When Virginia starting quarterback Jameel Sewell left Saturday’s game in the last few minutes with cramps, N.C. State’s defense started licking its chops.
It was then when redshirt sophomore Willie Young took over the game. Young beat his man repeatedly, and got in the face of backup quarterback Pete Lalich.
“The lead quarterback, he was a scrambler, he could get out of the pocket,” Young said. “But once you’ve got a quarterback who’s not as elusive, it was almost like you could put the offensive tackle or guard on an island and attack from any angle.”
Thanks in large part to Young, Lalich rarely had time to throw and the Cavaliers’ comeback attempt fell short.
It was a breakout game for Young, who finished with three sacks. After coming off the bench at the start of the year, Young has started at left end the last two weeks.
His pass-rushing success correlates with the team’s winning ways. He’s been able to wreck havoc in situations like the Virginia game because his team has the lead.
“We’ve been in games in the fourth quarter that have allowed him to pass rush the way he has to,” coach Tom O’Brien said. “We’ve had teams down that had to throw the football, and that’s his specialty.”
All of his team-leading five sacks have come in the past two weeks with three coming against the Cavaliers.
“A lot of us sat back and evaluated ourselves and thought about how the first half of the season went,” Young said of his and the team’s turnaround. “Then you ask yourself: Is that what you expect from yourself?'”
Young said he wasn’t satisfied with having no sacks in his limited time through the first six games.
But in the last two games — both Wolfpack wins — Young has been a menace to the opposing team. His frequent visits to the opponent’s backfield have garnered him nine tackles for loss, which leads the team.
“One thing about Willie [is] he wants to make plays. He brings a true excitement,” defensive line coach Keith Willis said. “He brings a great deal of enthusiasm to the game to the point that he almost lifts his teammates up. He’s a team player in that he wants to see everybody do well.”
Young said in December that his initial reaction to the hiring of O’Brien was “Oh Lord,” because Young had spent a year at military school. He didn’t know what to think of having to undergo another academy-school discipline like O’Brien’s.
Adjusting to all the new coaches played a part in Young’s slow start to the year.
“That happens with players; that happens with human beings in general. When introduced to something new, it takes time to adjust,” Willis said. “Some people just get it and for others it takes time.”
Now that Young has adjusted accordingly, he heads back home to south Florida. Young is from Riviera Beach, Fla., about 45 minutes away from the home of the Miami Hurricanes: the Orange Bowl.
It’s the last year any game will be played in the Orange Bowl, a stadium that has housed championship teams. Playing there was always a dream for Young.
“It’s a little kid’s dream from my shoes. I always looked forward to playing against Miami one day. Never knew how I would or where I would be at,” Young said. “I’m very excited, but you can’t lose purpose of going down there.”
Young said he should have family and friends in the stands. If he keeps playing the same he could put on quite a show for the folks back home.
Willis has already taken measures to ensure his player doesn’t press too hard when he lives his dream of taking on the Hurricanes. After all, the way he’s been playing recently will suffice for the Pack.
“I nipped it in the bud early on. I knew [he’d be excited] because I recruited down there. I know how those guys react,” Willis said. “I think he’s going to be a little [excited], but when the game starts and the lights come on, I think he’ll step his game up and play how he’s capable of playing. That’s what I’m hoping for. I don’t want him to do anything more or anything less.”
Senior Staff Writer Langdon Morris contributed to this report.
