The Wolfpacker

July 2014 - Football Preview

The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports

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48 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL 2014 Crisp] injured, and then [guard/tackle] Joe Thuney, who was going to be our center at one point, becomes our left tackle against Clemson. Then it happened at receiver with Rashard Smith. "You can list them all, but it doesn't re- ally matter. It's a bottom-line business, and the bottom line is that you have to score more points on offense to win. "I am excited to play again, but I always enjoy every part of our year. You recruit in the winter and meet new people. Then you have spring ball, and we can be creative and find new ideas. In the summer time, we are recruiting and have camps. We are around our players more then than what we normally are able to do. "Ultimately, it is about the fall, and I'm excited. I want to put out a product that we are proud of and scores more points." How have the young receivers evolved with veteran fifth-year senior Bryan Under- wood leading the way? "I think our receivers are getting better all the time. Competition is always the best thing, and last year we had some competi- tion. With injuries, though, the competition slips away because you have to play. That is not the case now at any spot. There is not a spot where there is not competition. "At the running back position, there is unbelievable com- petition. Up front now with the players we brought in, and where we are with guys and staying healthy, there is com- petition at almost ev- ery spot. The tight ends are fighting to see who is going to get to play. There are only so many guys that get to play. At receiver, [wide receivers coach Frisman] Jackson has a great situation now because there are a lot of guys who can play. "A year ago, it's who are we going to take and who can we throw on to the bus. Now, if you make the travel squad, you are playing pretty good. That is where this program is headed. We will continue to do that, and we have great talent coming in with the freshman. "We've got Jalan McClendon coming in at quarterback. We've got running back Jaylen Samuels coming in, and his touch- down to touch ratio is unbelievable [55 touchdowns on 157 touches for undefeated 4-AA state champion Charlotte Mallard Creek]. That is unheard of and he wasn't playing against fifth graders, but a high level of football that we all in this state respect and believe in. "Jacoby wasn't competing against any- body last fall. He could have just cruised and hung back, and he didn't. Hopefully, that rubs off on the young players. [Fifth- year senior running back] Tony Creecy is a self-motivated guy and works hard all the time. We've brought in guys with that kind of work ethic." You mentioned how the offensive line got reshuffled last year due to injuries. How does the return of fifth-year senior left tackle Rob Crisp impact the line? "Rob is a left tackle, and in our business, the quarterback gets all the credit, but you better have a left tackle or you don't have a quarterback. That is how it works. With Rob, it's going to be a day-to-day process. He is back working out again. I'm certainly excited for him personally. We want every- thing to be moving in a positive direction right now. "Having Rob at left tackle allows us to play Joe Thuney at left guard instead of tackle, which is his normal position. We got [junior college transfer] Quinton Schooley before last year, and he did a good job and he's back. [Freshman center] Tony Adams came for the spring. We have [redshirt junior] Alex Barr back and [fifth- year senior] Tyson Chandler on the right side. We have also have [fifth-year se- nior] Andy Jomantas. "We have competi- tion. We hope we can keep them all healthy, but that might be an u n r e a l i s t i c g o a l . Depth is key for that and competition." Will there be growing pains with a ros- ter dominated by freshmen and redshirt freshmen? "We really don't have time for it. I think the expectation is that we have to play at a standard that we all believe in and is acceptable. "Will there be some of those things? Certainly, but hopefully the experienced guys that are here will lead us and help us bridge that time to our younger kids. The younger guys want to work, want to compete and want to win and make a difference." ■ "A year ago, it's who are we going to take and who can we throw onto the bus. Now, if you make the travel squad, you are playing pretty good." ■ Canada The return of a healthy Robert Crisp, a fifth-year senior left tackle who missed all but one game last year due to a concussion, is expected to provide the offensive line with a big boost. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN 46,48.Offense Q&A.indd 48 6/27/14 10:59 AM

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