Key Observations From NC State's Loss to Pitt

While he still loaded up the stat sheet with three touchdowns and 225 yards, sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey's struggles continued. The Pitt defense went into the game with one goal: to make Bailey a passer. While sophomore running back Hollywood Smothers did break a 65-yard touchdown in the first half, the Wolfpack never consistently established the run.

Bailey wasn't sacked, but he was throwing under duress throughout the game. On a fourth-down play late in the game, the sophomore ran out of bounds rather than continuing to attack.

"Disappointed in that. I told him after the game, 'You can run, man. Things aren't there, run the football. Go get us a first down with your legs. It's fourth-and-2,'" Doeren said. "He's still a young quarterback. As far as where he's at mentally, he does a lot of things at an elite level."

Doeren added that the team didn't prepare for the way Pitt played defense after it stretched its lead to two or more touchdowns. He believed that affected Bailey throughout the second half.

"CJ is going to continue to get better. He's a really good football player," Doeren said.

Never-Ending Injuries

Even after the bye week, the injury bug continued to haunt the Wolfpack. The team entered the game without both of its starting guards on the offensive line, as Spike Sowells and Anthony Carter Jr. were held out of the game with injuries.

Tight end Justin Joly caught a pass from freshman wide receiver Teddy Hoffmann and took it for a 59-yard touchdown. At around the 20-yard line, Joly began to limp and barely made his way into the end zone before being helped off the field after his second touchdown of the day.

Joly didn't catch a pass the rest of the game despite trying to return to the game. Losing the tight end further hindered the already struggling Wolfpack offense. But the injuries didn't stop with Joly for NC State.

Redshirt freshman safety Ronnie Royal III, one of the few healthy members of the safety group, laid an enormous hit on Pitt wide receiver Kenny Johnson while he leaped for the end zone. Royal took the worst of the hit and stayed down on the field before being helped to the locker room.

While it's unclear whether Royal and Joly will miss extended periods of time, the injuries continue to mount up for the Wolfpack, especially defensively. With back-to-back ranked opponents on deck, it's a bad time to be without key contributors.

No Pressure Applied

In their win over Syracuse, Pitt allowed freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel to be sacked seven times. It turned out to be a Jekyll and Hyde set of performances for the Panther offensive line, as NC State didn't sack the freshman signal caller once in the loss on Saturday.

Instead, Heintschel threw for over 400 yards and three touchdowns, eviscerating the middle of the NC State defense and taking the top off on a handful of occasions.

"They were able to beat guys one on one, and there were times we did that tonight, and the coverage wasn't tight enough to allow the pressure to get there," Doeren said. "And then there were times where the quarterback evaded the pressure and got out of the pocket."

Backs Against the Wall

NC State has reached a nearly terminal point of the season. While the four losses are already more than many would've hoped for, that number is likely to grow with the next pair of matchups against Georgia Tech and Miami.

While the final games against Florida State and North Carolina remain winnable, the urgency increased significantly following the ugly loss to Pitt. The larger problem is that Doeren seems to be at a loss for answers at this point in the season.

"If I had the answer, we would've played a lot better," Doeren said. "It's not what I expected to see. It's not the team that I expected to see on the field. And I'm not blaming them. I'm the one that got them ready."