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NC State is set to take on Virginia Tech tomorrow night at 8:00 PM.  Take this chance to get to know the weapons Virginia Tech have in their arsenal.

Quarterbacks

Rs-Junior Brenden Motley- 6’3″/221 lbs (64/112, 861 yd, 7 TD, 5INT, 150 rush yds, 3 Rush TD)

Rs-Senior Michael Brewer- 6’1″/195 lbs (11/15, 161 yd, 2 TD)

Today the news came out that Michael Brewer appears ready to go and was listed as probable for the game vs. NC State.  A lot of Hokie fans are going to be static at this news, and for some reasons they should be.  He looked fantastic in the first half against Ohio State before going down.  It could however benefit NC State for Brewer to be under center.  He is nowhere near the athlete that Motley is, and NC State can struggle to defend mobile quarterbacks.  If Brewer plays he will make all his plays from the pocket, and that plays to NC States strengths.  I would imagine State will see some of both tomorrow.

Keys to Containment

If Motley ends up running the show, State needs to focus on hitting him every chance they get.  If they try a read option the end needs to tee off on him and let the linebackers clean up the rest.  If Brewer plays the majority of snaps, the D-Line has to put him under pressure often.  He has missed a ton of time, and hasn’t been able to practice much.  The game will already be fast for him and a goal for the defense should be to speed it up even more.

Running Backs

Rs-Freshman Travon McMillan – 6’0″/196 lbs (32 att, 223 yd, 30 rec yd)

Rs-Junior Trey Edmunds – 6’2″/223 lbs (36 att, 149 yd, 2 TD, 8 rec yd)

Senior JC Coleman – 5’6″/187 lbs (37 att, 120 yd, 1 TD)

This is not a positional group that is going to ‘wow’ you.  Coleman is technically the starter and is a tough runner for being undersized, and he has only lost 4 yards all year.  Edmunds has the best athletic ability and is the goal line back, but none of the group are a real threat in the passing game. Motley ran the ball a lot for them, so it will be interesting to see where it will be made up if Brewer plays the majority of the snaps.

Keys to Containment

NC States defense doesn’t need to do anything special here.  They have excelled at taking away the run, and have faced much more talented running backs.  Be physical up front, swarm the ball, cover your gaps, and they will limit the running game.

Receivers

Sophomore WR Isaiah Ford – 6’2″/188 lbs (21 rec, 382 yd, 3 TD)

Sophomore WR Cam Phillips – 6’1″/ 191 lbs (16 rec, 214 yd, 1 TD)

Rs-Sophomore TE Bucky Hodges –  6’7″ 241 lbs (12 rec, 174 yd, 2 TD)

Rs-Senior TE Ryan Malleck – 6’5″/253 lbs (9 rec, 120 yd, 2 TD)

It doesn’t matter what the numbers say, the guy that pops in this group is Bucky Hodges.  He is a huge target and is a surprising athlete.  Virginia Tech likes to target their TE’s in the red zone, so Hodges and Malleck must be accounted  for when Tech is in scoring position.  Ford is a good athlete who is capable of breaking big plays.  This is a relatively young, but capable group.  The ball will get spread around a lot so it is hard to focus on one position.

Keys to Containment

This is where the game changers reside for Virginia Tech.  They have some real nice pieces, headlined by Ford and Hodges.  It is really going to take a complete game by the secondary to hold them in check.  If they can hold the receivers to under their season averages, NC State will be looking very good in this one.

Who worries you the most on Virginia Tech’s offense? Comment below, or head over to The Forum and give your input!

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NC State Football

Former NC State Running Back Jordan Houston Signs with Marshall

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Former NC State Running Back Jordan Houston has officially transferred to Marshall for his final year of eligibility. NC State played Marshall this past season, but Houston didn’t play against the Thundering Herd, because he had already opted to redshirt the remainder of the season.

After playing in three games this past season, Houston opted to redshirt the remainder of the season (despite the fact that he was the starter at the time), giving him the ability to transfer with one year of eligibility remaining.

Houston played in 51 games for NC State over 5 years on the field, rushing for 1,392 yards (4.3 yards per carry) and 6 touchdowns. He also caught 60 passes for 398 yards and 1 touchdown.

Houston was a 3-Star prospect in NC State’s 2019 recruiting class out of Flint High School in Oakton, Virginia.

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NC State Football

Philip Rivers will Finally be Enshrined in the NC State Hall of Fame in April

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Wolfpack legend Philip Rivers will finally be inducted into the NC State Hall of Fame on April 20th!

Rivers was elected into the Hall of Fame back in 2013 (2nd year of the NC State Hall of Fame), but he has deferred his enshrinement over the years due to time constraints.

 

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Rivers pretty much owns every NC State record for Quarterbacks, and still has the most Career Passing Yards and Passes Completed in ACC history, and he ranks 3rd in Touchdown Passes. Rivers was the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2000, and the ACC Player of the Year in 2003.

You can buy your tickets here.

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NC State Football

DJ Burns Had a Word for Wolfpack Fans After Winning the ACC Championship

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When NC State’s DJ Burns was giving his acceptance speech after receiving the 2024 ACC Tournament MVP Award, Burns had the following quote to say when asked what he wanted to say to the fans.

“I’m going to keep it real simple. Thank you to the ones who’ve been consistent throughout the ride, and welcome back everybody else.”

Burns’ words struck a chord.

Throughout much of this season, it was embarrassing to see all the empty seats in PNC Arena.

As the Wolfpack lost 7 of their final 9 regular season games, it was clear that this team wasn’t just losing games, but they were also losing much of the fanbase.

It’s clear from Burns’ words that the empty seats were noticed, and so were the words of fans online.

NC State finished the regular season 10th, and much of the fanbase was frustrated, and rightfully so.

But, frustrated doesn’t have to mean giving up.

‘Never giving up’ is kind of supposed to be NC State’s thing.

The words of Jimmy V reverberate throughout the history of NC State basketball.

This team didn’t always put W’s in the Win column this season, and it wasn’t always an easy watch, but never for a moment were these players not playing as hard as they could for their school, one another, and their coach.

They never gave up.

Fans have a right to be frustrated, but you can still show up for a team, even when they struggle, because that’s what loyal fans do. When players wear a jersey with NC State across the chest, and they don’t give up, their fans shouldn’t either.

NC State fans aren’t known to be fair weather fans. Let’s not get in the business of leading our players to think we are.

But, like Burns said, whether you’ve been along for the ride all season or not, it’s time to hop on.

 

 

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NC State Football

WATCH: PackInsider’s 2023 Sean Brown Highlight Reel

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This past season was a breakout season for Junior Safety, now turned Linebacker, Sean Brown.

This past season, Brown started in 11 of the 13 games that he played in, and ranked 3rd on the team in tackles (66) and pass breakups (5). He also had 5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions and 1 forced fumble. Brown’s PFF Grade of 63.7 ranked 13th on the team. His Tackling Grade of 86.6 ranked 2nd on the team behind Payton Wilson.

As you will notice in our Highlight Reel ABOVE, Brown lived in the box, and is a very ferocious tackler. He will fit right in at Linebacker next year for the Wolfpack.

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