The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1487679
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 ■ 29 Here are some of the best moments from the regular season: Offensive MVP This was a tough season for the NC State offense. Overall, the Wolfpack finished 103rd out of 131 teams in the FBS in yards per game. Only Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Boston College in the ACC averaged fewer yards per contest than NC State. Making plays was a challenge, espe- cially when the Wolfpack had to rotate through quarterbacks. But a mainstay for 10 weeks before he was injured was super senior center Grant Gibson. Pro Football Focus graded Gibson as the top offensive player on the team at 78.9. He was also the top run blocker at 79.7. In pass protection, Gibson was credited by PFF as allowing just 2 sacks, 3 quarterback hurries and 5 pressures. Among centers with at least 100 snaps, Gibson ranked eighth nationally, according to PFF, and proved to be a no- brainer choice for first-team All-ACC. Defensive MVP The fact that fourth-year junior Drake Thomas did not make first-team All- ACC was a shocking development. On The Wolfpacker's ballot for the year-end league awards, Thomas was the choice for ACC Defensive Player of the Year. In ACC-games-only stats, Thomas led the conference with 13 tackles for loss and was second with 6.5 sacks. He also led the Wolfpack with 90 total tackles in 12 games. Thomas, who received second-team honors, was the leader of a defense that ranked 21st nationally and third in the ACC in yards per game allowed at 325.7. Special Teams MVP Super senior Christopher Dunn had himself a season for the record books. He made 24 of 25 field goals, the best accuracy of any FBS kicker with at least 20 attempts. Dunn made two kicks that were beyond 50 yards, and he was 8 of 9 on tries between 40 and 49 yards. In the process, Dunn set new stan- dards in the ACC for career made field goals (92) and points scored (475). He is one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award, which is awarded annu- ally to the top kicker in college football. Game Of The Year NC State had several memorable mo- ments in the 2022 season. The season opener was a dodged bul- let when East Carolina missed a game- winning field goal with 5 seconds left, preserving a 21-20 victory for State. The Wolfpack was trailing 17-3 to Florida State and managed to rally by outscoring the Seminoles 16-0 in the second half, doing so despite losing Leary to a torn pectoral muscle in the third quarter and not completing a pass for positive yards once he left. The con- test was sealed when Pack third-year sophomore safety/nickel Devan Boykin intercepted a pass in the end zone. At the time, that was the largest comeback for a victory since NC State overcame a similar deficit in a season- opening 24-23 win over Georgia South- ern in 2014. Then came an even bigger comeback in a 22-21 triumph over Virginia Tech. The Pack was trailing 21-3 when Morris led the biggest rally at NC State since it overcame a 41-14 third-quarter deficit against Maryland in 2011. Yet, there could only be one game of the year: at North Carolina, Nov. 25, 2022 in Chapel Hill, N.C. With third-year redshirt freshman Ben Finley making his first career start, NC State stunned the Tar Heels with an early touchdown and never trailed in regulation. A UNC touchdown with no time left on the clock forced overtime. In the second overtime, the regular season ended as it began, with the op- ponent missing a field goal attempt at home. In the process, NC State im- proved to 14-9 against North Carolina since 2000 and won for the fifth time in the past seven games in the rivalry. Individual Offensive Performance Of The Year Morris had back-to-back sterling efforts in wins over Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. He threw for 3 touch- downs in both games, becoming the first true freshman to accomplish that since Wolfpack legend and potential fu- ture NFL Hall of Famer Philip Rivers did so in 2000. 2022 Football Schedule Date Opponent Time/TV Sept. 3 at East Carolina W, 21-20 Sept. 10 Charleston Southern W, 55-3 Sept. 17 Texas Tech W, 27-14 Sept. 24 Connecticut W, 41-10 Oct. 1 at Clemson L, 30-20 Oct. 8 Florida State W, 19-17 Oct. 15 at Syracuse L, 24-9 Oct. 27 Virginia Tech W, 22-21 Nov. 5 Wake Forest W, 30-21 Nov. 12 Boston College L, 21-20 Nov. 19 at Louisville L, 25-10 Nov. 25 at North Carolina W, 30-27 (2OT) Dec. 30 vs. Maryland* 12:00 p.m./ESPN *Duke's Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.