Four takeaways from Wake Forest’s comeback from a 10-point deficit to top NC State, 34-30

Quarterback Grayson McCall lay flat on a red spine stabilizer board, a green cart taking him off the field one drive into N.C. State’s game. He lifted his hand to the crowd, acknowledging the fans, teammates and coaches after they watched him take a hit to the head that appeared to leave him briefly unconscious.

One drive later, led by freshman backup CJ Bailey, the Wolfpack scored a 35-yard field goal and picked up four first downs. The Pack has struggled on offense all year, but it took the field after McCall’s injury with a seemingly new motivation: playing for one of its leaders.

Eventually, the Pack took a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. Then things unraveled.

N.C. State fell to Wake Forest 34-30 after the Demon Deacons (2-3, 1-1 ACC) scored on a late-game touchdown. It was the the Wolfpack’s best offensive performance of the fall, but even that wasn’t good enough, as the team picked up its second loss in league play.

“We didn’t finish, didn’t make enough plays to close the game out and had opportunities,” Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren said. “It’s offense, defense, special teams. It is no one side of the football. You’ve got some guys down there that are really upset and some coaches that feel the same way.”

The Wolfpack (3-3, 0-2 ACC) recorded 419 yards of total offense and tied its season high with 28 first downs. Bailey finished 28 of 42 on passes, with 272 yards and two touchdowns. But an interception on the team’s final play of the game sealed the fate and ended a chaotic afternoon.

The rookie was thrust back into the starting role after McCall’s second injury of the season and Doeren praised the young player for what he provided to the team.

“I thought he came in the game with poise, and he gave us a chance to win the game,” Doeren said of Bailey. “Made a lot of nice plays with his arm, with his legs. He was a good leader on the sideline. I know he’s down for throwing a pick there in that last drive, but CJ didn’t lose that football game. He did a lot of good things today.”

The Wolfpack thought this was the year to win at least 10 games and potentially earn a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff. Both things could still happen, depending on how things go in other areas of the league, but the loss makes those goals more difficult to reach.

Cornerback Aydan White said the message in the locker room is to stick together and block out the outside noise.

“We’ve just gotta finish. That’s what we didn’t do,” White said. “Up 10 points in the fourth quarter and didn’t finish the game. That’s what it comes down to.”

Here are four takeaways from the rivalry loss.

More balanced passing attack

Offensive coordinator Robert Anae told reporters during fall camp that the goal this season was to spread the ball. It hadn’t truly done that this season, but things seemed to click against the Deacs.

At halftime, N.C. State had 216 passing yards, with eight different receivers making at least two catches. True freshman Keenan Jackson recorded his first career touchdown with 11 minutes, 30 seconds remaining in the second quarter. He had three stretches of at least six straight completions. The Wolfpack finished with 271 total yards in the half.

Entering the game, Doeren said the pass game hadn’t been what the team was hoping for.

“I think part of that is what’s transpired at quarterback; not blaming CJ at all,” Doeren said on Thursday. “I think CJ is getting better, but you can’t put the entire system on a freshman, either. … It’ll be CJ’s third game. He’ll be more experienced than he was in his first and his second, so you can grow on the things that he’s experienced in those games.”

Doeren reiterated on Saturday that he believes in Bailey. He didn’t look like a true freshman at times and made some clutch throws. Bailey added three passes of 22 yards or more.

There’s still more work to be done — a handful of deep passes were incomplete — but there was progress.

“I know he’s down on himself, and I told him that he’s going to make a game winning play here in the next game, and the guys are going to play hard for him,” Doeren said. “He delivered today in a lot of drives. He did some really good things for a true freshman, you know, didn’t look like a true freshman at times, and made some nice throws. CJ has got a bright future.”

Early defensive effort helped keep team in it

N.C. State’s early second-half effort on defense deserves praise for flipping the field and helping the offense get back on the field.

The Pack forced turnovers on two straight second-half drives. Linebacker Sean Brown contributed a strip sack, before safety Bishop Fitzgerald intercepted a pass from Deacs QB Hank Brachmeier.

Then, N.C. State added a pair of forced fumbles, three pass breakups, an interception, three sacks, and 12 quarterback hurries — including a third-down tackle by Caden Fordham.

White said the defense reminded Bailey it would make plays for him.

“Defense is gonna go out there and play the same (whether) Grayson was out there or not,” White said, talking about the message to Bailey. “(We just told) CJ we got his back no matter what happens.”

Unfortunately, the offense did not score on the takeaways, and its efforts weren’t enough down the stretch.

Offensive lineman Tim McKay acknowledged the offense’s failure to capitalize on the two turnovers, saying the defense gave it chances to score. While N.C. State added a pair of touchdowns on following drives, McKay said his squad should’ve been more angry after the first failed turnover opportunity, and it shouldn’t have taken two missed opportunities.

“The offense went out there and didn’t respond, didn’t score points, happened multiple times,” McKay said. “Going forward you need to do a better job playing complementary football.”

Still, the Pack was in position to win and the defense didn’t hold at the end. It failed to recover a fumble and dropped an interception. It allowed Wake Forest to extend drives, leading to a game-winning touchdown with 1:01 left to play.

“I think we just stopped playing, stopped playing together, and we stopped just communicating,” White said. “That’s what ended up happening on the last couple downs. There’s no communication by us, and they end up making the plays that we should have made.”

Limiting penalties resulted in third-down conversions

N.C. State had little success on third-down conversions entering the game. It ranked 104th in FBS on third-down conversions (20 of 59) after finishing 1 of 11 against Northern Illinois last Saturday. Those numbers were much improved against Wake, with the Pack finishing 8 of 15 on third down.

Doeren said part of the struggles come from the first- and second-down offense. When it’s not moving the ball efficiently — which it isn’t consistently — it’s statistically much harder to get a first down on third-and-8 or third-and-9.

Penalties were an issue, as well. The Pack has averaged 46.8 yards of penalties per game. It’s one of the more disciplined teams in the nation, but N.C. State had five penalties against Wake.

“They’re calling more holding now than I’ve ever seen, and we’ve got to be able to play well within that and know how they’re calling it. … You have a 15- or a 20-yard gain, and now instead of first and 10, it’s first and 25; second and 15. Whatever it ends up being, it’s a drive killer. We’ve got to be better fundamentally, not having our hands in positions where we’re getting called for those.”

N.C. State finished with 52 yards in penalties, but only one impacted the down and distance.

With the team making better progress on early downs and fewer penalties, the Pack was in better positions to convert on the third-down attempts.

Consistency in this area will make a big difference going forward.

Injuries are worth watching

Injuries are starting to pile up for the Wolfpack. The program boasts competitive depth — it’s why Doeren had no problem switching up the depth chart — but it’s fair to have concerns about the team’s long-term health.

Excluding McCall, the Wolfpack had four regular contributors unavailable due to injury. Running back Hollywood Smothers missed a second straight game.

Offensive lineman Val Erickson and wide receiver Dacari Collins missed the game. Cornerback Brandon Cisse had a minor injury earlier in the season and returned, but he did not participate in warmups and was seen with a cast on his left forearm.

Safety Devan Boykin has yet to return — Doeren hoped to have him back this month — after sustaining an ACL injury in bowl game preparation last December.

N.C. State’s depth is OK for now, but it could be a cause for concern.