The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1059287
JANUARY 2019 ■ 27 WOLFPACK FOOTBALL interceptions. Finley became just the sec- ond NC State quarterback in school his- tory to have at least 10,000 career passing yards, joining potential NFL Hall of Famer Philip Rivers, after throwing for 409 yards against East Carolina Dec. 1. Finley was third-team All-ACC a season ago. Finley's two favorite targets, junior wide receiver Kelvin Harmon and redshirt junior wideout Jakobi Meyers, also both made the first team. Harmon caught 81 passes for 1,186 yards and seven scores this season. He became just the third wideout in the Pack history to have back-to-back 1,000- yard receiving campaigns, joining NFL Hall of Fame candidate Torry Holt and longtime NFL veteran Jerricho Cotchery. Harmon is averaging an ACC-best 98.8 receiving yards per game. Harmon was also tabbed first-team All- ACC by the writers a season ago and sec- ond-team all-conference by the league. Meyers has 89 receptions for 1,028 yards and four touchdowns, and is first in the conference for catches per game (8.1). Two fifth-year senior offensive linemen were chosen first-team All-ACC: center Garrett Bradbury and left tackle Tyler Jones. On defense, fifth-year senior linebacker Germaine Pratt was also named to the first team. He was tied for the ACC lead in tack- les per game with 9.5 and paces the team with 10.5 tackles for loss. Pratt's six sacks are tied for the team lead with redshirt ju- nior defensive end James Smith-Williams. Chosen second-team All-ACC was kicker Christopher Dunn, who was 21 of 24 on field goals through 12 contests to set a new single-season school record for made kicks and shattered the record for most successful three-pointers by a Pack freshman. Dunn is also 50 of 50 on extra points, which marks the fifth most consecu- tive made extra points by a Pack kicker, while his 113 total points checks in second among kickers in the league. Senior running back Reggie Gallaspy Jr., fresh off his five-touchdown performance at UNC, was picked third-team All-ACC. He has 1,012 rushing yards on the year and is second in the ACC with 18 rushing touchdowns. Fifth-year senior offensive guard Ter- ronne Prescod was honorable mention All- ACC. Young Players Have Been Impressive The new NCAA rule change of allow- ing players to play four games and still be redshirted has been a nice carrot in front of NC State's class of 2018. Head coach Dave Doeren pointed out that several players have done well on the scout team and the possibility of playing time has kept them focused. He'll know more about many of the freshmen once they play in NC State's system during bowl practices in December, but he's pleased with what he's seen so far, especially with some of the "body changes." "[Quarterback] Devin Leary has had some really good weeks," Doeren said. "He's done some good things. [Wide re- ceivers] Devin Carter and Jasiah Provillon have both improved throughout the course of the year, and have handled the workload. "They are going to be good players, I'm excited about them." Defensively, freshmen defensive tackle Alim McNeill (3.5 sacks), nickel Tanner Ingle (seven starts, 43 tackles), and cor- nerbacks Teshaun Smith (one intercep- tion) and De'Von Graves have all played more than four games, and McNeill, Ingle and Smith made key contributions. Kicker Christopher Dunn (113 points scored) and running back Ricky Person Jr. (424 rushing yards, three total touchdowns) have more than lived up to expectations this fall, and both have also burned their redshirts. NC State battled Notre Dame at one point leading up to the February National Signing Day to land defensive lineman Derrick Eason of Norfolk (Va.) Norview High. Doeren is excited about his future in Raleigh. "He is going to be a really good football player here as he continues to get better and better," the coach said. "He's changing his body daily. He's working at it." Linebacker Calvin Hart Jr. of Fort Lau- derdale (Fla.) American Heritage High is another one who has a chance to be make an impact down the road. Safety Malik Dunlap of Charlotte (N.C.) Harding High has played in a pair of games on special teams. "C.J. Hart has changed his body and I'm excited about him," Doeren said. "Malik Dunlap is another guy who has come a long way technically." Doeren has pointed out that freshman running back Trent Pennix has played in four games and his next appearance will mean he won't be redshirting. The 6-2, 225-pounder from Raleigh Sanderson High has 22 carries for 68 yards and five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown, which came against Georgia State. "Pennix has gotten a lot of reps," Doeren said. "Obviously, our health at tailback will dictate that [him redshirting or not] a little bit." One player not on the scout team that has Doeren excited is outside linebacker Pay- ton Wilson, who is rehabbing after a sec- ond torn ACL injury suffered last spring. The former Hillsborough (N.C.) Orange High standout was ranked No. 166 overall in the country by Rivals.com in the class of 2018. The NCSU trainers and doctors will tell the coaches in the spring what Wilson can or cannot do in practice. "He's doing really good," Doeren said. "It is more about holding him back. He's doing great. Everything he has done, he has passed. Just day by day, it's about getting him stronger. "Obviously, after a second one, you don't want to rush the process with him. He'll be cleared to do a lot of the stuff we do in the spring." Doeren will ponder during the offseason if he'll change his approach on redshirts, but he knows the rule change helped the Wolfpack this particular season. "Guys have been able to get in games and understand it's different than you thought it would be," Doeren said. "You grow up and not lose a year [of eligibility] in that process. It has helped our depth when you have injuries on offense, defense and special teams. "It has definitely kept them practicing a certain way knowing they could get called up at any time to play." ■ Sixth-year quarterback Ryan Finley was named first-team All-ACC and finished sec- ond for the league's Offensive Player of the Year award. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN