North Carolina State University Athletics
Ramos Makes His Mark
9/5/2015 11:01:00 PM | Football
RALEIGH, N.C. - So this is what junior Jumichael Ramos looks like: confident, capable and contributing.
Going into the season, NC State head coach Dave Doeren wasn't sure which version of the wide receiver from Lovejoy, Georgia, the Wolfpack would have for the 2015 football season: the freshman Ramos, who caught 24 passes and scored five touchdowns in his inaugural season, or the sophomore Ramos, who had just one reception all season.
Just one—the very embodiment of a second-year slump.
Doeren liked what he saw Ramos in the spring and in the preseason, and he certainly liked what he saw from the junior wideout from the start of Saturday's season-opening 49-21 victory over Troy at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Doeren saw the kind of hard work and effort that was sometimes lacking last year. He saw an offensive weapon that had matured from his experiences, both negative and positive, and was willing to make his own breaks, instead of waiting for something to be handed to him.
"I'm really proud of what he did for us," Doeren said after the game. "A lot of guys, when they have success early, they don't know how to handle it. Then when they have failure, they don't know how to handle that.
"He's handled it by just working."
Ramos was rewarded for his hard work by getting the Wolfpack's first pass of the game, a 21-yard strike down the sideline from senior Jacoby Brissett. He caught another pass in traffic in the first half, and scored the Pack's fourth touchdown of the game on a 14-yard pass to the middle of the end zone.
He could have had another touchdown in the third quarter, but he was tackled by a defender. The ensuing penalty put the ball on the 2-yard-line and the Pack scored two plays later.
Junior tailback Matt Dayes and sophomore fullback Jaylen Samuels both ended up with more catches than Ramos and the backfield duo combined to score four touchdowns, but Ramos finished the game with three catches for 45 yards and a touchdown—tripling his sophomore productivity.
And that's important for the receiver corps that entered the season as one of the Pack's biggest question marks.
"For me, Jumichael has shown good growth and maturity," Doeren said. "That's what you want from a third-year player. I think it's a great learning example for some of our other players, to learn how to handle first-year success, to handle second-year failure and how to continue to persevere.
"I'm proud of him for that."
Ramos admits that last year was hard, so hard he considered transferring. That would have left the receiving corps even thinner than it was going into this season. But he knew there would be opportunity to perform for those who worked hard in the offseason.
Playing for a new wide receivers coach, George McDonald, also gave him a fresh start.
"Last year was tough mentally, and I had to rely on a lot of people," Ramos said. "I talked to a lot of players and some of my old coaches. They just told me to be patient and work hard. They got me to stay positive about everything.
"You can't do anything if you look at it as a negative."
He was grateful that the coaching staff felt compelled to call his number on the Pack's first play, and again near the end of the first half.
"I just wanted to show them that I could make plays, that I could be the go-to guy when they need me," Ramos said. "That was a great reward for me."
Going into the season, NC State head coach Dave Doeren wasn't sure which version of the wide receiver from Lovejoy, Georgia, the Wolfpack would have for the 2015 football season: the freshman Ramos, who caught 24 passes and scored five touchdowns in his inaugural season, or the sophomore Ramos, who had just one reception all season.
Just one—the very embodiment of a second-year slump.
Doeren liked what he saw Ramos in the spring and in the preseason, and he certainly liked what he saw from the junior wideout from the start of Saturday's season-opening 49-21 victory over Troy at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Doeren saw the kind of hard work and effort that was sometimes lacking last year. He saw an offensive weapon that had matured from his experiences, both negative and positive, and was willing to make his own breaks, instead of waiting for something to be handed to him.
"I'm really proud of what he did for us," Doeren said after the game. "A lot of guys, when they have success early, they don't know how to handle it. Then when they have failure, they don't know how to handle that.
"He's handled it by just working."
Ramos was rewarded for his hard work by getting the Wolfpack's first pass of the game, a 21-yard strike down the sideline from senior Jacoby Brissett. He caught another pass in traffic in the first half, and scored the Pack's fourth touchdown of the game on a 14-yard pass to the middle of the end zone.
He could have had another touchdown in the third quarter, but he was tackled by a defender. The ensuing penalty put the ball on the 2-yard-line and the Pack scored two plays later.
Junior tailback Matt Dayes and sophomore fullback Jaylen Samuels both ended up with more catches than Ramos and the backfield duo combined to score four touchdowns, but Ramos finished the game with three catches for 45 yards and a touchdown—tripling his sophomore productivity.
And that's important for the receiver corps that entered the season as one of the Pack's biggest question marks.
"For me, Jumichael has shown good growth and maturity," Doeren said. "That's what you want from a third-year player. I think it's a great learning example for some of our other players, to learn how to handle first-year success, to handle second-year failure and how to continue to persevere.
"I'm proud of him for that."
Ramos admits that last year was hard, so hard he considered transferring. That would have left the receiving corps even thinner than it was going into this season. But he knew there would be opportunity to perform for those who worked hard in the offseason.
Playing for a new wide receivers coach, George McDonald, also gave him a fresh start.
"Last year was tough mentally, and I had to rely on a lot of people," Ramos said. "I talked to a lot of players and some of my old coaches. They just told me to be patient and work hard. They got me to stay positive about everything.
"You can't do anything if you look at it as a negative."
He was grateful that the coaching staff felt compelled to call his number on the Pack's first play, and again near the end of the first half.
"I just wanted to show them that I could make plays, that I could be the go-to guy when they need me," Ramos said. "That was a great reward for me."
Players Mentioned
Coach Doeren Signing Day Presser (Dec. 3rd)
Wednesday, December 03
FB Players Postgame Presser vs UNC
Sunday, November 30
Coach Doeren Postgame Presser vs UNC
Sunday, November 30
Coach Doeren Weekly Press Conference (Nov. 24)
Monday, November 24