‘We weren’t in this game’: NC State gives up program-highs in first-quarter, total points

DK Kaufman looked on helplessly as Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik found a gap between N.C. State’s defenders and ran — nothing but green grass and a giant orange paw print in the end zone ahead of him.

Kaufman, the closest defender to Klubnik, couldn’t get around the block from Troy Stellato. When the Auburn transfer finally broke free, it was too late. That 55-yard rushing touchdown set the defensive tone for the game, and it wasn’t a good one.

N.C. State (2-2, 0-1 ACC) lost to Clemson (2-1, 1-0 ACC), 59-35, on Saturday in Death Valley. The Tigers’ 59 total points and 28 first-quarter points were the most by any opponent, setting new records for the Pack’s worst defensive showing in program history.

“You get behind early in both of them for different reasons. We were in the Tennessee game going into (the) half and (the) pick-six just flipped the complexion of that,” Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren said. “We weren’t in this game. They jumped out on us fast in the first quarter.”

The culprit? The thing N.C. State said it had to stop: Explosive plays. That’s the main lesson linebacker Devon Betty took away from Clemson’s 66-20 rout of Appalachian State two weeks ago.

“It’s explosives; touchdowns all across the board,” Betty said. “We know what the plan is. We know we cannot give up explosives. That’s our model, that’s our mindset.”

Betty said success in that area comes down to communication and every player doing his job — not anyone else’s.

That might have been the game plan, but the team didn’t execute.

The Wolfpack gave up 523 yards of total offense. Of those, 408 yards came in the first half and 269 were from the Tigers’ run game. In last season’s win, N.C. State gave up only 364 total yards.

Klubnik scored his touchdown a minute and a half into the game. The team added a second score five minutes and 33 seconds later. Then, the Wolfpack couldn’t get stops after two turnovers. The Tigers’ offense scored on the takeaways.

One quarter into the game, N.C. State allowed six explosive plays for 187 yards and three touchdowns. It gave up 222 total yards, with 145 on the ground, and 13.9 yards per play.

The rest of the game wasn’t much different.

Clemson notched 358 yards on explosives, including 200 on the ground. Running back Phil Mafa alone ran for 107 yards on seven carries and a 38-yard touchdown.

Doeren said those were the result of several things. Players didn’t fit into the run game properly. They didn’t tackle well. The coverage was soft.

“You give up explosive plays; you get behind like we did against the team like that in their stadium, it’s not going to turn out well,” Doeren said. “There’s eight games left in the regular season. I know that our staff will do a good job of looking at our personnel and our schemes and get back to work.”

Doeren described defensive coordinator Tony Gibson as “sick to his stomach” over the outing. When asked what it will take to get back on track, linebacker Caden Fordham said it comes down to the basics.

“Everything we do has got to change,” Fordham said. “The way we approach every day. You’ve gotta come out with more intensity from the jump and start communicating better. … We’re not playing tough right now. We got too many people not giving enough effort, including myself on some plays. That’s our identity. We’ve got to continue to play tough.”

The Wolfpack, coached by Gibson for five seasons, historically finished among the top defensive teams in the ACC. It finished in the Top 25 for scoring defense three straight years.

Before the game, it sat at No. 13 in defensive yards given up. And based on the performance against Clemson, something has to change if the Pack wants a sniff at the top half of the league.

Entering the game, N.C. State allowed 378.3 opponent yards per game and 30.7 points per contest. Those numbers rose to 414.5 opponent yards allowed and 37.75 points given up.

They call it Death Valley for a reason, and the Wolfpack’s defense looked dead for most of the afternoon.

“We’ve got lots to do, lots to play for, a lot in front of us. We’re gonna find out who wants to fight, who wants to get in there. That’s what happened last year. The guys kind of said, ‘No más,’ and a bunch of guys stepped up. We started playing better. This will be another truth serum when you get in the film room tomorrow. It’s going to be a tough Sunday for them.”