Wolfpack Has a Long Night of Missed Opportunities in 24-10 Loss to Mississippi State

STARKVILLE, MS – It was a long evening for the NC State Wolfpack (1-1) on Saturday, dropping their first game of the season, falling to the Mississippi State Bulldogs (2-0) 24-10. The SEC crowd noise played a massive impact, and the cowbell was in full effect. The Wolfpack offense struggled mightily to communicate and to extend drives did not get into the endzone until 1:06 minutes left in the game.

The Bulldogs started the game off with a bang, with Lideatrick Griffin taking the opening kickoff to the house for 100 yards to give his team a quick lead, and they never looked back. Unfortunately, missed opportunities were a common theme for the Pack in this one. Including an interception in the endzone off a questionable trick play thrown by Ricky Person Jr. and a missed 48-yard field goal by Christopher Dunn in the 1st quarter. Along with a crucial fumble at mid-field by Zonovan Knight and an overthrown deep ball by Devin Leary intended to Anthony Smith in what could have been a touchdown in the 3rd quarter.

The Pack defense did everything they could, holding their own against an air-rate Mississippi State offense. The Bulldogs did not log in a single 1st down until the 11:00 minute mark in the 2nd quarter. QB Will Rogers got into a rhythm once the game progressed, going 33-49, passing for 294 yards and 2 touchdowns. The poor offensive showing for the Pack made the defense’s job a lot more challenging, having to stay on the field longer than expected.

On the other hand, Leary completed 30-49 of his passes for 303 yards with a  touchdown and an interception. He did not look comfortable throughout the contest and was forced to escape the pocket numerous times with the Bulldogs defensive front putting together a productive performance. Following a dominant first week on the ground, the Pack’s running game was nearly non-existent. On 25 attempts, they only compiled 46 combined yards (3 yards per carry). 

The Pack will hope that their defensive stars Payton Wilson, Isaiah Moore, and Cyrus Fagan, who all went down with an injury, are not dealing with anything severe and return next week. The team will certainly have many adjustments to make and must put this defeat in the past and focus on their week 3 matchup when they host Furman next Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium.