⚡ CFB Dashboard

-- A win is a win, but I'd argue NC State has more questions than answers after nearly blowing a three-score lead at home against Appalachian State, 41-31. -- Credit the Wolfpack for jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, due in large part to running back Duke Scott, who rushed eight times for 73 yards and a score in the first 15 minutes.  From there, it got weird. How can anyone justify Scott having just one carry for seven yards in the second quarter? Offensive coordinator Kurt Roper's tendency to abandon the run while State has momentum, then return to it and lean on it to protect a lead with way too much time left, won't work against ACC opponents. The start to the second half was especially brutal. Trailing 28-10, the Mountaineers scored on their opening second-half drive to cut the lead to 11. State followed with a 13-play, 69-yard drive that ended in a field goal, despite having the ball first and goal from the 6-yard line. The play calls that led to the field goal: quarterback run with Will Wilson, quarterback run with CJ Bailey, and an incomplete pass to Jojo Trader. I pointed this out in this week's Four Downs, but it's worth repeating: State's offensive line outweighed Appalachian State's defensive line by an average of nearly 50 pounds. Hand the ball off to Duke Scott three straight times -- even four -- and there's no way State shouldn't score a touchdown. From there, the defense forced a punt. With less than two minutes left in the third quarter, State could have thrown a knockout punch. Instead, Roper called a run play and two screen passes, which gained a combined four yards, and took only 1:28 off the clock.  With a third-year starting quarterback and personnel advantages all over the field, go for the jugular.  On its next drive, Bailey throws an interception. At that point, Appalachian State has all the momentum. -- Offensive line-wise, after a strong first quarter, it was up and down the rest of the way for State in the trenches. After rushing 20 times for 122 yards (6.1 yards per carry) and two scores in the first half, the Pack managed just 84 yards on 26 carries (3.2 yards per carry) in the final 30 minutes. To be fair, I thought pass protection was good most of the night, as the Mountaineers came away with only one sack and one quarterback hurry. All that said, running back Duke Scott did play well, totaling 25 carries for 148 yards and two scores. If State's offensive line wins the leverage battle up front, Scott will produce. My question is, can the Pack do so consistently against much stiffer competition? It must be a focus moving forward. -- Sticking with the offense, I don't know how anyone could say State isn't going to outscore ACC opponents to win. Obviously, Scott must be a big part of the game plan every week. I'd also say the same is the case for receiver Keenan Jackson and Preston Douglas. Both have consistently made plays for consecutive weeks. Douglas caught five passes on seven targets for 46 yards, while Jackson caught four passes on five targets for 64 yards and a touchdown against the Mountaineers. On paper, Bailey completed passes to 10 different receivers. While encouraging, some of those targets should go to your best players, which, so far, have been Douglas and Jackson. A third of the way through the season, Jackson is on pace for nearly 900 receiving yards, while Douglas is on track for over 500 yards. If that happens, both would contend for All-ACC honors.  Long story short, simplify things offensively against ACC opponents. If you lose, lose by trying to get the ball to your best players. It's pretty clear State will have to outscore ACC teams to win. Can Dave Doeren wrap his head around that idea? -- As for the aforementioned Bailey, he was solid, completing 24-of-33 passes for 252 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Those numbers came from completing high-percentage throws and checking the ball down multiple times, which is perfectly fine. But in the end, State's longest pass play of the night was a 25-yarder to Victor Snow. For comparison, the Mountaineers had completions of 27, 30, 30, and 54 yards, which is a good way to transition to the defense. -- Defensively, State stiffled the run game to the tune of 22 carries for 62 yards and two scores. Unfortunately, it again failed to generate a pass rush, allowing Appalachian State quarterback Malachi Singleton to complete 26-of-38 passes (68 percent) for 317 yards and two touchdowns. Sure, the secondary was burned for eight pass plays of 15 yards or more. But in fairness, it would be hard for any defensive backfield to overcome. State has four sacks in four games and only managed 14 quarterback hurries during that span. -- It was defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot's 16th game leading the Pack's defense -- and the ninth time his unit allowed at least 30 points. I don't think anyone will question State's lack of defensive horsepower, especially in the trenches. But the most troubling part is we're not seeing improvement against average teams at best. To my previous point, State will have to outscore tougher opponents the rest of the way. -- Lastly, credit Mike linebacker Popo Aguirre. He's not on the level of the great linebackers State's had through the years, but he plays very hard and gets everything out of his ability. The Miami transfer had a game-high 10 tackles, including one for loss. Through four games, he's recorded 37 tackles.