The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1266731
12 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK W hen former NC State quarter- back Ryan Finley was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 104th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, he became the fifth Wolfpack signal-caller to be selected since 2004. While annual "Quarterback U" lists of the top college football pro- grams best known to produce NFL signal-callers from national media outlets are notorious for snubbing the Wolfpack, it was clear that former NC State quarterbacks yielded the highest numbers of any single school last season. Along with Finley, former Pack quarterbacks Philip Rivers, Russell Wilson and Jacoby Brissett all started multiple games during the 2019 sea- son. Only six Football Bowl Subdi- vision programs had more than one alumnus start multiple games at quar- terback last year, and NC State was the only one to claim more than two. Of the Power Five conferences, the ACC produced the highest number of quarterbacks to start in at least one game with a total of 12. Much of the league's credit is owed to the Wolfpack. NCSU produced 33 percent of the conference's starting NFL quarterbacks in 2019, with Louisville being the only other program to claim more than one. Wilson, who has started every game over the last eight seasons for the Seattle Seahawks, led the way among Pack quarterbacks with the highest numbers in almost every statistical category except total passing yards. The 5-11 dual-threat completed 66.1 percent of his throws for 4,110 yards with 31 touchdowns and only five intercep- tions in 2019. He led Seattle to the playoffs with an 11-5 record, but the Seahawks ultimately fell to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional round. Pro Football Focus (PFF) dubbed him the league's No. 3 player in 2019, which was tops among all quarterbacks. Rivers played in his 16th and final season for the Los Angeles Chargers last year, his 14th as the franchise's starting quarterback. The 6-5, 228-pound gunslinger led former Pack quarterbacks with 4,615 passing yards (288.4 yards per game), while completing 66.0 percent of his throws with 23 scores and 20 picks. This offseason, Rivers signed a one-year, $25-million contract with the Indianapolis Colts and is expected to start for the club in 2020. Brissett started last year hot as the starting quarterback for the Colts, where he has opened two of the last three seasons under cen- ter. Prior to suffering an MCL injury midway through the year, Bris- sett boasted a 14-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He finished with 2,942 yards on 60.9 percent throwing accuracy with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. The 6-4, 238-pounder will likely serve as Riv- ers' backup, and in May NFL.com's Bucky Brooks dubbed Brissett the league's top backup quarterback. Finley became the youngest Wolfpack signal-caller to start an NFL game last season in week 10. Once the rebuilding Bengals lost the first eight games of the year with veteran quarterback Andy Dalton, Finley received the nod after the team's bye week. In three games as a starter, the 6-4, 207-pound native of Phoenix threw for 474 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Although not a starter last season, NC State had a fifth quarterback on a 2019 NFL roster in Mike Glennon, who backed up Derek Carr for the Oakland Raiders. This offseason, Glennon signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars and will likely once again serve as a reserve in his eighth NFL season. — Justin H. Williams Schools That Had More Than One Quarterback Start Multiple Games in 2019 Category NC State Oklahoma Louisville Houston Purdue Washington State QBs Who Started In 2019 4 2 2 2 2 2 Starts (W-L-T) 50 (23-27) 32 (11-20-1) 20 (18-2) 20 (6-14) 16 (8-8) 14 (6-8) Passing Yards-TD-Int. 12,141-74-33 7,550-42-33 4,511-45-8 5,029-28-21 3,963-31-10 3,687-21-10 Rushing Yards-TD 504-9 685-7 1,237-7 118-3 27-1 344-0 QBs In PFF Top 101 Of 2019 (ranks) 1 (No. 3) 0 1 (No. 7) 0 1 (No. 62) 0 Projected 2020 starters 2 2 2 0 1 1 NC State Earns 'Quarterback U' Title In 2019 Russell Wilson led the way for former Wolfpack quarterbacks in 2019, throwing for 4,110 yards with 31 touchdowns and only five interceptions while guiding the Seahawks to an 11-5 record and a playoff berth. PHOTO COURTESY SEATTLE SEAHAWKS