Isaiah Moore and Chandler Zavala to miss rest of 2021 season

It can always get worse.

NC State did have good depth defensively once upon a time, but as Dave Doeren lamented this afternoon, it’s all but gone now. Our worst fears about Isaiah Moore were confirmed today: he will miss the remainder of the season after suffering an injury during the first half of the Miami game. Offensive lineman Chandler Zavala is also out the rest of the way, and both guys will need surgery.

Moore posted the following on Twitter:

It’d be nice to get through a year without devastating injuries, be it in football or basketball for that matter, but lately this has felt impossible. Moore’s loss is gutting not just for his experience and talent but also his leadership on the field, which is as irreplaceable as anything else. He was having a great season and really put his stamp on this team.

NC State’s defense was holding up surprisingly well in the absence of one All-ACC linebacker, but in the absence of two? Man, I don’t know. I don’t think the second-half performance against Miami will be the new normal, but there is almost certainly going to be some dropoff now.