The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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8. LB D.J. Green Green finally got a chance to play a full season for the Pack in his senior year for NCSU, and he finished the campaign third on the team with 65 tackles and 5.5 stops for loss. He also had two interceptions, one pass broken up, two quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. Green's pick-six against Central Michigan was the only defensive touchdown of the year for the Pack. 9. K Niklas Sade The junior finished one made field goal shy of tying the school record for most successful field goal attempts in a single season in State history. Sade was 19 of 23 on field goal attempts with a long of 48 this fall. He was named a semifinalist for the prestigious Lou Groza Award, which is given to the country's top kicker, and was also named honorable mention All-ACC. The 19 made field goals tied Maryland's Brad Craddock for the most in the league at the end of the regular season. 10. OL Joe Thuney Projected to start the season at center, the redshirt sophomore played just about every spot on the offensive line this fall. He eventually settled in at the all-important left tackle position when senior starter Rob Crisp went down with an injury after two games. contests. He then had to shake off the rust against tough ACC teams, but he finished the year with solid games versus ECU and Maryland. Mitchell completed 86 of 151 passes for 1,011 yards with a teambest seven touchdowns and six picks. He also was the team's second-leading rusher, compiling 91 carries for 274 yards and two scores. 14. CB Juston Burris Burris was the nickel back as a redshirt freshman last season and graduated to fulltime starter this fall. He had 54 tackles, including one for a loss. He also notched an interception against UNC that helped State jump out to a 10-0 lead on the Tar Heels, and he broke up six passes, which was the second-highest total on the team. 15. WR Bryan Underwood The speedy redshirt junior would have ranked much higher on this list had he not broken his collarbone leading up to the UNC game. In seven contests, Underwood posted 32 catches for 382 yards and a touchdown. He still finished second on the squad in receptions despite missing the last five games. He also rushed 12 times for 135 yards. 11. LB Brandon Pittman The hometown junior had his breakout moment when he piled up 14 tackles, three stops for loss and a sack at Duke. A week later, he had 10 tackles and a sack at Boston College. Pittman ended the year starting seven games at weakside linebacker and finished with 62 tackles, fourth most on the team. He had seven hits for loss, three sacks (tied for second highest for State) and two passes broken up. 18. QB Pete Thomas Two of NCSU's three wins came when Thomas was the starting quarterback, and he played the majority of that third victory. The redshirt junior completed 149 of 247 passes for 1,667 yards with four touchdowns, but he also had nine interceptions. Still, Thomas rushed 72 times for 163 yards and two scores, and he was able to hold down the fort until Mitchell's return from his injury. 19. WR Jumichael Ramos 12. C Quinton Schooley 13. QB Brandon Mitchell 17. DT Monty Nelson Nelson was one of a pair of true freshman revelations this year for NC State. He started five of the last six games and finished the season with 32 tackles, second highest among defensive linemen. Nelson also had eight tackles for loss, assisted on a sack and forced a fumble. The promising true freshman finished the year with 24 receptions for 352 yards while equaling the team lead with three touchdown grabs. When he caught five passes for 109 yards and a score at Boston College, Ramos became just the fifth freshman in school history to have a 100-yard receiving game. Only Koren Robinson and T.A. McLendon had more receiving yards in their freshman seasons than Ramos, and Ramos was just two yards shy of matching McLendon's total. It was quite a ride for the sophomore. He did not even start last season for Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan., but Schooley impressed State coaches enough in spring practice to be given an opportunity to go ahead and enroll in Raleigh during the summer. He then won the starting job in preseason camp and played every offensive snap this fall. The fifth-year senior transferred in from Arkansas wanting an opportunity to play quarterback, and he got it. After a sterling start against Louisiana Tech, Mitchell broke a bone in his foot and missed the next five 16. WR Quintin Payton It may not have been the season that the fifth-year senior was hoping for after he hauled in 51 passes for 798 yards and two touchdowns last year. Still, Payton caught 23 passes for 481 yards, the second-highest yardage total for State. He also matched the team lead with three touchdowns, including a memorable 80-yard effort at Duke that temporarily gave the Pack the lead late in the fourth quarter against the eventual ACC Coastal Division champs. Payton's average of 20.9 yards per catch was the best for NC State this year. 20. DT T.Y. McGill Despite missing the last five games with a broken collarbone, redshirt junior wide receiver Bryan Underwood ranked second on the team with 32 receptions (for 382 yards and a touchdown). photo by Ken Martin McGill was touted in the preseason as a potential All-ACC candidate after a strong sophomore season in 2012. Perhaps because of the emergence of Nelson, McGill in 2013 did not quite match his previous production. However, he still finished with 25 tackles, five stops behind the line of scrimmage, two sacks, two quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. 21. TE David J. Grinnage The redshirt freshman was expected to 28 ■ the wolfpacker 26,28,30.Top 25 FB Players.indd 28 12/5/13 3:38 PM