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3 questions heading into NC State’s Spring Game

Published

6 years ago

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NC State’s annual Kay Yow Spring Football game will kickoff at 1pm.

Here are a few questions I have, that could possibly be answered in this intrasquad scrimmage.

  1. Can Freshman place kicker Chris Dunn handle the big stage?

I can’t think of a Freshman that has come into Raleigh with this much pressure on his shoulders in quite some time. The kicking game has been a nightmare for years now, and Wolfpack nation is hoping that Dunn is the Messiah of the kicking game. He has kicked in Carter-Finley Stadium 3 times prior to today, but this will be the first time going live, with fans in the stands. Obviously, the stands won’t be as filled as they will be in the Fall, and their won’t be any opposing fans, but it will be a good test for the young kicker.

2. Can the Wolfpack cornerbacks hold their own against the Wide Receivers?

NC State lost Mike Stevens and Johnathan Alston, leaving Nick McCloud as the only returning cornerback with significant experience (started 7 games in 2017). McCloud has always impressed me. As a Sophomore, he had 34 tackles, 1 interception, and 7 pass deflections (2nd on the team).

The question is, who is going to rise to the occasion to be the other starter alongside McCloud? Will there be quality depth at the cornerback position?

Today we could get some answers to those questions. They will be going against what is arguably one of the best Wide Receiver corps in the nation in Kelvin Harmon, Steph Louis and Jakobi Meyers. Senior Maurice Trowell switched over from Wide Receiver to Cornerback, similar to what Johnathan Alston did last year. Doeren said that Trowell has been playing with the 1’s, which is a good sign for how well he is picking up the position (he didn’t play defensive back in high school like Alston). That puts him currently ahead of Chris Ingram, who Doeren said was their bast defensive back in coverage last year. True freshman De’Von Graves, is also running with the 2’s, and will look to make an immediate impact.

The cornerback crew will have to grow up fast, but seeing how they do against the NC State wide receivers today will be revealing of just how much they’ve grown up at this point.

3. Will the brand new NC State Defensive Line be a weakness?

Bradley Chubb, Kentavius Street, B.J. Hill and Justin Jones are gone, so the Wolfpack defensive line will be a brand new crew, but they aren’t without experience. Senior Darian Roseboro entertained entering the 2018 NFL Draft, but decided to stay. He has played in the shadow of Chubb at defensive end for three years now. Roseboro (422 snaps in 2017) has always flashed whenever he has been in the game, and now it will be his line. Eurndraus Bryant (303 snaps in 2017) and Shug Frazier (223 snaps in 2017) haven’t been starters, but they enter 2018 with quite a bit of experience. In fact, the Wolfpack coaching staff viewed Bryant as a starter last year, and the same goes for Roseboro. Defensive End James Smith-Williams has a ton of potential, and has continued to add size to go along with his athleticism.

It will be interesting to see if the Defensive Line can get a rush on Finley today against a stout Wolfpack Offensive Line. Doeren mentioned that the linebackers might have to get more involved in the pass rush this season if need be. It would be a good sign today to see Roseboro, Smith-Williams, and reserves like Joe Babros get to Ryan Finley who will be wearing a green jersey.
 

 

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Matthew is Publisher and Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He is also the Lead Pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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NC State Football

Congrats to NC State Football’s Spring Graduates!

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3 hours ago

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May 3, 2024

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Congratulations to the 7 NC State Football Players that just graduated this Spring.

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2024 Football Spring Graduates

Linebacker Devon Betty (1 year of eligibility)

Defensive End Davin Vann (1 year of eligibility)

Cornerback Aydan White (1 year of eligibility)

Offensive Guard Anthony Carter Jr. (2 years of eligibility)

Offensive Lineman Matt McCabe (2 years of eligibility)

Offensive Tackle Patrick Matan (2 years of eligibility)

Offensive Lineman Brendan Lawson (no longer on the roster)

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NC State Football

Proposed Bill in the NC House Would Require NC State & UNC To Play One Another, as well as ECU, UNCC and App St.

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10 hours ago

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May 3, 2024

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A bill has been proposed by members of the North Carolina House of Representatives that would force NC State and UNC to play one another, as well as East Carolina, UNC Charlotte and Appalachian State.

According to House Bill 965, which you can read here in full, NC State and UNC would be required to play one another annually in Football, Men’s Basketball and Women’s Basketball. The Wolfpack and the Tar Heels would also be forced to play a game annually in all three sports against either ECU, UNC-Charlotte or App St. Every six years, NC State and UNC would be required to have played a home and away game against each of the three school in all three sports.

Here’s the exact wording from the proposed bill:

Competition Required. – A high-enrollment institution shall do all of the following in each eligible sport: (1) Every academic year, play at least one home or one away game against (i) another high-enrollment institution and (ii) an eligible constituent institution that is not a high-enrollment institution. (2) Every six academic years, play at least one home and one away game against each eligible constituent institution that is not a high-enrollment institution. A high-enrollment institution shall alternate home and away games that are scheduled against the same eligible constituent institution that is not a high-enrollment institution.

For glossary of terms being referenced above:

For the purposes of this bill, “High-enrollment institutions” = NC State and UNC, while “Eligible constituent institutions” = East Carolina, UNC Charlotte and Appalachian State.

It’s worth noting that NC State already has games schedule against each of these teams home-and-away in Football between now and 2031.

2025 – East Carolina (H)

2025 – @ App St.

2026 – App St. (H)

2028 – @ East Carolina

2030 – Charlotte (H)

2031 – @ Charlotte

What are your thoughts?

For more details, check out this article at WRAL.

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NC State Football

Akron Safety Kerry Martin Jr. will Take an Official Visit at NC State Next Week

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1 day ago

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May 2, 2024

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Akron Safety Kerry Martin Jr. (6’1″/195) confirmed with me that he will be taking an Official Visit to NC State next week beginning on May 7th.

After receiving an offer from NC State yesterday, it didn’t take him long to set up the visit.

Martin Jr. is familiar with NC State, because he was recruited by Wolfpack Defensive Coordinator Tony Gibson before he left West Virginia to come to Raleigh. Even though he never coached him, a relationship was established.

Martin Jr.’s connections to NC State are deeper than that. Former NC State Cornerback Derrek Pitts, who is currently a member of the Tampa Bay Bucs, is his cousin.

This past year, Martin Jr. recorded 45 tackles, 2 interceptions and 6 pass breakups for Akron, starting in 9 of the 11 games he played in. His PFF Grade was 68.9.

In 2022, he had 53 tackles, 1 interception and 1 pass breakup, starting in 9 of the 11 games he played in. Martin Jr.’s PFF Grade was 60.9.

In 2019, as a Freshman for West Virginia, Martin Jr. earned PFF Freshman All-American honors, recording a grade of 70.6, with 50 tackles and 3 pass breakups.

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NC State Football

NC State Sits in the Top-20 in 247’s Post-Spring 2024 Preseason Poll

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2 days ago

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May 1, 2024

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247’s Brad Crawford released his Post-Spring 2024 Preseason College Football Top-25 recently, and NC State moved up 1 spot to #20.

ACC Teams in the Top-25

11. FSU

14. Miami

16. Clemson

20. NC State

24. Virginia Tech

25. Louisville

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