Analysis: NC State must ride Bam Knight and Ricky Person Jr. to contend in the ACC
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In the first half Saturday night, the Wolfpack offense was stuck. After halftime, it was the N.C. State defense that couldn’t slow down Austin Kendall and Louisiana Tech.
In the end, the 23rd-ranked Wolfpack came away with the win, holding off the Bulldogs, 34-27. And for the second straight week, the N.C. State defense was on the field for the final, game-saving play. This time, defensive back Jakeen Harris picked off Kendall as the clock ticked to 0:00, the birthday boy (Harris) saving the day.
It was by no means a complete game from the Wolfpack and the team admitted as much afterward; it was written all over the players and Dave Doeren’s face in post-game interviews. Regardless, the Wolfpack (4-1) heads into the bye week on a three-game winning streak, with consecutive wins over quality opponents. Louisiana Tech’s offense was as good as Doeren advertised all week, racking up 480 yards.
N.C. State’s defense came up big when the team needed it the most, with Harris picking up the second interception of the day (Aydan White had the first), but the difference in the win was the Pack’s determination to establish a running game in the second half.
“I was happy with how they responded, how physical we were,” Doeren said. “I thought the backs ran hard, linemen finished blocks.”
Coming into the season, N.C. State knew it had one of the best running back duos in the ACC. Ricky Person, Jr. started every game at running back last year. Zonovan Knight has started every contest this year. The two have become an effective asset.
With the offense struggling against a Bulldogs’ defense that was gaining confidence, offensive coordinator Tim Beck put the ball in the hands of Person and Knight.
N.C. State rushed for just 37 yards in the first half and led 13-10 at the break. On the Pack’s opening drive of the second half, N.C. State rushed the ball just once, while Devin Leary threw the ball five times, ending in a punt.
The next Wolfpack drive lasted only two plays. Person covered 24-yards on the ground, ending with him running over a Louisiana Tech defender and into the end zone, putting N.C. State up 10. The message was loud and clear: The Pack needed to get physical up front and establish dominance if it wanted to have any success offensively.
N.C. State ran the ball on three of the seven plays on the following drive. Each run, all by Knight, went for at least 10 yards. That opened up things for Leary, who completed the last two plays of the drive, covering 28 yards, the last one a 5-yard touchdown pass to C.J. Riley.
“It (successful run game) gave us some one-on-one matchups, for sure,” Doeren said. “I think formation wise, we did some good things where we were able to see what they were in and check the run game where we wanted it. When you’re running the ball, it’s hard defensively to help the corners.”
Equally balanced
Knight and Person combined for 176 yards and two scores, and N.C. State has out-rushed its opponent in the first five games. It’s been a perfect balance between the backs, who don’t mind sharing the spotlight.
Knight has carried the ball 71 times this year, Person 68. Knight has 467 yards on the ground, while Person trails by 105 yards.
Aside from the loss to Mississippi State, the ground game from Knight and Person has been consistent, especially in the second half of games.
In the first half versus Louisiana Tech, the team, not just the offense, lacked energy. Doeren pulled Person aside Saturday and asked him to take care of that.
“We were kind of laxed coming into the game,” Person said. “He told me I had to pull the team behind me, get the team going.”
Not too long after that conversation, Person was running over a Bulldogs’ defender for his first rushing touchdown of the game. Two possessions later, Knight would go in from 4 yards out. Knight carried the ball five times on that scoring drive, showing once again that Doeren and staff were going to ride their backs to victory.
“That’s one thing about me and Bam (Zonovan Knight),” Person said. “Basically, we want everyone to win. When we come to the sideline, we give each other that talk, like ‘Hey man, this one is going to bust, you just have to stick to it.’ It’s good having Bam alongside me, just a lot of work that he put in. He’s a great, great back.”
Saturday was the third game this season when both backs had at least one touchdown; N.C. State is a perfect 3-0 in those games.
After the next week’s bye, it’s nothing but ACC games for the Pack the rest of the way. If N.C. State hopes to keep rolling, it will depend on the legs of Knight and Person.
This story was originally published October 4, 2021 at 6:20 AM with the headline "Analysis: NC State must ride Bam Knight and Ricky Person Jr. to contend in the ACC."
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