NC State’s Offense Was an Incoherent Mess Against Virginia and Tonight Is About Finding Its Identity

It’s finally here, the chance to turn the page on the UVA debacle. That Week 0 performance was brutal, so bad it looked completely incoherent. The offense couldn’t get on the field enough to find any rhythm, let alone figure out what it actually *is*. Pretty much nothing worked, and even the few things that *could* have worked weren’t well-executed. Tonight against Richmond, the Pack absolutely has to seize this opportunity to sort itself out and establish some core concepts that actually work. We need to see the bread and butter, because right now, we’re staring at an empty plate.

Who Are the Playmakers, Seriously?

If we’re talking offense, the biggest question is: who are the playmakers? We know NC State wants to lean on Duke Scott, and I get it, he’s got better days ahead. But I need to see a real, concerted effort to get Victor Snow the ball tonight. We learned basically nothing good about the passing game in Week 0, and honestly, we still have no clue what we’ve got at receiver. Snow getting 8-10 touches each week might be essential to this whole thing, so now is the perfect time to figure that out. And honestly, I won’t be surprised at all if Keenan Jackson steps up and becomes a focal point out there. He’s gotta be.

The Defense Deserves a Fair Shake

Let’s talk about the other side of the ball. The defense was completely set up to fail against Virginia, thanks to the offense not being able to stay on the field. UVA never had to leave their conservative comfort zone, which isn’t fair to our guys. Still, the defense showed some good things against actual handoffs, and that’s something to build on. Richmond shouldn’t have much of a downfield passing game to speak of, which means we *finally* get to see how our defense performs against more regular passing downs. They deserve to play without being constantly put in a bad position.

Tonight’s game isn’t just another matchup; it’s a critical moment for NC State to establish some kind of identity after a rough start. Every snap against Richmond is a chance to define who this team is going to be.

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Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.