The Wolfpacker

54 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER H ead coach Dave Doeren noticed something last year going through the ACC for the first time. "You just see so many three- receiver sets in our league," Doeren noted. "Sometimes, a four-receiver set is all they get into." Thus, the Wolfpack defense found itself playing a lot of its nickel package from its 4-3 base formation. The nickel replaces one of the three linebackers and puts a fifth de- fensive back on the field. This spring, that 4-2-5 formation became a bigger fixture in State's defense. "It gives us more flexibility within our package," Doeren noted. "It gives us a chance to do more with the personnel we have. We think it is the best lineup for us." Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Dave Huxtable also noted that the formation fits their personnel better. The Pack decided to move redshirt freshman Josh Jones back to safety, the position he was originally recruited to play, after he spent last fall working at linebacker. Freshman Germaine Pratt, an early en- rollee, was also working at safety after being recruited to play linebacker. The two extra safeties at the expense of the line- backer corps helps make the roster more suitable for a 4-2-5 depth chart. "It gives us a little more speed and ath- leticism on the field," Huxtable said. "We had four senior linebackers last year that graduated, so we don't have the numbers and depth at linebacker. We're a little bit deeper back there in the secondary,." Crowded (And Big) Backfield With NCSU playing more nickel-based defense, the beneficiaries could be safeties Tim Buckley, a redshirt junior, and Dravi- ous Wright, a sophomore. The two were manning the nickel position during the Kay Yow Spring Game April 12. Buckley played on the Red team and had three tackles, including a sack on a well- designed blitz. Wright backed up Buckley and had a solo tackle and one pass broken up. Buckley measures 6-0, 195 pounds and Wright stands 5-10, 206 pounds. The pair is the smallest in the group of safeties NC State has at its disposal. Returning starter Hakim Jones, a redshirt junior, was joined by Josh Jones as the safety tandem for the Red team. The 6-2, 198-pound Hakim Jones made four tackles in the scrimmage, while the 6-2, 210-pound Josh Jones also had four tackles and broke up a pass. The White team fielded Pratt (6-3, 195 A NEW APPROACH The Pack Tweaks Its Defense To Prepare For The Spread-Heavy Offenses In The ACC 54-56.Spring FB Defense.indd 54 4/29/14 11:59 AM

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