The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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44 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2019 Quick Look At NC State's 2019 Schedule Returning Athlon Sports' Lindy's Date Team 2018 Record Starters National Rank National Rank — NC State 9-4 (5-3 ACC) 12 38 51 Aug. 31 East Carolina 3-9 (1-7 AAC) 18 109 114 NC State crushed ECU 58-3 in a game added after the regular season because both teams had an earlier contest postponed. The Pirates fired head coach Scottie Montgomery prior to the game, and eventually tabbed James Madison coach Mike Houston to replace him. Sophomore quarterback Holton Ahlers, who picked the Pirates over the Wolfpack, missed the season finale but made 10 appearances last year. He threw for 1,785 yards with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions, while also rushing for 592 yards and six scores. The Pirates must replace top pass rusher Nate Harvey (14.5 sacks). Sept. 7 Western Carolina 3-8 (1-7 Southern) 13 — — Senior quarterback Tyrie Adams was named a preseason Football Championship Subdivision All-American by HERO Sports, thanks to his dual-threat abilities. He passed for 2,417 yards and 16 touchdowns, plus rushed for 1,006 yards and 10 scores, in 11 games last year. Sophomore safety Michael Murphy (92 tackles and three interceptions) and sophomore linebacker Ty Harris (87 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks and two picks) return to anchor the defense. Sept. 14 at West Virginia 8-4 (6-3 Big 12) 11 58 63 WVU and NC State were supposed to play last year, but inclement weather canceled the opportunity. The Mountaineers have a new coach in Neil Brown, formerly of Troy, and a new quarterback, and lost some firepower at wide receiver and safety dur - ing the offseason. WVU added Oklahoma quarterback transfer Austin Kendall of Waxhall, N.C., and returns four experienced running backs, led by senior Kennedy McKoy of Lexington, N.C., who rushed for 802 yards and eight touchdowns last year. Senior nickel JoVanni Stewart leads a revamped defense, after he had 54 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and four sacks last year. Sept. 21 Ball State 4-8 (3-5 MAC) 19 114 110 Senior wide receiver Riley Miller and junior wideout Justin Hall return after productive seasons, and the Cardinals will turn to junior quarterback Drew Plitt for the whole season. Plitt took over for the final three games of last year and passed for 1,008 yards with six touchdowns and eight interceptions. Junior safety Bryce Cosby and senior outside linebacker Ray Wilborn had 83 tackles apiece to lead the Cardinals in 2018. Sept. 28 at Florida State 5-7 (3-5 ACC) 17 33 34 Second-year head coach Willie Taggert went through a difficult rookie season in Tallahassee, Fla. The offensive line proved problem - atic, but that was an inherited problem. Junior quarterback James Blackman and Wisconsin graduate transfer Alex Hornibrook will battle it out in new offensive coordinator Kendal Briles' scheme. Whoever emerges under center has sophomore deep threat Tamor- rion Terry to target. Junior Hamsah Nasirildeen of Concord, N.C., has moved to play the "star" position, which is FSU's nickel spot. He led the Seminoles with 91 tackles in 2018, but finding some pass rushers off the edge will be one of the storylines for the defense. Oct. 10 Syracuse 10-3 (6-2 ACC) 15 21 32 The Orange were the surprise team of the ACC last fall and return their two stalwarts at defensive end in seniors Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman, who combined for 20 of the team's 43 sacks. Syracuse also returns four of its five starting defensive backs. Sophomore quarterback Tommy DeVito isn't a novice under center, but he has big shoes to fill. Having senior slot receiver and return man Sean Riley plus star sophomore kicker Andre Szmyt will aid the offense. Oct. 19 at Boston College 7-5 (4-4 ACC) 11 61 70 Junior running back AJ Dillon is among the top running backs in the country. He rushed for 1,108 yards and 10 touchdowns last year, despite missing two games. BC lost three starting defensive linemen and another three guys in the secondary. Junior linebacker Isaiah McDuffie was second on the team with 85 tackles, and he'll have to lead a revamped defense. Nov. 2 at Wake Forest 7-6 (3-5 ACC) 12 60 65 Sophomore quarterback Sam Hartman started the first nine games in 2018, but redshirt junior Jamie Newman was impressive after replacing the injured Hartman. They combined for 3,067 passing yards and 25 touchdown passes, plus rushed for 522 yards and six scores. Senior running back Cade Carney rushed for 1,005 yards and eight touchdowns to complement the passing game. Redshirt sophomore Carlos Basham Jr. had 64 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, and he could be poised for a big season. Nov. 9 Clemson 15-0 (8-0 ACC) 13 2 1I The defending national champs will be reworking their defense, especially on the defensive line, but the offense could be special. Sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw for 3,280 yards with 30 touchdowns and just four interceptions, and he could be the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy. Junior running back Travis Etienne tallied 1,658 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns, while sophomore wide receiver Justyn Ross had 46 catches for 1,000 yards and nine scores. Sophomore end Xavier Thomas could break out on defense. Nov. 16 Louisville 2-10 (0-8 ACC) 17 81 83 Head coach Bobby Petrino was fired last year, after the program came crashing down following star quarterback Lamar Jackson's departure. New coach Scott Satterfield went 55-32 in six years at Appalachian State. He and new offensive coor - dinator Dwayne Ledford — NC State's offensive line coach the last three years — are tasked with developing a quarterback between junior Jawon Pass and mobile sophomore Malik Cunningham. Junior weakside linebacker C.J. Avery missed three games, but still was second on the squad with 56 tackles. Nov. 21 at Georgia Tech 7-6 (5-3 ACC) 11 75 90 New head coach Geoff Collins arrives from Temple and that signals the end of the flexbone era of Georgia Tech football. Former coach Paul Johnson does leave behind sophomore running backs Tobias Oliver and Jordan Mason, who combined for 1,589 yards and 19 touchdowns last year. Nov. 30 North Carolina 2-9 (1-7 ACC) 12 68 74 North Carolina head coach Mack Brown returns for his second stint in Chapel Hill. Sophomore quarterback Cade Fortin threw for 276 yards and a touchdown in the 34-28 overtime loss against NC State, but he'll have to hold off freshman Sam Howell, a Rivals.com four-star prospect. UNC returns two of its top three running backs, and wide receiver Dazz Newsome supplies big-play speed. Senior safety Myles Dorn is the top returning tackler with 55 stops, plus he had two interceptions. What They Are Saying About The Pack • "He's a guy that we've known a lot about having seen him on film, and not just against us, but the league. He's hungry to play and had a tough year last year, so he'll have a chip on his shoulder, which fits our program. I'm looking forward to getting him in May." — NCSU coach Dave Doeren on former Wake Forest and Or - egon wide receiver TABARI HINES, who is a graduate trans- fer to the Wolfpack (TheWolfpacker.com) • "Seven games are projected as one- possession games, and if the Pack split them that puts them in position for another fin - ish between about 7-6 and 9-4. Considering whatever answers they find offensively will be underclassmen — as few as two or three se- niors will start on that side of the ball — that'd be a solid result for what amounts to a second straight transition year." — Bill Connelly in his NC State preview (SBNation.com) • "We're not selling something we can't prove anymore. I think that's the biggest thing that's helped us. The stuff you talk about is great, but when you can prove it, it's a com - pletely different ballgame." — Doeren on his team's back-to-back nine-win campaigns (The Athletic) • "As far as Atlantic Division schedules go, NC State's is about as favorable as it gets, considering the circumstances coming off the ACC's rough 2018 campaign (aside from Clem- son). The Wolfpack get 2018's two best teams at home, in Syracuse and Clemson, with the Syracuse game coming on a Thursday night after an open date. The Pack have regularly played Clemson tough (last year aside), as the three meetings in Raleigh with the Tigers dur- ing the Doeren era have been competitive and decided late." — Matt Fortuna on NC State's 2019 schedule (The Athletic) • "After losing 13 players to the NFL Draft in a two-year period, NC State has to reload. The schedule is favorable enough to make a bowl game, but the ceiling isn't much higher than six or seven regular-season wins." — Ath - lonSports.com on NC State's upcoming season Returning Leaders For NC State Passing: Matt McKay (87 yards) Rushing: Ricky Person (471 yards, 2 TD) Receiving: Emeka Emezie (616 yards, 5 TD) Tackles: Jarius Morehead (81) Sacks: James Smith-Williams (6) Interceptions: Morehead (3)