The Downside- NC State | Syracusefan.com

The Downside- NC State

SWC75

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- At home, we’re 3-3 with an average score of 30-23, including three games against ranked teams. On the road we are 0-5 with an average score of 26-43. USF, Florida State, Louisville and NC State seemed like all the same game.

- The worst thing was our running defense and our tackling. Look at State’s top running backs and their yards per carry: Reggie Gallasby 6.2, Dakwa Nichols 6.5, Nyheim Hines 11.7, Jaylen Samuels 7.8. Half of that was after first contact. We had some big plays but they had more consistently good ones, which is why they had 27 first downs to 15. For the year the other team now has 62 more first downs than we do. Take out Rhode Island and we are –83 in ten games.

- I have a brother and we are very different people. My parents always used to say of that if they could combine us into one person, our combined virtues would make quite a person. I’d love to combine the strength of Zack Mahoney’s arm and his deftness with the option with Eric Dungey’s catchable throws and athleticism. We had several plays where receivers were running open deep downfield and Zack threw line drives that went over their heads. Those could have been big plays in this game. Dungey was much better at getting his passes up in the air and letting the receiver catch up with them. But he’s terrible on the sideline throws. Just not enough zip.

- Other than Jordan Frederick’s big burst, we ran for 65 yards on 32 carries. So much for thinking that the Clemson game meant we were a really good running team. The “Iron Wolves” had seen films of that game and they were ready for the triple option, except for that one play.

- I and the other remaining hold-outs can make all the arguments we want for keeping Shafer but as the losses continue to mount, we are swimming upstream. You’ve got to win to keep your job. It’s not enough to “fight your tail off”. We don’t have tails, coach.

- Shafer didn’t help his case with his bizarre decision making. He ended his last radio call-in show by saying “I want one thing- to possess the football and keep it out of Jacoby Brissett’s hands. I want to take it down the field and score.” And then he defers to the second half and sees NC State take it down the field to score. We come right back but with 4th and inches from the goal line, down 0-7 as a road underdog that desperately needs a win, he kicks the field goal, (we have 35 red zone scores this season but 15 of them have been field goals.) The Wolfpack comes right back to score again and are in complete command 3-14.

- Later, we twice try for two in situations that didn’t seem to call for it and wind up with 29 points instead of 31. It didn’t matter. It was just…weird. It’s like Roger Goodell. AS bunch of decisions but what do they add up to. Is there some kind of pattern there?

- It was a disappointingly chippy game, with two players thrown out and Shafer flagged for the second week in a row. Obviously the pressure of all the losses is getting to be heavy lifting for this team.
 

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