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3 takeaways from NC State’s bounce back victory against Northern Illinois
NC State’s defense got embarrassed by giving up 59 points in a loss at Clemson last week. Saturday, it bounced back in a big way.
Not only did it hold off a Northern Illinois team that beat Notre Dame in South Bend earlier this season, but it also scored 1 touchdown and set up another in helping the Wolfpack bounce back for a badly-needed 24-17 victory at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday.
It was a struggle from beginning to end, thanks to a sputtering offense that managed only 171 total yards in freshman quarterback CJ Bailey’s 2nd career start in relief of an injured Grayson McCall.
But the defense was up to the task against coach Dave Doeren’s former team with a dominating performance punctuated by Tamarcus Cooley’s game-clinching interception in the end zone on the final play.
Here are 3 takeaways from the hard-earned victory that nudged the Wolfpack back over .500 at 3-2:
Defense is the best offense
Doeren declined to release a depth chart for this week’s game, saying that every position was open for competition and hinting that changes were coming after last week’s beatdown at Clemson.
Especially on defense.
He followed up on his promise with a lineup that included 3 new starters – edge Isaiah Shirley, nickel Tamarcus Cooley and safety KT Martin. And the differences were noticeable. Granted, NIU doesn’t have as much offensive firepower as either Clemson or Tennesse, who combined to ring up 110 points against State this season. But it was a significant improvement nonetheless.
The Wolfpack recorded 4 sacks against an opponent that came into the game as one of only 5 in the FBS that had yet to allow any this season. They also had 12 TFLs, 2 interceptions and forced 4 fumbles while holding the Huskies to 279 total yards while contributing directly to 2 of the 3 touchdowns their own team scored.
The 1st came midway through the 1st half when safety DK Kaufman strip-sacked NIU quarterback Ethan Hampton, scooped up the ball and took it into the end zone for a 14-7 lead. The 2nd came just after halftime when Davin Vann knocked the ball loose from Hampton and Brandon Cleveland fell on it to set up a 1-yard touchdown pass from Bailey to KC Concepcion.
When in doubt, (fake) punt
After getting off to slow starts in each of his teams 1st 4 games, including wins against Western Carolina and Louisiana Tech, Doeren was determined not to have to play from behind again. So instead of playing it safe on the Wolfpack’s opening possession, the usually conservative coach rolled the dice.
The fans at Carter-Finley Stadium weren’t happy when State sent its punt team out onto the field on a 4th-and-1 situation from the State’s 45-yard line. Their boos quickly turned to cheers when the Wolfpack executed a fake punt that picked up a 1st down. Linebacker Sean Brown took a short snap and followed long snapper Aiden Arias for a 3-yard gain. It’s a similar play to the one Payton Wilson ran successfully during his career at State.
State took advantage of the break by finishing off an 8-play, 64-yard drive that staked it to an early 7-0 lead.
Caden Noonkester is a weapon
The punting game was a weapon all day for the Wolfpack, even when they actually kicked the ball away. Caden Noonkester played the field position game to perfection by averaging 50 yards on his 8 kicks.
But distance wasn’t his only accomplishment. Seven of those 8 punts were downed inside the 20-yard-line, forcing the Huskies and their methodical offense to negotiate long fields on all 12 of their possessions. NIU’s best starting position was its own 25-yard line after a touchback.
Noonkester picked the perfect time to have his best game of the young season. His 4 50-plus yard punts are 1 fewer than he recorded in the 1st 4 games combined. Pinning opponents deep in their own territory is nothing new for the junior. His 25 punts inside the 20 last season ranked 3rd in the ACC.
Award-winning columnist Brett Friedlander has covered the ACC and college basketball since the 1980s.