Courtesy GoPack.com
RALEIGH, N.C. – The new light show at Carter-Finley Stadium was impressive. The NC State defense was just as spectacular.
It was a beautiful sight for Wolfpack fans to see linebackers Payton Wilson, Isaiah Moore and Drake Thomas play a full game together. It had been a while and their impact was felt – quite literally – by Texas Tech. Wilson, who has battled his way back from injuries, led the Wolfpack with 10 tackles. On the first play of the game, he delivered a big hit on Texas Tech quarterback Donovan Smith while later in the first quarter, he covered a swath of open space to run down a scrambling Smith forcing a fourth down.
Good to be back? That’s an understatement. “I haven’t played ball in a year and a half, so getting my confidence back and my mental back and being able to play a whole game without my body hurting was great,” Wilson said. “I’ve gone through a lot to get where I’m at today.”
After the game was a moment to remember for Wilson, his teammates and coaches. “He was so happy just now in the locker room,” Coach Dave Doeren said. “I think the whole locker room is super happy for Payton. He was ear-to-ear smiling downstairs. Seeing his speed in the open field tracking guys down, it’s just different. Having him and Isaiah [Moore] and Drake [Thomas], it’s what we hoped for. It’s a huge, huge deal.”
The stats will back up what Doeren said about the trio of linebackers. Thomas finished with eight tackles and two quarterback hurries, while Moore added five stops, a quarterback hurry and a stinging sack when he and Thomas were on a blitz together.
But it wasn’t just the linebackers applying defensive pressure. Ten quarterback hurries were put on the stat sheet by eight different players. Left end CJ Clark registered two of the Pack’s four sacks.
Aydan White blitzed from the corner for a sack and the sophomore also picked off a pair of passes. One resulted in a trip to the end zone, covering 84 yards of green grass for the seventh-longest INT return in school history.
“That’s a DB’s dream right there, just seeing that much green,” White said of his pick-six. “I don’t think I’ve had one of them since youth league. I’m definitely grateful\.”
On Tuesday before the game, White said the Wolfpack didn’t mind facing a team that puts the ball in the air as much as Texas Tech because it would give the defense more chances to make plays. Well, that Takeaway Bone added a few signatures Saturday night.
Sometimes it’s hard to gauge stats after two games, but the Red Raiders offense was putting up 48 points and 537 yards per contest heading into Carter-Finley. They didn’t come close to that against a Wolfpack defense that was more than ready for the challenge.
