The ACC looks awful, but NC State is 3-0. Now the Pack hasn’t played even a power five team this point, so 3-0 doesn’t mean much. But Saturday night’s win at least allowed it to escape the sad fraternity of Atlantic Coast teams whose membership requirements include only an embarrassing and exposing early season loss.
This was State’s best game of the year. A lot of areas overflowing with question marks provided some real reasons for optimism on the road against a decent opponent. The defense had a strong night in front and on the back end. The running game made measurable progress, even though it was still below average.