Breaking Down NC State’s Week 4 Offensive Grades
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RALEIGH, N.C. -- After surviving one road trip, NC State couldn't handle back-to-back trips to hostile environments, falling to the Duke Blue Devils 45-33 in Durham on Saturday. The loss ended the Wolfpack's winning streak at three games.
While the defense struggled to contain the Blue Devils in the second half, the offense fell victim to self-inflicted wounds and mental lapses. Despite scoring 33 points, things looked out of sorts for the Wolfpack throughout the game.
Pro Football Focus grades each member of the team's performance during the game. The model takes into account every play in the game and adds it all up to create the player's total grade. Any grade from the 70s to 80s is considered a good performance. The 60s are average. Below 60 would be poor, and above 80 would be elite.
How PFF viewed NC State's performance against Duke
The Wide Receivers
- Junior Ashton Locklear - 43.8
- Freshman Teddy Hoffmann - 51.5
- Sophomore Keenan Jackson - 59.2
- Sophomore Noah Rogers - 67.5
- Junior Ethan Dowdy - 58.1
- Sophomore Terrell Anderson - 84.4
Anderson was the star of the show for the Wolfpack offensively. He finished with six catches for 166 yards and hauled in a pair of touchdowns, including a screen pass he took 75 yards to the end zone in the first quarter of the game.
Anderson's performance was consistent throughout the night, as the sophomore dominated on short, medium, and deep routes throughout the game for the Wolfpack. Rogers, Jackson and Hoffmann were the only other wide receivers to record catches in the loss, with Rogers hauling in three for 48 yards.
The Tight Ends
- Senior Cody Hardy - 78.3
- Senior Justin Joly - 76.0
- Senior Dante Daniels - 68.2
The top three tight ends for the Wolfpack performed admirably in the loss. Hardy continued his incredible run blocking, posting a 70.7 run block score. He finished behind Joly in that category, however, as Joly finished the game with a 74.8 score. Joly finished the game with the second-highest receiving output on the team, ending with 63 yards on five catches. Daniels provided some nice blocking depth in his 14 snaps.
The Offensive Line
- Junior left tackle Jacarrius Peak - 74.3
- Sophomore right tackle Teague Andersen - 68.1
- Senior left guard Anthony Carter Jr. - 63.6
- Sophomore guard Kamen Smith - 61.4
- Senior center Jalen Grant - 54.9
- Freshman guard Spike Sowells Jr. - 53.3
- Junior guard Val Erickson - 50.6
Another week, another struggle for the right guard position on the NC State offensive line. The team rotated Smith and Erickson at the spot, with the former performing better in his 39 snaps in the eyes of PFF. Erickson was a disaster in pass protection, posting a 39.7 pass blocking grade.
Peak had an excellent day in pass protection, posting a 79.9 pass block grade. As for blocking for the running backs, the offensive line performed poorly across the board, with the three tight ends outblocking the entire offensive line in the eyes of PFF.
The Running Backs
- Sophomore Hollywood Smothers - 67.6
- Redshirt freshman Duke Scott - 69.1
Smothers put together another quality performance despite brutal run-blocking performances by the entire offensive line. He also finished with some impressive catches out of the backfield. Smothers reached 100 yards on the ground for the third straight game. Scott played 24 snaps and made the most of them. The redshirt freshman back posted an impressive 76.9 pass blocking grade in the game.
The Quarterbacks
- Sophomore CJ Bailey - 52.9
- Freshman Will Wilson - 74.8
The Wolfpack utilized Bailey's freshman backup twice and Wilson capitalized on those opportunities. He ran for two yards and two touchdowns. Bailey's performance was a far cry from the ones he put together in the first three weeks. The game depended on his ability to make plays downfield and he failed to do that consistently. The three interceptions and the fumble led to his grade plummeting, but the quarterback never lost confidence after the turnovers.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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