NC State were never threatened by Texas Tech on Saturday en route to a 27-14 victory.

NC State were never threatened by Texas Tech on Saturday en route to a 27-14 victory in front of a sold-out Carter-Finley Stadium.

NC State’s defense and special teams came through with big plays, but the offense struggled to find its rhythm.

NCSU improved to 3-0 overall and host Connecticut next Saturday. The Wolfpack Central reviews the various components of the key victory.

Texas Tech quarterback Donovan Smith had a complete miscommunication with his wide receiver, and threw an easy interception by NC State sophomore cornerback Aydan White, who went 84 yards for a touchdown. NC State took a commanding 20-0 with 4:40 left in the second quarter.

1. Cornerback Aydan White

White didn’t just have the pick-six touchdown, but later added a second interception and he also had a sack. White had five tackles in the win and did a superb job of replacing the injured Shyheim Battle at cornerback. White won national honors with Walter Camp for his efforts.

2. Running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye

The sophomore running back had a pair of touchdowns, including one off a trick play, where NC State threw a backward lateral to wide receiver Thayer Thomas, who threw 38 yards to Sumo-Karngbaye for the score. He also added a 14-yard score that gave the Wolfpack a 13-0 lead with 10:13 left in the second quarter. Sumo-Karngbaye finished with 14 carries for 54 yards and a score, plus four catches for 93 yards and a touchdown.

3. Defensive end C.J. Clark

Clark came off the bench for two sacks and gave a much-needed boost to the Wolfpack defense. The defensive line didn’t have any sacks during the first two games, so Clark came through with the first sack for the group. NC State finished with four sacks in the game.

Texas Tech rushed 26 times for 54 yards and a score against NC State, and never found much room. Twenty of the yards came from backup quarterback Behren Morton in garbage time at the end of the game.

Texas Tech rushed 44 times for 118 yards and two scores in the 33-30 double-overtime victory against Houston a week ago. Running back Tahj Brooks went from tallying 78 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries against the Cougars, to just four yards on four carries at the Wolfpack.

NC State controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Texas Tech couldn’t run the ball, and it also struggled stopping outside running plays.

Defensive end Tyree Wilson, who is 6-6 and 275 pounds, took care of business with 11 tackles and two sacks. Even with that great performance, running backs Jordan Houston and Demie Sumo-Karngbaye combined for 27 carries for 111 yards and a touchdown. A good chunk of that yardage came on outside running plays.

The passing game only had one big play and that was because of a trick play. The longest pass to a wide receiver was 11 yards to Thomas, and that is pretty shocking.

Redshirt junior Devin Leary finished going 15-of-23 for 121 yards without an interception or touchdown. That won’t get it done against better football teams.

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