NC State Football
Devin Leary: The Next Member of QBU
Devin Leary.
The Redshirt Sophomore Quarterback willed NC State to their 1st victory over a ranked opponent since 2017 today, beating #24 Pitt 30-29 on the road.
This was supposed to be Leary’s team entering 2020, but he was forced to quarantine for 21 days due to COVID-19 contact tracing. The result was him not being ready to take the reins in Week 1.
After Redshirt Junior Bailey Hockman played well in a 45-42 season opening win over Wake Forest, there was the chance that Leary had lost his shot due to a series of unfortunate events.
After today’s performance, there was never a chance that Leary’s talent could have been kept off the field.
To do so would be a fire able offense.
Leary was 28 of 44 for 336 yards with 4 touchdowns and no interceptions, but the final touchdown to Senior Emeka Emezie with 23 seconds left on the clock in the 4th quarter won’t soon be forgotten by NC State fans.
There wasn’t a moment of the game where Leary looked rattled. He was composed and poised. He looked like a veteran who has been in these moments time and time again.
Twice in the 4th with less than 10 minutes left, Leary led the Pack on 2 go-ahead touchdown drives.
Leary was the 1st Quarterback to throw for 330+ yards, 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions since Russell Wilson, who did it against an FCS school.
His 2 opponents in 2020 have both been ranked on the road, completing 40 of 60 for 501 yards, 5 touchdowns, no picks, adding up to a Passing Efficiency Rating of 182.3.
I know it’s only 1 game, but sometimes it takes one game, or sometimes even one individual performance to breathe life and passion into a fan base…to believe and hope again.
In Week 1, NC State won by running twice as much as they passed, which was expected to be the recipe for success in 2020, because the running backs were expected to be the strength of the offense. I’m not throwing any shade at the talented running back room, but Devin Leary might have something to say about that.
Devin Leary…the next member of QBU.