Three things we learned about NC State football in its 1-point win over East Carolina
There was a flatness in the tone of voice from the players after the game that was a giveaway.
N.C. State’s players said a lot of the right things Saturday after a 21-20 victory over East Carolina in the 2022 season opener at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
A win is a win.
There’s a lot to build on.
Good teams find a way to win close games.
All that was said. There was truth to those words, but the Wolfpack, ranked 13th in preseason, easily could have been beaten by the Pirates. It was written on the players’ faces. Had Owen Daffer not missed a 41-yard field goal in the final seconds, the Pirates would have danced off the field with a comeback victory and ECU fans might still be celebrating.
“They’re probably more mad than I’m going to be,” N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said of his team. “That film’s going to be very embarrassing for some of them.”
What was learned about the Wolfpack in the narrow win? Here are three things:
New starter at running back?
Demie Sumo-Karngbaye did not start the game for the Pack at running back — junior Jordan Houston was the starter. But the sophomore had 14 carries and turned them into a team-high 79 yards, scoring on a 24-yard run in the second quarter for a 21-7 lead.
“Very impressed,” Doeren said. “He’s probably the bright spot of the day, besides our special teams. Hard to tackle, runs through contact, tough, took care of the ball. Huge bright spot.”
Houston earned the right to start in the opener, no doubt. But Sumo-Karnbaye earned the right to be considered as the No. 1 back going into the next game, at home against Charleston Southern.
ECU stopped both on goal-line stands in the fourth quarter. Houston fumbled on one possession and Sumo-Karngbaye was denied four times on running plays from the 1-yard line — that after a determined 22-yard run that reached the 1.
The Pack’s offensive line did not have the push needed on those goal-line plays, but Sumo-Karngbaye could not get in and later gave himself a “high-C” grade for his performance.
“Me personally I wasn’t happy because I feel like we should have won by more,” he said. “But I’ll take it. We’ll just go back to the drawing board.”
Special teams can give Pack an edge
The difference in Saturday’s game? The Pack had a spotless kicking sheet.
The Wolfpack blocked a Luke Larsen punt for a touchdown in the first quarter — Jasiah Pavillon with the block, Sean Brown with the recovery. Punter Shane McDonough averaged 44.2 yards on six kicks, having one punt downed at the ECU 1, and placekicker Christoper Dunn made all three PATs. Kick returns were well-covered and Thayer Thomas handled ECU punts flawlessly and had one 18-yard return.
ECU placekicker Owen Daffer was wide left on a point-after after the Pirates scored with 2:58 remaining, then was wide on his 41-yard field-goal attempt with seconds left that likely would have won the game and given the sophomore from Wilmington instant hero status in Greenville.
Can a good scare be a good thing?
Wolfpack quarterback Devin Leary, always the positive type, said emerging from a scary-hard win could be a help as the season moves on.
“It shows the integrity in our team,” Leary said. “But at the same time there’s a weird feeling in the locker room, honestly.
“Guys were happy that we won. Guys were satisfied we were able to pull that off. But at the same time guys were (PO’ed), guys were mad. Guys were saying it was kind of a reality check for us.”
There will be other close games this season for the Pack, other days on the road when it might come down to a final play or two in the final minutes. One good escape could lead to another.
This day, against this ECU team, on the road with Pirate fans howling and sensing a victory, the Wolfpack got it done. Barely, but got it done.
“Credit to ECU. They came in, they humbled us a little bit,” Leary said. “That’s something in the long run we might look back and say we needed that.”
This story was originally published September 4, 2022 at 6:10 AM with the headline "Three things we learned about NC State football in its 1-point win over East Carolina."
