Defense wins the day: 3 takeaways from NC State football’s win over Northern Illinois

With the clock winding down to zero, Tamarcus Cooley leapt up in the end zone with his hands out, and players from both teams in pursuit of Northern Illinois quarterback Ethan Hampton’s pass jockeyed for position.

The N.C. State nickelback got his hands on the ball and pulled it out of the air. He fell onto the red grass. Game — and NIU’s comeback attempt — over.

N.C. State defeated Northern Illinois, 24-17, on Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium to win its final nonconference game in its best overall performance of the season.

The Wolfpack (3-2, 0-1 ACC) jumped out to an early lead after quarterback CJ Bailey scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown 8:45 into the game. That was the earliest in a game N.C. State has scored this season. It added 10 points in the second quarter and led at halftime for the first time this fall.

Northern Illinois (2-2, 0-1 Mid-American) kept things close and never let the game spiral out of control. It trailed by no more than 10 points and recorded 183 yards on 10 explosive plays.

NIU prides itself on being a hard-nosed program unafraid of teams that are in Power Four conferences, as evidenced by a win earlier this season over Notre Dame. There’s a reason the Huskies have a wall dedicated to celebrating wins over teams on the Power Four level. That’s exactly the kind of matchup Northern Illinois brought to Raleigh.

Like a dog with a bone, the Huskies played with aggression and determination on both sides. They were unafraid to take risks on offense — just look at the pressure they put on Bailey — or go nose-to-nose with the Wolfpack defense.

“I love these guys, but I also love what our program stands for — toughness. We’re back to that (in practice), and we’ll see if it shows up on Saturday,” N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren said earlier this week. “That’s what this is all about. Each game is a test. It’s a mental test, physical test, an emotional test.”

Safety DK Kaufman was the star of the show. He scored on a turnover, added four tackles and assisted on special teams.

Beyond Kaufman, N.C. State finally looked more like itself — especially on defense. It finished with four sacks, 12 tackles for loss, two interceptions, six pass breakups, nine quarterback hurries and four forced fumbles.

Bailey started at quarterback for the second straight game and opened the contest 5-of-5 passing for 54 yards. His stat line included 14- and 34-yard passes to receiver Noah Rogers. The rookie finished 13 of 20 for 108 yards and one touchdown. He rushed for 22 yards and one score.

“I told our team, ‘This going to be a team that comes in here, and you’re going to have to fight to win this game, and they are not going to do anything other than try to take your heart,’” Doeren said. “I’m proud of the way we responded. There’s a lot of things we gotta do better, but when you get four takeaways on defense, you don’t turn the ball over on offense, and you punt the ball the way we did, you’re going to win a lot of games. That’s the first of an eight-game stretch here, two more at home in a row. I’m excited about the improvement, and I look forward to working on the things we need to work on tomorrow.”

Here are three takeaways from the Wolfpack’s home win.

Wolfpack slows down the run

N.C. State couldn’t fully stop the Northern Illinois rushing game, but it slowed things down and the Pack’s defense was much improved from three of its past four games.

NIU star running back Antario Brown finished with 114 yards, but was scoreless. As a team, the Huskies recorded 119 rushing yards for 2.7 yards per attempt. Those numbers were far below Northern Illinois’ season average and much better than the Wolfpack’s previous defensive numbers in the category.

“We were physically tough in that football game,” Doeren said. “We strained, and, obviously, defensively, they shut down a really good running back. That kid’s a good player. He’s going to play a long time.”

Entering the matchup, N.C. State ranked No. 93 in rushing defense (167.8 yards per game) and No. 106 in total defense (414.5 ypg). Louisiana Tech was the only opponent the Pack had held under 100 rushing yards.

Meanwhile, NIU entered the game ranked No. 23 in rushing offense (222.3 ypg). The team expected the Huskies to test it in that department.

“There are a lot of edges in their run game. They do a good job making you defend a lot of formations,” Doeren said earlier in the week. “There’s a lot of eye candy, a lot of blocking schemes, a lot of bodies in misdirection with it. Obviously, off of that stuff comes naked and play actions and screens. Then, third down is third down. They do a great job with their system. They understand who they are.”

It still gave up one rushing touchdown and six explosive rushing plays for 93 yards, but the Wolfpack should be pleased with what it put on film this week.

NIU wins on third down

The Huskies dominated up front on both sides of the ball, controlling the line of scrimmage on third- and fourth-down opportunities.

Northern Illinois started the game 2 for 3 on third down in the first quarter and 4 for 8 in the half. Despite the game’s physicality, NIU was 7 for 17 on third down in its loss.

On the other side, N.C. State showed its ongoing struggles. It went 0 for 2 on third down in the first quarter and 0 for 5 in the half.

The Wolfpack did not convert on third down until after the break, but it still found little success. N.C. State finished 1 for 11. It ranked No. 72 in the nation for third-down conversion percentage (.396), but that will likely drop after Saturday’s outing.

Doeren said part of the issue stems from first- and second-down offense. The offense needs to be more consistent on the early down and distances, so it doesn’t get caught in third-and-long situations. Statistically, those are much more difficult to convert.

This remains one of the team’s biggest weaknesses, and it really needs to change as N.C. State gets deeper into conference play. For now, Doeren understands he has a freshman in the backfield who kept things relatively clean.

“We’re putting a lot on that kid’s shoulders, a lot. I’m proud of CJ for taking care of the football today. We have a lot of growth there,” Doeren said. “I know people are upset we didn’t have enough yards this, that and the other. Don’t be mad about winning. That was a hell of a team win.”

Special teams show up big

N.C. State’s special teams squad has been respectable in the first four games, but it hasn’t been particularly great. It finally had a big day against the Huskies.

Punter Caden Noonkester averaged just 37 yards per punt before the game. He recorded 398 yards on eight punts, averaging 49.8 per attempt. Noonkester’s resume against the Huskies boasted four punts of at least 50 yards, including a 58-yard kick.

“It’s huge anytime you can flip the field like that,” linebacker Caden Fordham said. “Coming out as a defense, having a longer field for the for the offense, it’s always huge for us to have that advantage. Congrats to Noonkester for for doing that. He punted really well today.”

Kaufman contributed a 35-yard kickoff return; running back Kendrick Raphael added one for 9 yards.

Plus, Kanoah Vinesett was perfect on PATs and made a 37-yard field goal to give N.C. State a 17-7 lead in the second quarter.

Overall, the special teams squad looked like everyone expected it to look and it played a key role in the win. It needs to continue this to keep the Pack in the hunt for a bowl game and ACC championship appearance.

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