The Wolfpacker

November 2017

The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports

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26 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER D uring NC State's bye, the Pack was basking in the glow of a 6-1 start that had propelled them into the spotlight. A season-high number of reporters braved the State Fair traffic for the one media availability of the week, a group that included ESPN.com's David Hale and TheAthletic.com's Nicole Auerbach. Holding center court was senior defensive end Bradley Chubb, who at the time of that media availability (Oct. 18) was second in the country in tackles for loss (13.0) and tied for third in sacks (6.5), leading all players from Power Five conferences in both statis- tical categories. Chubb had been so impressive that he was the only member of Sports Illustrat- ed's Midseason All-America team to be a unanimous pick among its writers and edi- tors. ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach took it a step further and named Chubb his Midsea- son National Defensive Player of the Year. Throughout the process, Chubb has emerged as a potential top-10 overall selection in next year's NFL Draft. Chubb is not an overnight success. He had 10.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss in 2016. Hale can recall talking to Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson last year and be- ing told that Chubb was the best pass rusher the Deacs faced. "I thought that's coming from a coach, it's legit," Hale remembered. "You start watch- ing him and you kind of see what a versatile and talented guy he is." The country took the chance to watch Chubb closely when he terrorized Florida State freshman quarterback James Black- man Sept. 23 in Tallahassee, Fla. Chubb sacked Blackman — who was making his first career start — twice, and also forced a fumble and had numerous other pressures (eight according to Pro Football Focus). At one point in the fourth quarter, the ESPN broadcast crew chose to run clips of Blackman under duress and the commen- tator for the broadcast noted, "This is the Chubb package as well, folks," alluding to the fact that most of the hits were coming from Chubb. "To be a star, you need the stage," Hale said. "Unfortunately for him, that stage hasn't really been around. Florida State, Clemson, those guys bring their own stage with them. "I think it takes going out and beating one of those guys and having a game like he had against one of those guys to force people to pay attention to you." As Chubb stood in the middle of a semi- huddle surrounded by reporters with televi- sion cameras glaring spotlights into his face, NC State first-year defensive line coach Kevin Patrick sat on a couch in the lobby at the Close-King Indoor Practice Facility un- concerned about the attention being lavished on his star player. "Chubb, for as crazy as he looks some- times, he's a very humble, down-to-earth guy," Patrick said. "I don't think this stuff has affected him any more than how he was two or three years ago. "He handles everything pretty good. One thing I can say about Chubb … it [isn't] about what's in store for [him] a year from now. It's all about living in the moment." At that moment, Chubb was affirming why he came back to NC State. He had been told by NFL scouts that he would be no later than a second- or third-round pick had he declared for last year's NFL Draft. The close losses through the years, particularly to Clemson and Florida State, left Chubb feeling he had some unsettled business. Thus he chose to return for moments just like the ones he was feeling in that bye week. He pointed out that a year ago NC State lost by 41 points at Louisville and let a win slip away in the fourth quarter against the Noles. Those losses were turned into victories in 2017. "Being able to win those and finish those off, those are the games I came back for," Chubb said. "We still have a couple more games on the season, just trying to fight through for the rest of the year and keep do- ing what we've been doing." During the victory over Louisville, stu- dents at Carter-Finley Stadium spelled out "Chubb 4 Heisman" with body paint on their chests. That is highly unlikely, al- though both ESPN.com and TheAthletic. com included Chubb on their respective Heisman watch lists in October. The stu- dents though were reflective of the hype machine that has swirled around Chubb. "It's been a roller coaster," Chubb admit- ted. "I try not to pay attention to it. I just try to go out there and play my game. … I'm just trying to have fun my last year with these guys." Thanks to his strong first half of the 2017 season, Chubb is on pace to leave an indel- ible mark on NC State football. The school records for career sacks (25.5) and tackles for loss (55.5) are both held by Mario Wil- liams, who admittedly accomplished those in just three years before being selected with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. Both are within Chubb's reach. With five regular- season games plus a bowl contest still to be played, Chubb's career totals stood at 23.5 sacks and 51 tackles for loss (and the argument can be made he also tallied those numbers in three years — he played only 17 defensive snaps as a true freshman line- backer). Ironically, Chubb wears Williams' old No. 9, but Patrick does not believe that pass- ing the greatest pass rusher in school history in the records book is on his star's mind. "It isn't about stats, he just wants to be the best Chubb he can be, and it's remark- able because he's a very humble person," the coach said. After last year's loss to Boston College at home, Chubb vented his frustration in the postgame locker room. "I told everybody I have been losing for three years, I'm tired of it," he told reporters after that game. "I'm hurt now, it just hurts. I want to win, trying to do everything I can STAR RECOGNITION Senior Defensive End Bradley Chubb Is Receiving National Attention For His Stellar Play Heading into the Nov. 4 game against Clem- son, Chubb ranked second nationally in tackles for loss (17.0) and tied for seventh in sacks (7.5). PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN "I try not to pay attention to it. I just try to go out there and play my game. … I'm just trying to have fun my last year with these guys." ■ Chubb on all the national attention he is receiving this season

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