Sunday Superlatives: NC State football’s loss to Louisville
While NC State’s defense played one of its best games of the season against Louisville on Friday night, its offense didn’t. That combination led to a 13-10 loss to the Cardinals, the Wolfpack’s first ACC defeat of the 2023 campaign.
And in the Pack’s loss, there were key standouts, things that worked, and things that didn’t work against Louisville.
Here are the Sunday superlative awards after NC State’s defeat.
Offensive MVP: WR Terrell Timmons Jr.
In a game where NC State’s pass game didn’t find a consistent rhythm, there was a bright spot in sophomore wide receiver Terrell Timmons Jr. He hauled in three receptions for 71 yards, both career best marks.
The Greensboro, N.C., native helped the Wolfpack march down the field in the second quarter with two grabs for 26 yards, including a 20-yard catch to move the red and white inside Louisville’s 15-yard line. That drive ended with a redshirt junior running back Delbert Mimms III touchdown run.
Later in the contest, Timmons reeled in a 45-yard pass from graduate quarterback Brennan Armstrong during the Wolfpack’s opening drive of the second half, which put NC State on the Louisville 15-yard line. The sideline grab allowed the Pack to threaten making the contest a three-score game, but Armstrong’s next pass was intercepted in the end zone.
The former three-star recruit showed what Wolfpack fans were looking for from him with a pair of explosive plays in the pass game.
Defensive MVP: LB Payton Wilson
There wasn’t much that graduate linebacker Payton Wilson didn’t do against the Cardinals. He paced the Wolfpack defense with 10 tackles, including two sacks and a pass breakup. Wilson also recorded a first down on a three-yard rush during a fake punt in the first half.
And after the game, Wilson continued his do-it-all abilities. He spoke in front of the team in the locker room with a simple message: to stick together as a unit. The linebacker stressed that the team can’t become divided after the tight loss to the Cardinals.
Wilson’s leadership will be key over the next few weeks as NC State’s schedule heats up with a three-week stretch against Duke, Clemson and Miami on the horizon.
Special Teams MVP: P Caden Noonkester
While NC State’s offense wasn’t able to move the ball consistently — more on that below — the Wolfpack relied on redshirt sophomore punter Caden Noonkester for the second straight week. He booted eight punts last week at Virginia, and was needed for eight more against Louisville.
The Waxhaw, N.C., native averaged 40.8 yards per punt, and landed two inside the Louisville 20-yard line to give the Wolfpack’s defense an opportunity to make a stop. Noonkester recorded a long of 51 yards against the Cardinals.
What worked: Run defense
Louisville entered the game with the ACC’s best rushing offense, averaging 237.3 yards per contest. It also boasted the top running back in the league with Jawhar Jordan’s 199.5 yards per game.
But against the Wolfpack, Louisville did not find much success on the ground. NC State held the Cardinals to just 20 rushing yards, paced by Jordan’s 32 yards on 16 carries. Louisville averaged 0.7 yards per carry in the contest.
Why did NC State find so much success against the run? The Wolfpack’s eight tackles for a loss helped. Redshirt sophomore safety Sean Brown and Wilson both recorded a pair of TFLs, while senior linebacker Jaylon Scott added 1.5 — NC State had five players record 0.5 TFLs: graduate safety Rakeim Ashford, senior defensive end Savion Jackson, redshirt junior defensive lineman C.J. Clark, junior defensive lineman Davin Vann, and junior linebacker Devon Betty.
What didn’t work: Moving the ball on offense
NC State’s offense struggled to find any consistency against Louisville. The Wolfpack went three-and-out six times, and it only had three drives last six plays or longer.
Armstrong was 13-of-25 for 112 yards with two interceptions and he recorded the lowest QBR rating in the ACC with a 13.7 mark against the Cardinals. He added 61 rushing yards on 17 carries to pace the Wolfpack’s run game.
NC State’s running backs could not establish any consistency, either. Sophomore Michael Allen carried the ball eight times for 22 yards, while Mimms logged four carries for eight yards and redshirt junior Demarcus Jones II had one rush for a five-yard loss. The Wolfpack’s running backs averaged 1.9 yards per carry, while Wilson, a linebacker, had one carry for three yards.
Unsung hero: DC Tony Gibson
Louisville brought the ACC’s top offense to Carter-Finley Stadium, and NC State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson’s unit put together a stellar performance to limit the Cardinals as much as they could.
NC State held the Cardinals to a season-low 20 rushing yards, while the Wolfpack’s defense unleashed constant pressure on Louisville quarterback Jack Plummer. Gibson’s defense logged 10 quarterback hurries, which kept Plummer off balance and he missed multiple wideouts under pressure.
The Wolfpack also intercepted Plummer twice. Redshirt junior cornerback Shyheim Battle and junior safety Bishop Fitzgerald each picked off the Cardinals’ quarterback in the loss. Battle’s interception set up NC State’s field goal at the end of the first half, while Fitzgerald ended Louisville’s threatening drive in the end zone early in the fourth quarter.
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