As NC State fell to Syracuse 24-9 Saturday afternoon, a recurring issue reared its head again for a Wolfpack offense that hasn’t quite figured things out this year.

On a whole, the Pack’s offense isn’t moving the ball well, but it also hasn’t been terrible. The Wolfpack’s yardage isn’t great, with less than 300 yards in 2 of the past 3 games. But a specific issue has been finishing drives with touchdowns instead of field goals, which has caused major problems recently.

Saturday against the 18th-ranked Orange, the No. 15 Wolfpack reached the red zone 4 times. The Wolfpack didn’t find the end zone, though, as it settled for a field goal 3 times and came up scoreless on the final drive of the game.

On the Pack’s 1st scoring drive, NC State got the ball to the 3 before stalling out. On the Pack’s 1st drive of the 2nd half, NC State reached the Syracuse 12 before a miscommunicated snap and false start backed the Pack up for another field goal.

The Wolfpack got to the 8 again on a 4th-quarter drive, but a sack and false start again forced NC State to settle for a field goal rather than getting the ball into the end zone.

And for NC State, it was the 2nd week in a row that field goals were the theme. Against Florida State, the Pack went 4-for-4 in the red zone but settled for a field goal on 3 of those trips. The Wolfpack had a drive reach as far as the 3 before settling for a field goal.

For an offense that hasn’t been moving the ball efficiently, it has to be able to capitalize better on the few chances it is getting. Instead, the Wolfpack consistently is having a hard time punching the ball across the goal line.

There are some things the Wolfpack is missing. Trent Pennix, a dynamic tool at tight end, has been sidelined by an injury since the East Carolina game, and the Pack also is showing it’s struggling to figure out how to play without departed wide receiver Emeka Emezie.

A healthy Demie Sumo-Karngbaye also certainly would help, but even still the Wolfpack isn’t doing things well in the red zone. Part of it has been penalties. Part of it has been play-calling or execution that failed to move the ball the few yards it needs.

One would think that bringing in Jack Chambers, a mobile quarterback transfer from Charleston Southern who adds a threat in the run game, might help in these short-yardage situations. But instead, the issue has grown over the past 2 games.

Now NC State has a bye week ahead, and figuring out how to navigate these situations would be a benefit. With Chambers, and potentially MJ Morris, getting snaps at quarterback, offensive coordinator Tim Beck has some options.

And for the sake of a season that still could produce 10 wins, even without Devin Leary, it’s something the Pack needs to figure out specifically on the other side of its off week.