The Wolfpacker

March 2013 - Signing Day Edition

The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports

Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/112604

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 54 of 95

O By Ryan Tice n March 19, NC State will open spring practice for the first time under new head coach Dave Doeren, who takes over a Wolfpack program that went 7-6 (4-4 ACC) in 2012. The second-semester practices will culminate with the annual Kay Yow Spring Football Game, which will be held April��20. The good news for NC State in 2013 is that the Pack will host eight games at Carter-Finley Stadium, where the team is 16-3 over the past three seasons, and Miami and Virginia Tech from the Coastal Division will not be on the schedule. However, there are also many unknowns heading into Doeren���s first season at the helm. The Wolfpacker tries to answer the most pressing questions of the spring. How do the players respond to the changes made during the offseason? The lone holdover on the coaching staff is running backs coach Des Kitchings, but most everything else ��� all the way down to the strength and conditioning coaches ��� is different from this time last year. The playbook has changed, the coaching style could be different, there are new offensive and defensive systems, and it seems like the coaches might have open competitions for every job on the field. The Pack must replace 13 starters from last year if you include guard Zach Allen, who was lost for the season after five games, while only two starters from the defense���s back seven return. The program must replace at least 32 percent of its production in several key statistical categories, including passing yards (100 percent) and touchdowns (100 percent), defensive interceptions (75 percent) and passes broken up (58 percent), tackles (52 percent), all-purpose yardage (42 percent), receptions (32 percent) and receiving yards (32 percent), touchdowns scored (32 percent) and tackles for loss (32 percent). Current players, recruits and high school coaches all seem to like the new coaching staff, and they have already drawn favorable reviews at their new home. The new staff is extremely young, energetic and, if their first six weeks on the recruiting trail is any indication, hardworking. How does the Pack attack on offense and defense? Getting a football coach to reveal the Offensive coordinator Matt Canada (left) will not have quarterback Jacoby Brissett (right) at his disposal this fall, so it is a good bet the Pack will lean on its rushing attack early in 2013. Photo by Ken Martin team���s plan of attack on offense or defense before the season���s first game would be about as likely as getting Coca-Cola to release its secret formula ��� you might be able to get an idea, but you���ll never get the full list of ingredients. Here���s what we do know about the new offense ��� Doeren and offensive coordinator Matt Canada have stressed that the sys- A New Era Five Questions Facing The Pack Heading Into Dave Doeren���s First Spring Practice tem will accentuate the team���s strengths. It���s also a fair bet that the versatile Canada ��� who has overseen a pass-heavy offense at Indiana, a spread with a dual-threat trigger man at Northern Illinois and a smashmouth ground attack at Wisconsin ��� will probably feature the running backs heavily, at least at first. That is partly based on where the team���s known strengths are, and partly based on what Canada has hinted at during interviews. This won���t be your typical three yards and a cloud of dust rushing attack, though. Expect Canada to utilize both spread and hurry-up concepts and be imaginative in his plans. Doeren mentioned jet sweeps to the wide receiver being part of the attack several times at his National Signing Day press conference. On the other side of the ball, it is a little more straightforward, but many of the specifics are still unknown. Doeren, a former linebackers coach and defensive coordinator, works with a 4-3 scheme ��� as does defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable ��� and that will continue to serve as the Pack���s base defense. Details beyond that before the start spring football have been hard to come by. Who emerges under center? NC State has been spoiled at quarterback for the last five years, with future NFL star Russell Wilson, followed immediately by future NFL signal-caller Mike Glennon. Wilson emerged out of nowhere as a redshirt freshman when the Pack had a battle between five unproven field generals in 2008. The returners under center aren���t complete unknowns ��� redshirt junior Pete Thomas started for two years at Colorado State, while true sophomore Manny Stocker served as Glennon���s backup last year ��� but both have question marks. Can Thomas knock off the rust after sitting out a year and live up to the promise he showed as a four-star recruit coming out of the prep ranks? Did Stocker learn and experience enough as the No.��2 man last year to be ready to take over? The 6-5, 225-pound Thomas obviously has the edge in experience after he threw for 4,269 yards and 18 touchdowns in his last stop, but he also threw 21 interceptions during that time. He started 21 straight games before a knee injury sidelined him for the remainder of the 2011 campaign following the first nine contests of the year. He has a 6-15 record as a starter, and as a true sophomore at CSU he was elected one of two permanent offensive captains. Stocker appeared in five games last season and took 40 snaps, but attempted just two passes. However, the athletic 6���3, 200-pounder did rush six times for 20 yards and will be going through his second year of spring drills after he enrolled early in 2012 (Thomas also enrolled in college early after graduating from high school, so he has more than three years of experience on the college level). Walk-on Garrett Leatham will be a redshirt sophomore. The team has also added Florida transfer Jacoby Brissett, who enrolled this spring but will sit out the upcoming season and have two years of eligibility remaining, and dual-threat true freshman Bryant Shirreffs will arrive in the summer. Competition breeds success, and there should be no shortage of candidates vying for the starting gig under center this spring. Are D.J. Green, Rodman Noel and Brandon Pittman ready to lead the linebacking corps? The middle of the defense knew it would lose middle linebacker Sterling Lucas after he exhausted his eligibility in 2012, but the unit was further depleted after starting weakside linebacker Rickey March 2013��� ������ 55 54-56.Five Q's For Spring FB.indd 55 2/26/13 2:35 PM

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Wolfpacker - March 2013 - Signing Day Edition