Despite the uncertainty surrounding his replacement, the Wolfpack defense seems confident in the abilities of the two linebackers, sophomore Dwayne Maddox and redshirt freshman Terrell Manning, who are vying to fill the void left in the wake of the season-ending injuries Nate Irving suffered in a car wreck in June.
“I am going to be quite honest — I am as confident as when Nate [Irving] was here,” Willie Young, a redshirt senior defensive end, said. “If everyone around Dwayne [Maddox] is doing their job, you won’t even know [the injury to Irving] happened.”
Irving, who led the defense with four interceptions and finished third with 84 tackles despite missing almost a third of the season, was widely expected to have another all-conference caliber season after his breakout campaign a year ago, but the car accident in June ended Irving’s season months before it was scheduled to begin and intensified the competition between Manning and Maddox.
Both players played high school football in North Carolina and came to N.C. State last year with high expectations after the completion of all-state seasons as seniors in high school. Manning was more sought-after, as the 219 tackles he compiled during his senior season were reason enough for Rivals.com to call him the third best player in the state.
He then redshirted his freshman year while recovering from a knee injury, while Maddox started four games and gained experience. Maddox said this made him a different player than he was a year ago.
“I am pretty confident this year. Last year I was, as they say, a young pup coming in,” Maddox said. “I didn’t know the plays that well so I was basically just out there running around. It was very valuable because game experience with your team depending on you gives you confidence and composure for the next year.”
Linebacker coach Andy McCollum expressed confidence in both Manning and Maddox, but said Maddox is the first stringer at this point.
“Terrell [Manning] has a lot of natural ability, is a tough guy and he can run. Maddox did a good job for us a year ago, and he’s more physical and understands the game. That year of experience is going to be a big plus for him now as he gets ready to play,” McCollum said. “Dwayne [Maddox] is number one and Terrell [Manning] is number two, but there is an open competition at that position and Terrell has just got to get caught up with understanding everything.”
And while Irving will not be stuffing running backs or picking off passes, McCollum said his presence as a leader will still be felt and said redshirt senior linebacker Ray Michel will also provide leadership both on and off the field.
“Nate [Irving] will always stay involved and keep his eye on them and that is invaluable. Nate’s number one because of his character and what he stands for and those guys look up to him,” McCollum said. “Ray [Michel] is a good leader because he understands the defense and what has to happen. He is a very positive guy with everybody in that [locker] room and he is great for the young guys.”
With so much confidence in Maddox’s ability, Young said the defense’s goal, even without Irving, remains domination.
“We expect to penetrate, come out and set the tone, and be a very dominating defense,” Young said.
