Photo by Chris Rupert
Redshirt senior Rashard Smith runs the football Saturday, Aug. 31, 2013 at Carter-Finley Stadium against Louisiana Tech. The Wolfpack defeated the Bulldogs 40-14.
The opening 10 minutes of the Wolfpack’s 2013 football season was the most promising of any season I can remember. However, the next 110 minutes followed with mixed results.
I thought Louisiana Tech would give the Wolfpack a stern challenge in its opener. In 2012, the Bulldogs beat Virginia in Charlottesville and took Cotton Bowl winner Texas A&M to the brink, losing 59-57.
But the Bulldogs’ losses from the previous year were painfully apparent against the Wolfpack. Former head coach Sonny Dykes is now coaching California and the team returned only six starters from last season, the lowest total in the FBS.
In comparison, The Wolfpack looked awesome against the Bulldogs.
Part of that is due to Louisiana Tech’s subpar defense. The Bulldogs allowed 38.5 points per game last season and also lost seven defensive starters.
Another reason was the play of graduate student quarterback Brandon Mitchell. Mitchell was electric in his debut for the red and white, leading the fast-paced offense to 14 points on his first two drives.
Then Mitchell went down, stricken by a broken bone in his left foot. The Wolfpack cruised in his absence, beating the Bulldogs 40-14, but State fans will be desperate to see the Arkansas transfer back on the field as soon as possible.
His replacement, junior quarterback Pete Thomas, has given great effort and has shown a will to win that can’t be taught. The Colorado State transfer dove to recover a fumble against the Bulldogs and stuck his nose in to gain crucial first downs by running against Richmond a week later.
There have been a few questionable decisions from Thomas: the late interception against Richmond for instance. But he drove the team into field goal range on the very next drive, helping the Wolfpack win the game.
Shortly after throwing an interception, Thomas showed character and guts by running an effective two-minute drill.
Thomas hasn’t been perfect, but he has been everything we need him to be.
Freshman receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the Wolfpack’s leading pass catcher this season, has been a surprisingly effective addition to the offense. Valdes-Scantling always seems to be in the right place at the right time, making two crucial catches to jump-start the Wolfpack’s game winning drive against Richmond.
While Valdes-Scantling has impressed, senior receiver Quintin Payton and junior receiver Bryan Underwood have not. Both have combined for six catches and 44 yards this season.
It’d be shortsighted to ignore the fact that defenses are blanketing both in coverage forcing Thomas to utilize other receivers such as Valdes-Scantling and senior receiver Rashard Smith, who has also impressed.
Another welcoming addition has been the emergence of the Wolfpack’s rushing attack.
Freshman running back Matt Dayes has been getting plenty of love from the Wolfpack faithful, and deservedly so, but junior running back Tony Creecy has been running hard as well.
Both average 4.1 yards per carry, effective enough to make opponents respect the Wolfpack’s ground game. Seeing Creecy and Dayes burst through seams at the line of scrimmage has been a sight for sore eyes, with the Pack’s rushers last year averaging just 3.1 yards per carry.
This one-yard difference may seem inconsequential. But after three rushes of three yards per carry, the Wolfpack offense would be one yard short of a first down. You can do the math if State averaged four yards per carry.
State’s defense has looked strong thus far in the season. To say the least, there’s a noticeable difference between Richmond’s offense and Clemson’s. But the Wolfpack’s defense has a habit of stepping up when it’s needed the most.
Just ask Florida State: The Wolfpack shut out the Seminoles in the second half of its game last season. N.C. State came back from 16-0 and beat the ‘Noles on a last minute drive.
Here’s the take-home message to Wolfpack nation: Don’t overreact because of one game. Every team has close calls over the course of the season; that’s just the way it goes.
Good teams find ways to win football games. That’s exactly what head coach Dave Doeren’s team has done over the last two weeks. They may not win every game this season, but I have complete confidence the Wolfpack will be bowl eligible by the end of the season.