3. The NC State kicking game was a problem
Christopher Dunn was an all-star kicker who hit 12-of-15 field goals and all 40 of his extra points on the year. He apparently was struggling in warm-ups, and then he missed on one field goal and had another one tipped in the first half, and that changed the tone of the game.
It was a low-scoring battle with coming up with points like pulling teeth – those field goals were a must. However, Dunn hit his three extra points, but in a two-point loss, the misfires matter.
On the flip side, Kentucky’s Matt Ruffolo hit his three easy field goal tries, and that was it. The Wildcats needed points any way they could get them, Max Duffy and the punting game pinned NC State deep on three kicks, and Kentucky was able to get by helped by that third phase.