State of the Program – NC State Football

State of the Programs

Virginia Tech | Georgia Tech | Boston College | Syracuse | Miami | Wake Forest | Virginia

Record: 7-6 (3-5 ACC)

Head Coach: Dave Doeren

It looked like the NC State Wolfpack were off to a hot start last season, starting the season on a 4-0 streak before ACC play started and we were all brought back down to Earth a bit. Starting running back Shadrach Thornton was thrown off the team after an arrest involving a moped accident in September. Offensive linemen Will Richardson was arrested in November for a DWI charge and suspended from the team as well.

Things didn’t get better for the Wolfpack, as they dropped their first 2 ACC games to Louisville and Virginia Tech after their offense averaged 46.3 points per game in the first four weeks. The Wolfpack did manage to qualify for a bowl which makes 2 straight seasons of bowl eligibility so all is not lost for the Wolfpack. However, there are huge shoes to fill in replacing quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

Key Players Returning

Offense: Matt Dayes | Running Back

The Wolfpack lost running back Matt Dayes to a foot injury he suffered in Week 8 against Clemson. Before Dayes injury, he was well on his way to 1,000 rushing yards on the season. In just 8 games, Dayes rushed for 865 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. His best game came against Wake Forest where he rushed 16 times for 205 yards and 2 touchdowns before he was injured against Clemson the following week.

If Dayes can stay healthy for his senior season, the Wolfpack could see an improvement in their record. Not to mention, Dayes has an experienced line featuring 63  starts amongst them, the 57th highest ranked metric out of all the FBS programs. Dayes’ 6.5 yards per carry average is also something to look at as well, despite playing less games in 2015, Dayes still accumulated more yards, carries, and touchdowns. With a full season under his belt, he could be one of the ACC running backs to look out for this fall.

Defense: Bradley Chubb | Defensive Line

Bradley Chubb, the cousin of Georgia running back Nick Chubb, had quite the breakout sophomore season. Chubb was second on the team in sacks with 5.0, was second on the team in total tackles with 66, and third on the team with 10.5 tackles for loss. Chubb was one of the driving forces on a very young Wolfpack defense. The Wolfpack only lost 3 seniors on defense this past season.

Key Newcomer

Ryan Finley | Quarterback

Ryan Finley has strengthened NC State’s offensive outlook, joining the Wolfpack this past Spring as a graduate transfer. Finley joins Wolfpack offensive coordinator Eli Drinkwitz and in the process makes a quarterback battle this fall inevitable.

Finley has 7 games of experience at Boise State to his credit, with 3 passing touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He saw the most usage last season in 2015 before breaking his ankle against Idaho St. on September 18, sidelining him for 8 weeks. Finley adds intrigue to an already competitive quarterback battle with redshirt sophomore Jalan McClendon and redshirt freshman Jakobi Meyers already on the roster.

Season Preview

Record: 6-6 (3-5 ACC)

It was just 2 seasons ago, NC State was 0-8 in the ACC and the laughing stock of the conference. With youth and experience on their side, the Wolfpack have come a long way under Dave Doeren. However, the Wolfpack’s 2016 schedule is no cake walk. They face Notre Dame on October 8 followed by Clemson on October 15 and Louisville on October 22, both games on the road.  They return home to face Boston College, followed by Florida State, Syracuse on the road, Miami, and UNC on the road. Have no fear, a bowl is in sight, that’s only if they can beat Syracuse and Boston College on the back end of their schedule.

Thoughts? Questions? Comments? Feel free to drop me a line or hit me up on Twitter, @HereGoJayAgain!