The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1532241
30 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Then came a year as a senior offensive assistant with the Cleveland Browns, followed by two seasons at South Caro- lina, where he worked with Bentley and deployed a more pass-oriented attack than the one he oversaw at Florida. The Gamecocks averaged at least 213 pass- ing yards per game during both of his seasons there. Bentley made a leap after being thrown into the fire as a freshman. He threw for 1,420 yards with 9 touch- downs and 4 interceptions in seven starts during his first season before racking up 2,794 passing yards with 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions the following year. While Roper hasn't called an offense since that 2017 campaign, in which South Carolina went 9-4 overall and 5-3 in the SEC, his time at Colorado in 2018 and six seasons at NC State appear to have prepared him for this opportunity. Boone, who is now a noted quarter- back trainer based in Charlotte, said he has seen Roper's offensive mindset evolve since he arrived with the Wolf- pack. Roper has a quarterback's brain as a former collegiate signal-caller at Rice, and that is reflected in his offen- sive system. The scheme leans on the quarterback to make the right decisions with protections and run-pass options. While Roper has a clear idea of how he wants to run an offense, Boone said the coordinator is never boxed in. Instead, he's open to using the players he has at his disposal to make it successful. "From year to year, our offense evolved based off of players, based off of what we had, based off of what we did well at that time," Boone said. "It's friendly for quarterbacks once you get it. It puts a lot of responsibility on the quarterback." Roper has a bevy of offensive play- makers at NC State, led by rising red- shirt sophomore wide receiver Noah Rogers and running back Hollywood Smothers, senior tight end Justin Joly, and of course Bailey, among others. Based on his history, Roper will likely look to feed the hot hand from week to week. "There are times you don't think plays, you think players," Cutcliffe said. "He'll do a great job in a play-call mode of using players. … Kurt has a real un- derstanding of that. The whole time you're coaching football, you're evalu- ating where your players are." Roper has seven months to work on his offense before the Wolfpack's Aug. 28 season opener against East Carolina at Carter-Finley Stadium. His promo- tion excited many within the Murphy Center, and the newly appointed OC has the chops to help elevate the Wolfpack's unit to a higher level with the talent he has at his disposal. "As a play-caller, he's a savage. He's dynamic," Boone said. "I know that he's going to be exactly what NC State has been wanting and looking for." ■ Head coach Dave Doeren cited Roper's relationships with his players and his thorough knowledge of the ACC when he announced that the veteran assistant coach was being promoted from his previous role overseeing the Pack's running backs. PHOTO BY GREGG FORWERCK/NC STATE FOOTBALL