N.C. State opened the Dave Doeren era with a 40-14 victory over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on Saturday in front of 54,204 fans at Carter-Finley Stadium. The 40 points scored was the most by the Wolfpack in a coaching debut since Monte Kiffin’s 1980 squad defeated William & Mary, 42-0.
Graduate student Brandon Mitchell was named the starting quarterback after much speculation during the summer. The transfer from Arkansas was effective in his brief time on the field, going 3-for-3 for 93 yards and leading the Pack to back-to-back touchdowns on its opening two drives—the first time that had happened in a N.C. State season opener in 10 years—before injuring his fifth metatarsal in the first half. After the game, Doeren said that type of injury typically takes four to six weeks to recover.
Redshirt junior Pete Thomas stepped in for Mitchell and, after a shaky start that included an interception on the goal-line only to recover the fumble on the ensuing return, finished 15-for-27 for 212 yards. The Pack totaled 542 yards in the contest—its most in a season opener since tallying 592 yards against Western Carolina in 1990.
“We knew how Pete played and he knows how we play,” redshirt senior Rashard Smith said. “We knew we could trust Pete and he knew he could trust us. That’s how we’ve been practicing. In practice, they push us up to the line fast and coach keeps pushing and pushing. It’s wide open, just playing football.”
Louisiana Tech (0-1) had a chance to make things interesting in the first half. However, two turnovers in the red zone kept the Pack from being seriously threatened. Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz, who coached against the Pack while at East Carolina and is the son of former State head coach Lou Holtz, said it was a game that was there for his team to take.
“If we don’t turn those two balls over in the first half it is a 21-all ballgame,” Holtz said. “I don’t think this is talent, these are mistakes we made. Hopefully, if we learn from those things, this can be a beneficial tail-whipping.”
The scoring load for N.C. State came primarily from freshman running back Matt Dayes and junior kicker Niklas Sade. Dayes burst through the Bulldog defense for 86 yards on 17 carries and three trips to the end zone—the most touchdowns scored by a freshman since T.A. McLendon went for five scores against Texas Tech in 2002.
“Anytime you have a great running back it changes things,” Doeren said. “We now get Shadrach [Thornton] back this week and I think that will help Matt [Dayes] get better.”
Sade kicked four field goals in the game and sent his kickoffs deep into the end zone, preventing the Bulldogs from starting its drives with good field position.
“[Sade] had a great day,” Doeren said. “He kicked the ball extremely well. He had four field goals, including a 45-yarder. He kicked like a three-year starter.”
There were plenty of new names for the Pack faithful to learn on the afternoon as Dayes joined 18 other players, including 10 true freshmen, who made their State debuts against the Bulldogs.
Freshman wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling was, along with Dayes, a top performer among the newcomers. Valdes-Scantling caught four passes for 87 yards.
“I push myself every day in practice,” Dayes said. “It feels really good. Valdes [and I] are from Florida, so we always say ‘We’re going to put it on for Florida.’”
State will return to Carter-Finley Stadium for the second game of its four-game home stand next Saturday when the Pack hosts the Richmond Spiders on Military Appreciation night.
