In a lot of ways, the Wolfpack offense has been prolific through its first seven games. Only four teams in the nation have gained more first downs, and only 12 squads have more piled up more yardage. But as it has now done in three consecutive games, the unit bogged down in the loss to ECU after reaching the most important part of the field, the red zone.
A number of things went wrong Saturday. Turnovers like the interception that sealed the Pack’s fate in overtime came at inopportune moments, passes were dropped, and tackles were missed. But a look at the final statistics showed that the game was essentially a tossup. The Pack had 26 first downs to 24 for ECU, was outgained by only 20 yards and committed the same number of turnovers – four – as its instate rival.
State’s undoing was its difficulty finishing drives after getting to the ECU 20, and these difficulties loomed even larger when compared with the Pirates’ own success in the red zone. Both teams moved into scoring position seven times, but ECU made the most of its opportunities, scoring four touchdowns and two field goals to account for all 33 of the team’s points. On the other hand, State’s seven red zone possessions yielded two touchdowns and two field goals.
The difficulty near the goal line against ECU wasn’t unprecedented. In the loss to Virginia Tech, State managed two touchdowns and two field goals on five red zone possessions. The Hokies only got inside the Wolfpack red zone three times that afternoon, but found the end zone on each occasion. The Pack had little to no trouble at any point in its win over BC, except in the red zone, where its five trips yielded the exact same results State came away with against VT.
On the year, the Pack has made 38 forays into scoring position and has come away with 19 touchdowns and 10 field goals. For an offense so effective at moving the ball between the 20’s and putting up points the difficulty in the red zone has been overlooked, especially after wins. But with losses in two of three games after a 4-0 start and the Pack’s toughest test of the year, an Oct. 28 battle against Florida State, up next, the coaching staff and offensive players will likely devote a good portion of their bye week to finding ways to finish drives.
