the field for every one of the Wolfpack’s 63 defensive snaps. Jaren Sensabaugh matched that heavy workload with 58 snaps, while safeties Tristan Teasdell and Ronnie Royal III also logged 58 apiece.
Nickel Jackson Vick wasn’t far behind at 52. Compared with the rotations NC State has used at times early this season, Saturday night looked a lot more settled on the back end.
The same kind of clarity showed up at linebacker, and more specifically at WILL. With captain AJ Richardson out for the season after his injury in the opener against Virginia, the job has been in flux.
Bailey Benson started against Richmond. Jordan Moreta got the nod against Vanderbilt.
Then against Appalachian State, Da’Kaari Nelson finally got his shot.
Nelson, who had not played a defensive snap in either of the first two games, started against the Mountaineers and handled a career-high 35 snaps. He finished with three tackles, one Tackle for Loss, one Pass Breakup and one Quarterback Hurry. Moreta played eight snaps, and Benson was on the field for just one.
That kind of usage makes Nelson the most intriguing development from the night. The snap split strongly suggests he may have moved into position to keep the job.
Up front, the defensive end rotation kept churning. NC State has already started three different defensive ends through four games, and Saturday brought Joseph Adedire back into the starting role after he opened the season against Virginia.
Still, the start didn’t translate into the biggest workload. Adedire played 25 snaps, while Chase Bond logged 30.
Adrian Farrow also has had his turn with the first unit this year. None of the Wolfpack’s defensive ends recorded a tackle against Appalachian State.
At nose guard, the picture remains just as unsettled. KaTron Evans started and played 19 snaps, Josiah Victor was right behind him with 21, and Omarian Abraham added 17. Through four games, DJ Eliot has kept rotating bodies inside, and Saturday followed that same pattern.
The safety rotation, though, was the sharpest change from NC State’s previous outing. In Nashville against Vanderbilt, Brody Barnhardt played 24 snaps and King Mack played 27.
Against Appalachian State, both were limited to five snaps. The Wolfpack instead leaned heavily on Royal and Teasdell.
In all, NC State used 25 defenders in the win, but the biggest story was how little the defense spread things around in the secondary and how much Da’Kaari Nelson did with his long-awaited chance at WILL.
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CJ Baileys Early Slide Is Fueling A Real NC State Debate
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Bailey has had the sort of stretch that invites debate because each outing seems to point in a different direction. He opened poorly at Virginia, followed with a strong performance against Richmond, then had a costly late fumble at Vanderbilt before turning in solid but uneven play against Appalachian State. For NC State, the question is no longer whether Bailey has shown promise. It is whether the next stretch of the season will start to look more like his best moments, or keep the conversation focused on the inconsistency that has pulled his stock down. [Read more 🡒]