The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/430118
JANUARY 2015 ■ 31 BY JACEY ZEMBAL N C State head coach Dave Doeren likes to say you are either head- ing up or heading down, and the Wolfpack definitely is trending in the right direction. NC State went 3-9 in 2013, but turned it around in a big way to finish the regular season 7-5 and earn a berth to play UCF in the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl on Dec. 26, 2014. NC State defeated Wake Forest and North Carolina by a combined 77-20 to conclude the regular season and become bowl eligible. The Wolfpacker takes a look back at the moments that helped define the 2014 foot- ball season. BIGGEST WIN: NC State dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball in whipping North Carolina 35-7 Nov. 29 in Chapel Hill. Redshirt junior quarter- back Jacoby Brissett rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, and also threw for 66 yards and three scores. Junior running back Shadrach Thornton added 161 yards and a touchdown on 28 rushing attempts. The Wolfpack rushed for 388 yards, while limiting the Tar Heels to just 30 yards on 28 carries. Best Comeback Win: Of the teams NC State defeated this season, the one with the best record was Georgia Southern, which went 9-3 overall and 8-0 in winning the Sun Belt Conference. It looked bleak when the Eagles led 17-3 nearly midway through the third quarter in the season opener Aug. 30. However, Brissett and the offense scored 21 second-half points to win 24-23. The quarterback capped the rally by find- ing sophomore running back Matt Dayes on a wheel route for a 35-yard touchdown pass for the game-winning score with 1:37 remaining in the contest. Offensive MVP: Brissett gave the Wolf- pack hope this season and was a calm leader. He enters the bowl game 206-of- 344 passing for 2,344 yards with 22 touch- downs and five interceptions, plus 498 rushing yards and three scores on 110 car- ries. He's poised for a high-level fifth-year senior campaign. Defensive MVP: Fifth-year senior defen- sive tackle Thomas Teal entered the season trying to come back from offseason knee surgery and was fighting for a starting spot. He moved into the starting lineup in the fourth game of the season and finished strong. He recorded 46 total stops, eight tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Special Teams MVP: Senior punter Wil Baumann earned first-team All-ACC hon- ors after leading the league with a 45.3- yard average on 56 attempts, with a long of 67. He placed 22 inside the 20-yard line and had 16 fair caught. Best Individual Performance, Offense: Brissett went toe-to-toe with reigning Heis- man Trophy winner Jameis Winston of Florida State Sept. 27. Brissett completed 32 of 48 passes for 359 yards with three touchdowns and added 38 yards on the ground in the 15-point loss to the then-No. 1-ranked Seminoles. He didn't throw an interception, but did lose two fumbles. Best Individual Performance, Defense: NC State's pass rush harassed Syracuse freshman quarterback AJ Long for eight sacks in a 24-17 win at the Carrier Dome Nov. 1. NC State fifth-year senior defen- sive end Art Norman led the way with 2.5 sacks, and he finished with four tackles and a quarterback hurry. In addition, redshirt junior defensive end Mike Rose and senior outside linebacker Brandon Pittman posted two sacks apiece. Best Special Teams Performance: Bau- mann landed three punts inside the 10-yard line in the 24-17 win over Syracuse Nov. 1. He placed a fourth punt inside the 20-yard TRENDING UPWARD The Most Memorable Moments Of The 2014 Season Junior running back Shadrach Thornton ran for 161 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries in helping lead the Wolfpack to a 35-7 rout of North Carolina in the regular-season finale. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN ■ BY THE NUMBERS 3 Combined touchdowns in a game this season by three different NC State players. Junior running back Shadrach Thornton rushed for three scores in the 46-34 win over Old Dominion Sept. 6, sopho- more wide receiver Bra'Lon Cherry ran for two scores and caught a touchdown pass in the 49-17 win over South Florida Sept. 13, and sophomore running back Matt Dayes had two rushing touch- downs and one receiving score in the 42-13 win over Wake Forest Nov. 15. 8 National ranking as of Dec. 3 for senior punter Wil Baumann, who averaged 45.3 yards per punt during the regular season. Idaho sophomore Austin Rehkow led the nation at 47.8 yards per punt. 13 Tackles in a game, most this season, which hap- pened by two NCSU players in the same game. Redshirt freshman linebacker Jerod Fernandez and redshirt freshman strong safety Josh Jones each had 13 tackles in the 30-14 loss to Boston College Oct. 11. 28 Bowl games NC State has earned a berth in, including 10 since 2000. 48 Yards on the longest field goal by senior kicker Niklas Sade, who drilled one from 48 yards out against Louisville. He had five kicks of more than 41 yards this season. 68 Yards for the longest run by a NC State running back this season. Dayes ripped off a 68-yard touch- down on a jet sweep during the Wolfpack's 42-0 win over Presbyterian Sept. 20. 140 Combined yards for fifth-year senior wide re- ceiver Bryan Underwood's 75-yard touchdown run against Wake Forest and his 65-yard touchdown reception against Presbyterian. The plays were the Wolfpack's longest run and catch of the season. 322 Career points for Sade going into the bowl game, which moved him past former star running back Ted Brown, who had 312 points from 1975-78. Sade broke the mark on an extra point against Wake Forest. 54,398 Average attendance at Carter-Finley Stadium for NC State's seven home games this season.