The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/699450
JULY 2016 ■ 99 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2016 ■ BY THE NUMBERS 1 Drop last year on 77 targets for junior tight end/fullback Jaylen Samuels, according to ESPN Stats and Information. He finished with 65 catches for 597 yards and seven touchdowns, plus 368 yards and nine scores on the ground. Athlon Sports, which noted that he was the only one of 161 Football Bowl Subdivision players with at least 75 targets and a catch rate above 80 percent, said: "There might not be a more reliable target in college football than Samuels." 2.9 Yards per punt return for opponents, thanks to an impressive debut from sophomore punter A.J. Cole III. The Wolfpack ranked fifth in the ACC and 29th nationally with an average of 39.2 net yards per punt — only twice in the last decade has the team's overall punting average (not net) been higher. 3 Graduate transfers that will be eligible immediately for the Pack — fifth-year senior kicker Connor Haskins (UNC Pembroke) and fifth-year senior center Joe Scelfo (South Alabama) and redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Finley (Boise State). 10 Of last year's top 11 pass catchers return; the only loss from that group is tight end David J. Grinnage (25 receptions for 290 yards and three scores). The 10 returnees combined for 212 catches, which gained 2,322 yards, and 14 scores. 28 Sacks were recorded by the Wolfpack in the first eight games of 2015, but they had just four in the last four. A more consistent effort pressuring the QB will be needed this fall. 78.7 Percent of NC State's tackles from last year return, which ranks 16th nationally according to Phil Steele's College Football Preview. 90-64 The 2015 combined record of NC State's 2016 opponents; the winning percentage of .5844 is 24th highest in the country according to Phil Steele's. 124 Career starts were lost by the Appalachian State offensive line after the 2014 season before ranking fourth in the FBS last year for sacks allowed (0.85 per game) and sixth in rushing (271.5 yards per game) under new NCSU mentor Dwayne Ledford, who will face a similar challenge in Raleigh after the front lost 100 starts and returns just 38 (not counting Scelfo's 25 at South Alabama). 310.2 Average passing yards per game last year posted by new offensive co- ordinator Eli Drinkwitz' attack at Boise State, despite relying on a true freshman quarterback after Finley got hurt in game three. That would stand as NC State's best passing clip since 2003. 1,473 Rushing yards and 22 touchdowns is what senior running back Matthew Dayes was on pace for after the first seven contests of the season before getting hurt in game eight against Clemson. Both would have been new single-season records, and he was also on pace to add 324 receiving yards — 1,797 yards from scrim- mage would've tied for 11th nationally. 1974 Was the only other season in school history besides last year that NCSU boasted two players who scored at least 12 touchdowns — Dayes (12, tied for 13th in single-season annals) and Samuels (16, tied for third). Returning Leaders For NC State Passing: QB Jalan McClendon (69 yards, 0 TD) Rushing: RB Matthew Dayes (865 yards, 12 TD) Receiving: TE/FB Jaylen Samuels (597 yards, 7 TD) Tackles: LB Airius Moore (77) Sacks: DE Bradley Chubb (5.5) Interceptions: LB Jerod Fernandez and NB Niles Clark (2) What They Are Saying About The Pack "The Wolfpack are not ready to get into the contenders role just yet. In fact, in the last three years of ACC play, they are just 6-18. Last year, they were 0-6 versus bowl- eligible teams. The good news is they play only [six] teams that were in bowls last year. … They have 14 returning starters [on offense and defense] this year and played a lot of freshmen last season so they have a solid shot at getting back to a bowl." — Phil Steele "The NC State defense had some big-play issues in 2015, allowing 38 gains of 30-plus yards (114th in FBS). But the Wolfpack stiffened near the goal line when they got the chance, allowing only 1.7 yards per carry in the red zone (56 carries for 97 yards), ninth in the country." — Athlon Sports "The 2015 Drinkwitz offense played at one of the nation's fastest tempos and took a pass-first approach. That's a scary proposition when combined with a new starting quar- terback, but after Jalan McClendon and Jakobi Meyers battled for the starting role in spring ball, Drinkwitz brought in a ringer: Ryan Finley, a BSU graduate transfer who began 2015 as the starter before getting hurt. "Finley should set a nice baseline. McClendon is a better-touted recruit and very much looks the part, but if he's struggling to find his rhythm in the new offense, Drinkwitz will at least know that he's got Finley to whip the ball from sideline to sideline effectively." — SB Nation's Bill Connelly on new offensive coordinator Eli Drinkwitz, who held the same position at Boise State last year "However possible it is to win the football game, that is what we are going to do. … We will have the philosophy of feeding our best players the ball." — Drinkwitz Pro Football Focus ranked junior tight end/ fullback Jaylen Samuels as the No. 68 player in college football. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN "Whether you call him a tight end, slot receiver, H-back or running back, Samuels is a versatile playmaker for the NC State offense. … NC State will continue to move him around to create mismatches." — Pro Football Focus, which named junior Jaylen Samuels the No. 68 player in college football