When the NC State football team kicked off against William & Mary in September, the offense was barely noticeable from the year before. Offensive coordinator Matt Canada had been fired and was leading the offense at Pittsburgh. Starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett had graduated and would soon be winning NFL games in relief of Tom Brady. The offensive line had lost several starters.
So fair or not, there was plenty of apprehension to see how redshirt sophomore quarterback Ryan Finley would operate new offensive coordinator Eli Drinkwitz’s offense. The results, at least early, were positive.
Finley looked sharp in completing more than 80 percent of his passes against the Tribe. Senior running back Matt Dayes rushed for 138 yards and the Wolfpack rolled to 48 points. On that night, everything was right with NC State football.
Unfortunately for everyone, the wheels would come off at times.
Finley, who looked so poised and accurate in that opening win, struggled all season with stretching defenses. The kicking game cost the team several games. The losses to Boston College and Miami (FL) were apathetic losses where the offense showed no fight.
Nevertheless, the Wolfpack won seven games in a tumultuous campaign and quite possibly would’ve won more had it not been for its atrocious special teams play. With the first season of Drinkwitz and Finley in command, here’s how we grade the Wolfpack offense.
Quarterback: B
Despite the constant criticism of Finley, this was his first year as a starting quarterback, and he nearly beat Florida State and Clemson this season. Finley may in fact turn out to be a terrific quarterback for the Wolfpack and growing pains are to be expected.
More disappointing was the play of redshirt sophomore Jalan McClendon, who has tremendous physical attributes, but was mistake prone and lost any chance at the starting job. While McClendon was a running threat, it was disappointing to see his season play out as poorly as it did.
Running Back: A+
How can you give the running back group anything besides an A+ after Dayes became the first 1,000-yard rusher at NC State since 2002? Dayes was efficient, hardworking and will go down as one of the best players in NC State history. The question will be if the Wolfpack can replace him next year.
Wide Receiver: C
The Wolfpack once again lacked any legitimate receiving threats to help Finley out. The Wolfpack’s leading receiver was a tight end, and senior Bra’Lon Cherry never really materialized into a threat.
The Wolfpack did get a huge boost from redshirt sophomore Stephen Louis, who returned from injury to collect 35 receptions and 678 yards. Freshman Kelvin Harmon was a bright spot in his first year, corralling 27 catches and five touchdowns.
Next year may be a different story however.
Sophomore Nyheim Hines, who was hobbled for most of the year, will return healthy. Everyone saw what he is capable of in the bowl game, when he returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown.
Senior Jumichael Ramos returns from an injury that kept him out for all of the 2016 season. Ramos was the Wolfpack’s No. 1 wide receiver in 2015 and should immediately boost this position.
Louis and Harmon return, and five receivers from the 2016 class will be eligible after redshirt years. Additionally, the 2017 recruiting class welcomes two receivers.
All in all, it could be a tough year to be an opposing corner against the Wolfpack.
Tight End: A
Junior tight end Jaylen Samuels gets an A for leading the team in receiving and finishing third in rushing this season. He is a matchup nightmare for teams across the ACC, but you knew that already. The Wolfpack also got contributions from freshman Thaddeus Moss and underrated junior Cole Cook. This is one of the better position groups on the whole team.
Offensive Line: B
The offensive line gelled well this season after losing several starters from the 2015 squad. Graduate transfer Joe Scelfo had a huge role in stabilizing the offensive line and allowing junior guard Tony Adams to stay at his preferred position. The best news with this position group is that every starter but Scelfo returns next season, giving the group continuity.
Forgive me if you’ve heard this before, but the 2017 NC State football team has an opportunity to be a difference maker in the ACC Atlantic Division.
Most of the starters return from what was a nasty defense, and it will be on the offense to take a step forward to bring the Wolfpack to the next level. Figuring out who will replace Dayes and giving Finley more receiving threats would be a huge boost to the offense. If we can see those questions answered, we may just see this offense flourish.
Junior tight end fullback hybrid Jaylen Samuels breaks a tackle on the way to a 23-yard touchdown rush. After getting nearly no looks or touches against Boston College, Samuels' presence was felt with 29 yards on the ground and 31 through the air. The Wolfpack was unable to complete the fourth quarter ending in a 24-20 loss to Florida State on Saturday Nov. 5 in Carter-Finley Stadium.
