NC State kicked off their 2016 season last night with a 48-14 victory over William & Mary. Here are a few notes from the Wolfpack’s opening victory.

Offensive Notes

-After missing the final 5 games of the 2015 season, Senior running back Matt Dayes picked right up where he left off. After going through all of spring and fall practice without being tackled, he grinded for 138 yards rushing on 23 carries, and he also ran into the end zone for two scores as well. Dayes also added 2 receptions for 18 yards, bringing his total yards on the night to 156.

-The Swiss-Army knife Jaylen Samuels showed why he is so dangerous once again. He led the Wolfpack with 5 receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown, and also rushed for 24 yards and 2 touchdowns on 5 carries. Samuels caught balls like a traditional tight end, ran his patented jet sweep to perfection, and even lined up as a wildcat quarterback. His mission to make the ACC Media eat their words began tonight, after they failed to put him on the preseason All-ACC team. If their was an ACC Fantasy Football league, I would be drafting Samuels.

-If you wondered if Redshirt Sophomore quarterback Ryan Finley had an edge in the position battle against Redshirt Sophomore Jalan McClendon because of his familiarity with Offensive Coordinator Eliah Drinkwitz’s offense, you were correct. Finley started the game behind center, and looked like he deserved the job. He was confident, precise and comfortable in the pocket, running the offense of his former coach at Boise State, and showed no signs of rust after missing all but three games of the 2015 season, including spring camp, due to injury. Finley completed 81% of his passes in the season opener under the bright lights for 174 yards and 2 touchdowns (182.0 Passing Efficiency). Expect to see Finley handling a majority of the snaps next Saturday against East Carolina.

-True Freshman Kelvin Harmon was one of the bright spots of the Wolfpack’s 2016 recruiting class (4 stars), and last night he showed why. The 4-star prospect out of the state of New Jersey reeled in 2 receptions for 53 yards in his college debut. The 6’3 wideout used his size and athleticism to make two impressive catches. After the injury to Jumichael Ramos, it has been unknown who would step up to fill his shoes. The frosh looks like he’d like a shot at slipping those puppies on.

-True Freshman Thaddeus Moss looked like he belonged on the field. He snagged 2 receptions for 16 yards in his debut, but it wasn’t his stats that were most impressive. It was his physicality. After catching a dump pass on the right side, he proceeded to mow over the incoming defender that was attempting to tackle him. Moss obviously isn’t red shirting, and it looks like could make an impact.

-NC State’s offensive attack was extremely balanced, which has become a typical trademark for Doeren’s teams. The Wolfpack rushed for 259 yards, and picked up 261 through the air, totaling for a whopping 521 total yards. To put that number in perspective, that total was higher than every single game on the 2015 schedule, with the exception of the South Alabama game (586).

Defensive Notes

-Redshirt Junior linebacker Jerod Fernandez led the Wolfpack with 7 tackles (1 TFL), and also picked off William & Mary’s Steve Cluley. Fernandez had to go to work on his body this offseason with Riley Nicholson breathing down his neck, and it looks like the work paid off. He looked fast and was extremely active.

-Junior Defensive Tackle Kentavius Street led the Wolfpack with 2 tackles for loss, and picked up the lone sack of the night. He might have had more if he wouldn’t have picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for taking off his helmet after celebrating a sack against an FCS team. The Freak has skills, but as Doeren said after the game, he needs to “act like he’s been there before.”

-There weren’t a lot of other notables in the Wolfpack defensive box score, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It was a complete defensive effort. They held William & Mary to 14 points, 168 total yards, and a measley 62 yards rushing (2.2 yards per carry).