The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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160 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY TIM PEELER J acoby Brissett is candid: The 2014 version of NC State football is his team. "Yes it is, and it has been since I got here," said the redshirt junior quarterback from West Palm Beach, Fla. That's not at all off the mark. The problem, however, is that Brissett arrived at NC State last January, shortly after new head coach Dave Doeren was hired, transferring in after two years as a part-time starter at Florida. And he had to sit out last year, watching and cringing from the sidelines. He had to go through two spring practices, sandwiched around the disappointing 2013 season, in which the Wolfpack went 3-9 over- all and suffered its first winless season in the ACC since 1959. It wasn't at all the first year that Doeren, who had known nothing but success in his first two seasons as head coach at Northern Illinois, wanted for his inaugural campaign. But the coach knew all along that without a quarterback that could run his fast-paced, no-huddle offense, it would be a challenge. He didn't expect it to be quite so difficult, especially after he managed to find a fifth- year senior signal-caller who was closer to what his offensive system needed than any- one he had on campus when he arrived. But Brandon Mitchell broke his foot in the season opener against Louisiana Tech, and the rest of the year was defined by the struggles of the offense to score points, behind junior pocket passer Pete Thomas and run-oriented fresh- man Bryant Shirreffs. By the time Mitchell was able to return for the seventh game, recovering from the downward spiral created by a lack of depth at all positions was too difficult. So there is no way to put a gloss on last season, except to say there were missed opportunities to start off on a better foot. But the finish shouldn't define the future of the program. Why and how can this year be different? Well, Doeren requires that his quarterback be the CEO of the program, the most impor- tant person in the system, in terms of leader- ship and production. Brissett, even before he was eligible to suit up for the Pack, has embraced that role. He did so during his first spring game, while running the scout squad last year and most impressively during the an- nual Kay Yow Spring Football Game in April. He told his teammates if they didn't buy into that kind of attitude, well: "They better get on board soon." Doeren couldn't be more pleased. He liked what he saw in the spring game, when Bris- sett led the starters to a 34-0 victory over the second team. What the coach liked most was that there were no turnovers. He knows that Brissett is the perfect leader of the offense for the next two years. But football is not a one-man endeavor, and that's what makes predicting what this year will be like for the Wolfpack difficult. Doeren did all he could with a large recruit- ing class, including nine players who came in January and went through spring practice with the team. So while the biggest question mark that hovered over last season has been answered for a long time now, there are oth- ers that could prove to be just as important. Will Bryan Underwood return to the big- play receiver who scored 10 touchdowns as a redshirt sophomore? Will January enrollee Bo Hines, who had 10 catches for 132 yards in the spring game, contribute immediately in the fall? Will the return of left tackle Rob Crisp for a fifth season anchor an offensive line that needs a leader as much as Brissett needs a protector? Will a well-stocked de- fensive line that includes Thomas Teal and Art Norman disrupt opposing quarterbacks? Will someone supplant senior kicker Niklas Sade as the Pack's most dangerous offensive weapon? What of running back Shadrach Thornton? With an expected 51 freshmen and redshirt freshmen on the Wolfpack roster, Doeren contends that State will be among the young- est programs in the nation. The good news is that those who win a spot in the lineup, as a starter or as a reserve, will have the perfect opportunity to ease into the college game — the Wolfpack opens its season with four non-conference foes: Georgia Southern, Old Dominion, at South Florida and Presbyterian. That should give the team some confidence going into the ACC season that begins with defending national champion Florida State Sept. 27, followed by a trip to Clemson. "It's the youngest team I have ever been a part of," Doeren said. "That doesn't have to be a bad thing. The youth is the foundation of your program. The thing we want to do is get the right person that fits our scheme and temperament, and we will play them while they are young. "Two years from now we could have 70 percent of our team being juniors and seniors. That's the advantage of it." To be honest, this year is again about build- ing the program, with a few more weapons than what Doeren had to work with last year. The eyes are on future success. Having that singular leader, though, is key. Here's an analogy for you: the last time the Wolfpack went winless in the ACC was in 1959, with a thin, young roster for head coach Earle Edwards. That team was led on the field by a sophomore quarterback named Roman Gabriel. He turned out to be pretty good, both in college and in professional football. Edwards knew his team would struggle. But Gabriel, a pioneer as an oversized throw- and-run quarterback, transformed the offense with his pass-first philosophy. He completed 81 passes for 832 yards and had twice as many interceptions as touchdown passes. As great as Gabriel became in his final two seasons — he was a two-time ACC Player of the Year and a two-time All-American as a junior and senior — the Pack won just 11 games under his guidance. More importantly, however, Edwards used the time to flesh out his program. Two years after Gabriel gradu- ated, State began a run of three consecutive first-place finishes in the ACC. Sometimes, success starts with one key component, and the foundation for success is built from there. ■ ■ PACK PERSPECTIVE The Future Begins Now For The Wolfpack Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker. You may contact him at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu. Head coach Dave Doeren said of his squad: "It's the youngest team I have ever been a part of. That doesn't have to be a bad thing. The youth is the foundation of your program." PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN The Wolfpacker is a publication of: Coman Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 2331, Durham, N.C. 27702. Offices are located at 324 Blackwell St., Ste. 1020, Durham, N.C. 27701. (919) 688-0218. The Wolfpacker (ISSN 0273-8945) is published bimonthly. A subscription is $39.95 for six issues. For advertising or subscription information, call (800) 421-7751 or write The Wolfpacker. Postmaster: Send address changes to: The Wolfpacker, P.O. Box 2331, Durham, N.C. 27702. Periodical mail postage paid at Durham, N.C. 27702 and additional offices. First-class postage is $14 extra per year. E-mail: thewolfpacker@comanpub.com • Web site: www.thewolfpacker.com 160.Pack Perspective.indd 160 6/26/14 3:34 PM