Reviewing Grades for NC State's Offense Against Virginia Tech
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RALEIGH — After starting the 2025 season with three straight wins, NC State dropped its second game in a row, losing 23-21 to Virginia Tech in front of a home crowd at Carter-Finley Stadium.
It was the Wolfpack's worst offensive performance since the season opener against East Carolina. NC State scored over 30 points in each game, but ECU won, showing a potent offense when it needed one against Virginia and Wake Forest. The Hokies stymied the Wolfpack throughout the night and had major success containing the previously dominant rushing attack.
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 Virginia Tech
The Wide Receivers
- Sophomore Keenan Jackson: 52.9
- Sophomore Noah Rogers: 54.8
- Sophomore Terrell Anderson: 71.7
- Freshman Teddy Hoffmann: 47.4
- Senior Wesley Grimes: 53.5
It was a fairly weak performance from the NC State receiver group outside of Anderson, who continued to show stellar form for the second straight game. He finished with four receptions for 65 yards, while Jackson scored the group's only touchdown of the night. Since Hoffmann's monster performance in the season opener, in which he received an 86.7 grade, he's struggled mightily. It's been four straight games below 60 on the grading scale and the freshman has looked like what he is: inexperienced.
The Tight Ends
- Senior Justin Joly: 71.4
- Senior Cody Hardy: 41.8
- Senior Dante Daniels: 79.4
Because of the team's inability to run the ball, Hardy's score dropped significantly for the first time in the season. The veteran showcased tremendous run blocking ability throughout the first four games, but his rating dropped to 41.2 in the loss to Virginia Tech. Daniels played just six snaps, but caught his first pass of the season for a touchdown. Joly played one of his strongest games so far, finishing with six grabs for 60 yards. However, he too struggled with his run blocking, scoring 51.1 for the game.
The Offensive Line
- Freshman offensive guard Spike Sowells: 58.4
- Senior offensive guard Anthony Carter: 62.6
- Senior center Jalen Grant: 66.0
- Sophomore right tackle Teague Andersen: 61.9
- Junior left tackle Jacarrius Peak: 67.7
The offensive line let down sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey in the loss. The signal caller was sacked four times in the first half and five times in the game. Sowells played significant snaps at right guard but struggled throughout the game in running situations. Out of the entire group, only Grant finished the game with a run blocking score over 60. Despite finishing with solid scores, Peak and Andersen both struggled on the edges against the Hokie defense.
The Running Backs
- Sophomore Hollywood Smothers: 62.4
- Redshirt freshman Duke Scott: 73.0
Smothers finished the game with his lowest PFF grade of the season. Virginia Tech bottled up the star running back, but some of the issues weren't his fault. The offense struggled to create holes and Smothers was often met in the backfield before being able to make defenders miss. Scott scored his first touchdown of the season and his young career, barreling in for a score on one of his three carries. Overall, the Wolfpack was held to just 59 yards on the ground, far and away the lowest output of the season in that category.
Quarterbacks
- Sophomore CJ Bailey: 73.3
- Freshman Will Wilson: 76.9
Bailey looked like a quarterback under siege the entire night. Despite taking five sacks, most of which weren't his fault, the quarterback kept his team in the game to the best of his ability. He finished an efficiency rating of 155.2 and a passer score of 73.8, but simply couldn't lead his team down the field at the end of the game. Wilson ran his usual short yardage plays with the offense, finishing with eight yards on three carries.
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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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