Old Meets New as NC State Begins 2016 Season
8/31/2016 8:25:00 AM | Football
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New 2016 Fan Initiatives | New Clear Bag Policy | Parking Impacts
Game 1: NC State Wolfpack (0-0) vs. William & Mary Tribe (0-0)
September 1, 2016 • 7:30 p.m. • ACC Network Extra
Raleigh, N.C. • Carter-Finley Stadium (58,200)
TV: ACC Network Extra | Radio: Wolfpack Sports Network, Tunein, Sirius 108, XM 108
Live Stats | Game Notes | @PackFootball Twitter | Ask the Analyst
RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State football will celebrate 50 years at Carter-Finley Stadium throughout the 2016 football season, a campaign that gets underway Thursday night in Raleigh against William & Mary. And while a touch of nostalgia will be in the air, much will be new when the Wolfpack kicks it off against the Tribe at 7:30 p.m.
A new offense orchestrated by former Boise State coordinator Eliah Drinkwitz will be unveiled to Pack fans for the first time. Meanwhile, former NFL offensive lineman Dwayne Ledford will make his debut as NC State's offensive line coach as well on Thursday.
Most notably, however, the Wolfpack will be breaking in a new starter at the quarterback position, although the yet to be publicly declared starter will be sharing reps throughout the season-opener.
In what began as a two-man competition between Jalan McClendon and Jakobi Meyers in the spring, the Pack's quarterback question mark became even more unpredictable when Ryan Finley followed Drinkwitz from Boise to Raleigh in early summer. Finley, who started the first three games before being injured last season, is eligible for participation this fall after graduating early. He's also been granted an extra year by the NCAA, meaning he can play college football for two more seasons after this one.
Regardless of who starts on Thursday, both Finley and McClendon will play as fourth-year head coach Dave Doeren and Drinkwitz try to identify the player who is best equipped to handle live, in-game conditions.
"Both of them have done a good job of making mistakes, learning from their mistakes and getting back and working the next day to get better," Doeren said. "I'm excited to watch them both play. I need to see what game day does to these two guys. Jalan hasn't had a lot of game day play, and Ryan hasn't either since he was hurt early in their season last year. We need to see them on game day and they'll both play."
As a back-up to Jacoby Brissett last year, McClendon completed 8-of-14 passes for 69 yards in mostly mop-up duty coming off the bench late in games. Before injuring his ankle, Finley was 46-of-70 for 485 yards, a touchdown and four interceptions.
While McClendon spent all spring learning new offensive concepts, Finley came to fall camp with a full understanding of the Drinkwitz system.
"I became real close with 'Drink' last year," said Finley. "He's just a real personable, family-oriented guy and I just felt a connection with him. I feel like I can talk to him on a football level and a personal level, and I thought he was going to push me to be a better player. That was one of my main reasons for coming here."
McClendon, who spent two years waiting in the wings while Brissett was taking virtually all of the snaps, is confident that his knowledge of the new offensive system is where it needs to be heading into the opening week.
"It has become more natural to me," McClendon said. "We got a sample in the spring and now it comes down to reviewing and re-installing. It's more natural now."
What the new quarterbacks won't do is call plays in a huddle. Like many coordinators in modern day college football, Drinkwitz prefers a no-huddle, up-tempo attack that's designed to keep defenses on their heels, while also limiting their ability to make pre-snap calls and adjustments.
On the other side of the field, William & Mary's coaches and players have not endured any questions about the quarterback position during the preseason. For the third straight year, the Tribe will be under the direction of 6-3, 225-pound senior Steve Cluley, who will be making his 26th consecutive start on Thursday. Cluley, who completed 23-of-36 passes and three touchdowns in a game at Virginia last season, led the Tribe to nine wins and a spot in the FCS playoffs in 2015 by completing 63 percent of his passes and an average of 213 yards a game. The veteran signal-caller is surrounded by All-CAA tailback Kendell Anderson and an experienced offensive line.
"Last year they were a very good football team and return nine starters on offense," Doeren said. "They've got three redshirt seniors and two redshirt juniors on the offensive line and a tight end that was second-team all-conference. It's a very experienced and well-decorated offense."
Doeren's coaching counterpart will be starting his 37th season at William & Mary on Thursday night. When he walks out on the Carter-Finley Stadium turf, Jimmye Laycock will no doubt have a feeling of nostalgia as well since he made his head coaching debut for the Tribe in the stadium back on September 6, 1980. Despite falling to the Wolfpack 42-0 that night, Laycock has gone on to win 238 games, a figure that ranks third among all active FCS coaches. NC State owns a 12-8 advantage in the all-time series between the two schools.
The Wolfpack Sports Network will begin its pregame coverage on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. with the Matthews Motors Countdown to Kickoff, produced live from the Fan Zone. The second hour of pregame coverage originates from the booth with Gary Hahn, Johnny Evans and Tony Haynes providing insight and interviews. Johnny will again take questions from fans on 'Ask the Analyst.' Send a question to Johnny on Twitter @packradio or by clicking HERE.
A full recap of the game will be available Sunday night on the Dave Doeren TV Show. For complete information on where to watch, click HERE.
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New 2016 Fan Initiatives | New Clear Bag Policy | Parking Impacts
Game 1: NC State Wolfpack (0-0) vs. William & Mary Tribe (0-0)
September 1, 2016 • 7:30 p.m. • ACC Network Extra
Raleigh, N.C. • Carter-Finley Stadium (58,200)
TV: ACC Network Extra | Radio: Wolfpack Sports Network, Tunein, Sirius 108, XM 108
Live Stats | Game Notes | @PackFootball Twitter | Ask the Analyst
RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State football will celebrate 50 years at Carter-Finley Stadium throughout the 2016 football season, a campaign that gets underway Thursday night in Raleigh against William & Mary. And while a touch of nostalgia will be in the air, much will be new when the Wolfpack kicks it off against the Tribe at 7:30 p.m.
A new offense orchestrated by former Boise State coordinator Eliah Drinkwitz will be unveiled to Pack fans for the first time. Meanwhile, former NFL offensive lineman Dwayne Ledford will make his debut as NC State's offensive line coach as well on Thursday.
Most notably, however, the Wolfpack will be breaking in a new starter at the quarterback position, although the yet to be publicly declared starter will be sharing reps throughout the season-opener.
In what began as a two-man competition between Jalan McClendon and Jakobi Meyers in the spring, the Pack's quarterback question mark became even more unpredictable when Ryan Finley followed Drinkwitz from Boise to Raleigh in early summer. Finley, who started the first three games before being injured last season, is eligible for participation this fall after graduating early. He's also been granted an extra year by the NCAA, meaning he can play college football for two more seasons after this one.
Regardless of who starts on Thursday, both Finley and McClendon will play as fourth-year head coach Dave Doeren and Drinkwitz try to identify the player who is best equipped to handle live, in-game conditions.
"Both of them have done a good job of making mistakes, learning from their mistakes and getting back and working the next day to get better," Doeren said. "I'm excited to watch them both play. I need to see what game day does to these two guys. Jalan hasn't had a lot of game day play, and Ryan hasn't either since he was hurt early in their season last year. We need to see them on game day and they'll both play."
As a back-up to Jacoby Brissett last year, McClendon completed 8-of-14 passes for 69 yards in mostly mop-up duty coming off the bench late in games. Before injuring his ankle, Finley was 46-of-70 for 485 yards, a touchdown and four interceptions.
While McClendon spent all spring learning new offensive concepts, Finley came to fall camp with a full understanding of the Drinkwitz system.
"I became real close with 'Drink' last year," said Finley. "He's just a real personable, family-oriented guy and I just felt a connection with him. I feel like I can talk to him on a football level and a personal level, and I thought he was going to push me to be a better player. That was one of my main reasons for coming here."
McClendon, who spent two years waiting in the wings while Brissett was taking virtually all of the snaps, is confident that his knowledge of the new offensive system is where it needs to be heading into the opening week.
"It has become more natural to me," McClendon said. "We got a sample in the spring and now it comes down to reviewing and re-installing. It's more natural now."
What the new quarterbacks won't do is call plays in a huddle. Like many coordinators in modern day college football, Drinkwitz prefers a no-huddle, up-tempo attack that's designed to keep defenses on their heels, while also limiting their ability to make pre-snap calls and adjustments.
On the other side of the field, William & Mary's coaches and players have not endured any questions about the quarterback position during the preseason. For the third straight year, the Tribe will be under the direction of 6-3, 225-pound senior Steve Cluley, who will be making his 26th consecutive start on Thursday. Cluley, who completed 23-of-36 passes and three touchdowns in a game at Virginia last season, led the Tribe to nine wins and a spot in the FCS playoffs in 2015 by completing 63 percent of his passes and an average of 213 yards a game. The veteran signal-caller is surrounded by All-CAA tailback Kendell Anderson and an experienced offensive line.
"Last year they were a very good football team and return nine starters on offense," Doeren said. "They've got three redshirt seniors and two redshirt juniors on the offensive line and a tight end that was second-team all-conference. It's a very experienced and well-decorated offense."
Doeren's coaching counterpart will be starting his 37th season at William & Mary on Thursday night. When he walks out on the Carter-Finley Stadium turf, Jimmye Laycock will no doubt have a feeling of nostalgia as well since he made his head coaching debut for the Tribe in the stadium back on September 6, 1980. Despite falling to the Wolfpack 42-0 that night, Laycock has gone on to win 238 games, a figure that ranks third among all active FCS coaches. NC State owns a 12-8 advantage in the all-time series between the two schools.
The Wolfpack Sports Network will begin its pregame coverage on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. with the Matthews Motors Countdown to Kickoff, produced live from the Fan Zone. The second hour of pregame coverage originates from the booth with Gary Hahn, Johnny Evans and Tony Haynes providing insight and interviews. Johnny will again take questions from fans on 'Ask the Analyst.' Send a question to Johnny on Twitter @packradio or by clicking HERE.
A full recap of the game will be available Sunday night on the Dave Doeren TV Show. For complete information on where to watch, click HERE.
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