Defensive Grades For NC State's Ugly Loss To Miami
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RALEIGH — While NC State's defense allowed 34 of the 41 points to Miami in Saturday's ugly loss, the unit didn't have much say in the way the game played out. Because of the turnovers from sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey and the offense's inability to get anything going, the Hurricanes put the Wolfpack defense on the field for 36 minutes of the game.
The group battled, but was overmatched by Miami's high-powered playmakers, including freshman wide receiver Malachi Toney.
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 Defensive Performance
The Linebackers (With 10-plus snaps)
- Graduate senior weakside linebacker Caden Fordham - 64.6
- Graduate senior JACK linebacker Tra Thomas - 60.9
- Graduate senior JACK linebacker Cian Slone - 60.8
- Graduate senior middle linebacker Kenny Soares Jr. - 51.8
- Freshman outside linebacker Ke'Von Carter - 50.7
Fordham played hard in yet another loss, leading the team with 11 total tackles, seven of which were solo takedowns. He had six 'stops' according to PFF, also the most for the Wolfpack in the loss. He fell on a fumble in the first quarter. Outside of Fordham, it was a lackluster performance by the rest of the group.
Thomas was the only member of the group to complete the game without missing a tackle, but he played just 17 snaps in the loss. He finished the game with just one tackle. PFF still has Slone sliding down the stretch, as the veteran linebacker posted third grade below 65 in four weeks.
The Secondary
- Senior cornerback Devon Marshall - 78.2
- Redshirt freshman safety Ronnie Royal III - 63.4
- Senior cornerback Jamel Johnson. - 57.0
- Freshman safety Tristan Teasdell - 55.4
- Redshirt freshman safety Jivan Baly - 54.4
- Sophomore cornerback Brian Nelson II - 44.7
- Junior nickel Jackson Vick - 35.1
Marshall continued to excel as the Wolfpack's top cornerback against some of the best competition he'll face all season. He finished the game with a pass breakup and four tackles, including one hit that forced the fumble recovered by Fordham.
The rest of the group was somewhat disorganized. Nelson's struggles continued, as he was outmuscled and beaten deep on a handful of occasions. Vick finished with the lowest grade out of all of the defensive players after allowing three receptions, including a 29-yard touchdown to Elija Lofton.
Defensive Line
- Graduate senior defensive tackle Chazz Wallace - 69.5
- Senior nose tackle Brandon Cleveland - 66.7
- Junior defensive end Joseph Adedire - 66.0
- Graduate senior defensive tackle Travali Price - 64.2
- Sophomore defensive tackle Isaiah Shirley - 60.2
- Graduate senior defensive end Sabastian Harsh - 54.3
- Redshirt freshman defensive end Chase Bond - 53.2
- Freshman defensive tackle Josiah Victor - 41.7
Outside of Bond's sack of Carson Beck in the first half, Miami's elite offensive line dominated the Wolfpack defensive line. The Hurricanes rushed for 214 yards without starting running back Mark Fletcher Jr. Beck had plenty of time to throw throughout the game. While it wasn't Harsh's worst performance of the season, he didn't make his usual impact.
Cleveland left the game with an injury but still finished with four tackles. That put Victor into the mix and he was not ready for the size and speed of the Miami offensive line, which overpowered the young tackle throughout the game.
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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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