In the NC State football team’s spring game, the red team defeated the white team, 37-17. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Devin Leary started the game for the red team while freshman quarterback Ben Finley began the outing for the white team.
On the white team’s first drive of the game, Finley went down with an injury, leading the way for former four-star recruit freshman quarterback Aaron McLaughlin to get reps. Finley later returned sporting a knee brace.
Facing third and 8 on the red team’s second drive of the game, Leary aired a deep ball out to freshman wide receiver Porter Rooks, who beat the coverage to bring home a 58-yard touchdown. In his first season with the Pack, Rooks racked up 276 yards on 24 catches in his role as a reserve.
That touchdown was the first in what would become an afternoon dominated by Leary. On the ensuing drive, Leary connected with redshirt sophomore receiver Devin Carter on a couple plays before bringing out the trickery, flipping the ball out to redshirt graduate receiver Thayer Thomas, who hit Carter again to bring red up 13-0 following the extra point.
Red’s third touchdown saw major contributions from the team’s running back room, including sophomore Jordan Houston and redshirt freshman Delbert Mimms III. Houston earned the scoring nod to put the red team up 20-0 over white in the first quarter. In the second, Houston was injured after a long run and was eventually carted to the locker room. After Houston went down, redshirt freshman Demarcus Jones II shared the bulk of the carries with Mimms.
“They’ve been impressive all spring,” said head coach Dave Doeren on Mimms and Jones. “They’re tough. They understand the offense. They’re good in protection. They’re playing within themselves. They’re not trying to do too much. They’re physical backs. They’re not going to dance a whole lot. They’re going to get extra yards and run behind their pads… That’s probably one of the benefits when you hold a couple players out at a spot, is that you build depth for when they come back. We were able to do that at running back today.”
For the white team, freshman receiver Julian Gray hauled in a beautiful 17-yard catch from Finley, flashing the depth of the upcoming season’s receiving corps. White was finally able to get points on the board following the drive, with freshman kicker Ian Williams nailing a 34-yard field goal.
Shortly after, redshirt freshman nickelback Nicholas Treco picked off Leary, giving white possession. Leary struggled with his accuracy on long throws, with freshman corner Nehki Meredith nearly picking him off earlier in the day.
Treco’s takeaway led to the best pass of the day as Finley connected for 35 yards with freshman receiver Christopher Scott Jr. on a perfectly thrown sideline ball, leading to a short Finley rush for the white team’s first touchdown of the game.
Leary and the Pack immediately answered, with the quarterback connecting with Thomas for the team’s fourth touchdown on a 9-yard score.
The second half featured a running clock and saw a quarterback switch by the two teams. McLaughlin took the reins of the white team while Finley switched to red. After a couple of solid completions to sophomore receiver Keyon Lesane, the red team furthered its lead to 20 after redshirt freshman kicker Collin Smith knocked in a field goal from short distance.
Following a quick possession by the white team, Finley regained the ball and completed a deep shot downfield to redshirt junior receiver Max Fisher for 47 yards. Following the play, redshirt freshman running back Demarcus Jones II dashed into the endzone to give the red team a 37-10 lead.
Freshman quarterback Andrew Harvey came into the game for the white team, with redshirt sophomore Joey Ray getting the bulk of the ball-carrying duties on the drive. The white team failed to score, but after McLaughlin and the red team regained possession, freshman linebacker Caden Fordham recorded a pick-six off McLaughlin to bring the game to 37-17 in favor of red.
The spring game offered a glimpse at what to expect for the future of Pack football, with several underclassmen making dynamic plays in the friendly contest. Here’s what we learned about the Pack’s young pieces and newcomers:
Aaron McLaughlin
McLaughlin’s day was as to be expected for an early enrollee quarterback: not good. Playing against one of the better defenses in the ACC, even without linebackers Payton Wilson and Drake Thomas, is a tall order and it’s clear the highly touted McLaughlin will need time to grow behind Ben Finley.
“I think they’re both doing a great job, [Aaron and Ben],” Leary said. “Aaron, he’s really supposed to still be in high school. He early enrolled, got into the spring, and has been trying really hard.”
Derrek Pitts Jr.
Redshirt junior corner Derrek Pitts Jr. had a quiet day, which is good for a corner. The Marshall transfer was on the red team and Doeren has offered praise for his work ethic, which means there’s a good chance Pitts will retain his current starting spot going into the fall.
Delbert Mimms III
Mimms has been stuck behind three very talented backs for a couple years now, but with Ricky Person, Jr. and Zonovan Knight out for spring ball, Mimms has gotten more work and has shown his growth. With 52 yards on nine rushes, nearly 6 yards per carry, it’s clear that Mimms has talent enough to stay on the field. The question remains whether he can reach it.
Nehki Meredith
Meredith was all over the field in the game, playing a considerable amount of time and stopping several plays immediately after the catch. The corner’s best play of the afternoon came on a pass attempt by Leary that Meredith was inches away from picking off. Meredith is playing in his second season with the Pack.
Ben Finley
Finley took a scary hit on his very first drive of the game but came back a few possessions later with a brace. Finley ended the day with 154 yards in the air and a rushing touchdown. The quarterback was also responsible for the game’s longest pass, a 47-yard completion to Fisher.
“It was great to see him go through the process of being evaluated and say ‘I want to come back in’ and then throw a really good fade ball, followed with a run down there in the red zone for a touchdown,” Doeren said. “[Finley]’s way ahead of where he was a year ago.”
Caden Fordham
A former three-star recruit out of Florida, Fordham saw his first action with the Wolfpack in the spring game and exploded onto the scene in a big way. Fordham recorded a pick-six off McLaughlin, the game’s second interception and the white team’s second touchdown.
“I was actually pretty impressed with a lot of the younger guys,” said junior safety Tanner Ingle. “Especially [Fordham], you saw he had a little pick-6 towards the end, that was pretty good. As far as all the younger guys and specifically in my position group, we did a good job, we didn’t have that many mental errors which is always a good thing…it’s their first actual college football experience, they got some room to grow but as far as that, they’ve been doing a good job.”
N.C. State wide receiver Julian Gray (20) is tackled after a long reception during the first half of N.C. State football’s spring game at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, April 10, 2021.
