The NC State football team started off its 2016 season on the right foot by being efficient on both sides of the ball in a 48-14 win over William & Mary Thursday night. Here are the top performers from the season opener.
Matt Dayes
After missing the final five games of the 2015 season due to a foot injury, the senior running back sprung back onto the scene, carrying the ball 23 times for 138 yards and two touchdowns, as well as two catches for 18 yards.
“I was ready to be back out there running the ball again,” Dayes said.
Dayes’ addition to the offense will be key, as new offensive coordinator Eli Drinkwitz will feature him as one of the top-two playmakers. Dayes should have no problem eclipsing the 1000-yard rushing mark this season, assuming he stays healthy.
“Matt’s one of the best players I’ve ever been around,” graduate center Joe Scelfo said. “He makes cuts, he sets your blocks up, it’s something I’ve never played with. I’m glad he’s on my team.”
Jaylen Samuels
Speaking of playmakers, Samuels is the only player on this team who might arguably be more dynamic than Dayes. The junior is listed as a tight end, but saw time at every position other than offensive line Thursday night. He finished with a team-high five receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown to go with five carries for 24 yards and two touchdowns.
Last season, he led the team in all receiving categories as well as all-purpose touchdowns, and could be well on his way to do so again. His versatility allows him to be used all over the offense and cause fits for the defense, and while he might not put up the numbers that Dayes does, he is just as important.
Jerod Fernandez
The redshirt junior linebacker not only led the team in tackles with seven (one for a loss), but also added a quarterback hit and a crucial interception. His interception came just two plays after NC State threw its first pick of the season, giving the team the ball back at the Tribe’s 26-yard line and shifting the momentum back in its favor. The Pack capitalized off the turnover, scoring a touchdown to go up 21-7.
Fernandez and junior Airius Moore are full-time starters at linebacker for the second year in a row and form a solid duo at the position. Additionally, a stellar defensive line will allow them to make plays in both the running and passing game.
The offensive line
Despite losing three starters from last year, the NC State hog mollies up front paved the way for 259 rushing yards and allowed just two sacks and no quarterback hurries. The line was a huge question mark coming into the season due to inexperience, and it will be important for it to keep up its high level of play as the competition gets more difficult. The leadership of Scelfo and junior guard Tony Adams will help the young group.
Player to watch: Ryan Finley
Coming into the game, the Wolfpack didn’t know who it would start at quarterback, as it was expected that Finley and fellow redshirt sophomore Jalan McClendon would split time as the game manager. Finley started the first two series before McClendon came in, and McClendon responded with an ugly interception.
From then on, it was Finley’s show, as McClendon didn’t come in again until the fourth quarter when the game was way out of hand. Finley didn’t disappoint, as he completed 17 of his 21 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns and led his team to a touchdown on each of the first four drives. He cemented himself at the top of the quarterback battle, for now at least, and will be tested Saturday against ECU.
“I’m assuming Ryan would [start] after the way he played,” head coach Dave Doeren said. “We’ll sit down as a staff and watch the film, but the kid played pretty well.”
Junior tight end Jaylen Samuels cuts towards the end zone as he gets a block from a teammate in the Wolfpack's home opener against William & Mary on Sept. 1. Samuels had five rushes for 24 yards and two touchdowns in the Wolfpack's 48-14 win over the Tribe at Carter-Finley Stadium.
