Touchdown Review: Rogers Sends Carter-Finley Stadium Into a Frenzy

How Noah Rogers was able to score an electric 75-yard touchdown against the Orange

Aug 29, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren between his players before the first half of the game against Western Carolina Catamounts at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

One of the most exciting plays in the 2024 season was the second touchdown against the Syracuse Orange in a 24-17 loss for the Wolfpack. CJ Bailey scrambled around in the pocket and found wide-out Noah Rogers for a 75-yard touchdown, sending Carter-Finley Stadium into a frenzy. 

Nov 21, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey (16) runs the ball for a touchdown against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

That electric play is next on the “Touchdown Review” series, in which the Wolfpack’s touchdowns from a season ago are broken down using All-22 film. 

Second Touchdown against Syracuse 

The Wolfpack is in a 1x3 formation with the tripped side lined up on the wide side of the field, signaling that as the strong side of the formation. The back is lined up on the single receiver side. 

Syracuse responds with a dime look (six defensive backs), with a light box with only five players. Regarding how they line up, it’s a simple three-down linemen look, with the two backers covering the remaining gaps. The defensive backs look to be in a sort of man coverage as each receiver has a defender capping them off, with one deep safety on the left hash. 

The ball is snapped, and the Orange drops back into a two-deep safety coverage with both corners playing soft zones with their eyes on the quarterback, signaling a cover-two coverage. Syracuse only decides to rush three, giving Bailey more time to decide. 

The Wolfpack runs a simple levels concept with a high and low in route, with a corner by the single receiver, but the multiple middle zones cover it up. With no options available, Bailey decides to scramble to his right.  

Rogers makes a great play, as he sees Bailey start to scramble, he performs an excellent scramble drill (re-routing when his quarterback scrambles), by going upfield to make his defender make a tough decision. Either follow him up the field or contain the scrambling quarterback. The defensive back should stay with Rogers in this situation, but he doesn’t. 

Rogers springs open down the sideline, and Bailey makes a great throw on the run to hit Rogers to give him room to run, and he does. He sprints 75 yards to the endzone, leaving the Orange in the dust. 

Syracuse had the better play call on this particular play. Playing zone to keep everything in front of them and making a tackle, if the contain was kept, Bailey would’ve been forced to check it down or throw it away, but Bailey improvised, and it worked out. 

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