Grading NC State's Defense in the Notre Dame Loss
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RALEIGH — NC State's defense held together as long as it could against Notre Dame. As the offense sputtered out of control in the second half, the Wolfpack was on the field far too much and ultimately collapsed under the pressure, losing 36-7.
With defensive coordinator DJ Eliot back in the mix, the unit looked more cohesive in the first half than it did against Virginia Tech two weeks before. Despite all of the injuries the group dealt with, the defense held its own and prevented the Irish offense from scoring more than 10 points in the first half.
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 the Fighting Irish
The Secondary
- Redshirt freshman safety Asaad Brown Jr. - 65.7
- Junior cornerback Jamel Johnson - 74.6
- Senior cornerback Devon Marshall - 72.8
- Redshirt freshman safety Ronnie Royal III - 64.9
- Sophomore cornerback Brian Nelson II - 62.8
- Graduate senior safety JJ Johnson - 60.0
- Junior nickel Jackson Vick - 44.8
The usual standouts for NC State's secondary performed well against a solid group of Fighting Irish pass catchers. Royal was the surprise of the group after being pulled in and out of the starting lineup for the last few games. He finished with a 91.3 run defense score and did not miss a tackle in the game. Nelson finished with the most missed tackles on the team, ending with a pair on his only two opportunities.
The Linebackers
- Graduate senior JACK Cian Slone - 62.7
- Graduate senior JACK Tra Thomas - 61.7
- Graduate senior weakside linebacker Caden Fordham - 60.7
- Redshirt freshman middle linebacker Zane Williams - 53.7
- Graduate senior middle linebacker Kenny Soares Jr. - 52.8
- Sophomore linebacker Kelvon McBride - 50.5
The Wolfpack linebackers fought hard against an elite Fighting Irish rushing attack, but the extended stay on the field due to the offense's inability to move the ball in the second half hurt the PFF scores. With Sean Brown out, Williams stepped in for some rotational work at the middle linebacker spot and proved himself as a solid tackler in the eyes of PFF, ending with a tackle grade of 74.8.
The Defensive Line
- Graduate senior defensive end Sabastian Harsh - 79.5
- Sophomore defensive tackle Isaiah Shirley - 64.2
- Senior nose tackle Brandon Cleveland - 61.6
- Redshirt freshman defensive end Chase Bond - 61.5
- Freshman nose tackle Josiah Victor - 56.5
- Graduate senior defensive tackle Travali Price - 47.6
- Graduate senior defensive tackle Chazz Wallace - 40.4
Harsh proved himself against one of the nation's most consistent programs when it comes to offensive line talent. He finished with three hurries of freshman quarterback CJ Carr, but was the only standout of the day for the line. Price struggled mightily and missed a tackle. The time of possession hurt the defensive line as the game moved on, ruining some of the scores across the board.
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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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