Chubb’s Choice to Come Back Paying Off
10/6/2017 11:30:00 AM | Football
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RALEIGH, N.C. - Racing down the sideline celebrating a blocked a fourth-quarter PAT, NC State senior Bradley Chubb was caught up in the excitement of the most electric game in Carter-Finley Stadium in recent memory.
This was not just winning a road game against a ranked Florida State team. It was not beating the biggest name in college football, Notre Dame, on a flooded home field during a hurricane. No offense, but this was not beating Marshall or Furman or even Syracuse in a noon kickoff.
This was a packed house of friendly faces. Under the bright lights. On national television. With a handful of his fellow students bare-chestedly declaring "Chubb 4 Heisman."
Even though he tries to keep such thoughts in the back of his mind during the game, these words still echoed: "This is why I came back."
From his first sack of reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson on the second play of the game to the Louisville quarterback's final offensive play—a harmless heave in the waning seconds as Chubb and two teammates chased him out of the pocket and towards the sidelines—the Wolfpack's defensive front had the well-decorated Jackson flustered all evening, with four sacks and six tackles for losses.
Under a harvest moon, Chubb surely reaped the benefits of his decision to return for his final campaign in Raleigh, as the No. 24 Wolfpack upended Jackson and the No. 17 Cardinals 39-25 Thursday night at Carter-Finley Stadium.
While the Wolfpack defense didn't stop Jackson—he still accounted for 427 yards combined yards and three touchdowns—Chubb and his fellow defender did contain him enough to maintain the upper hand, unlike the only other time the Wolfpack has faced a reigning Heisman winner, in the 56-41 loss to Jameis Winston and Florida State in 2014.
At the moment, Chubb is playing in a zone, with a temperament of pure confidence in which he feels unstoppable and unblockable from the first play to the last. If you want to know the truth, that's the feeling he wanted when he told head coach Dave Doeren that he planned to forego the NFL draft and return for his senior season.
"The main reason I returned is that we weren't done yet," Chubb said. "Right now, we are the most confident team in the country."
The team's performance wiped away the memories of last season's biggest loss, a 54-13 setback against the Cardinals. And it was a big step in helping Chubb and the defense get some closure from other disappointments from 2016.
"When we got beat last year by 40 points, that didn't sit well with me," Chubb said. "My teammates knew it didn't sit well. Our goal was to never have that feeling again."
So far, that hasn't been an issue. The Pack never trailed in its two biggest victories, at Florida State on Sept. 23 or against Louisville last night. Chubb and the defense have made sure of that, fulfilling the promise they made to themselves during the off-season.
"We wanted to finish what we started, to win the games we should have won last year," Chubb said. "If you look back at the games we lost, it was by three points or six points. If you look at the games, it a play or two here or there that changed the whole outcome.
"We knew we had to make opportunities for ourselves by making plays on the field."
Chubb has done that with frightening regularity this season, as one of the nation's most feared defensive linemen.
"I pray to God that he's always on our team," said Wolfpack quarterback Ryan Finley. "Because I don't want to face him. He's playing unbelievable right now. The whole defense is wreaking havoc.
"For them to go out and play like they did tonight on this stage is huge."
Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren certainly appreciated it. And he was pleased that Chubb was able to celebrate such a big win with an extended visit to the student section in the south end zone when the game ended.
"He's becoming a cult hero," Doeren said. "And he deserves that.
"He's playing his butt off."
RALEIGH, N.C. - Racing down the sideline celebrating a blocked a fourth-quarter PAT, NC State senior Bradley Chubb was caught up in the excitement of the most electric game in Carter-Finley Stadium in recent memory.
This was not just winning a road game against a ranked Florida State team. It was not beating the biggest name in college football, Notre Dame, on a flooded home field during a hurricane. No offense, but this was not beating Marshall or Furman or even Syracuse in a noon kickoff.
This was a packed house of friendly faces. Under the bright lights. On national television. With a handful of his fellow students bare-chestedly declaring "Chubb 4 Heisman."
Even though he tries to keep such thoughts in the back of his mind during the game, these words still echoed: "This is why I came back."
From his first sack of reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson on the second play of the game to the Louisville quarterback's final offensive play—a harmless heave in the waning seconds as Chubb and two teammates chased him out of the pocket and towards the sidelines—the Wolfpack's defensive front had the well-decorated Jackson flustered all evening, with four sacks and six tackles for losses.
Under a harvest moon, Chubb surely reaped the benefits of his decision to return for his final campaign in Raleigh, as the No. 24 Wolfpack upended Jackson and the No. 17 Cardinals 39-25 Thursday night at Carter-Finley Stadium.
While the Wolfpack defense didn't stop Jackson—he still accounted for 427 yards combined yards and three touchdowns—Chubb and his fellow defender did contain him enough to maintain the upper hand, unlike the only other time the Wolfpack has faced a reigning Heisman winner, in the 56-41 loss to Jameis Winston and Florida State in 2014.
At the moment, Chubb is playing in a zone, with a temperament of pure confidence in which he feels unstoppable and unblockable from the first play to the last. If you want to know the truth, that's the feeling he wanted when he told head coach Dave Doeren that he planned to forego the NFL draft and return for his senior season.
"The main reason I returned is that we weren't done yet," Chubb said. "Right now, we are the most confident team in the country."
The team's performance wiped away the memories of last season's biggest loss, a 54-13 setback against the Cardinals. And it was a big step in helping Chubb and the defense get some closure from other disappointments from 2016.
"When we got beat last year by 40 points, that didn't sit well with me," Chubb said. "My teammates knew it didn't sit well. Our goal was to never have that feeling again."
So far, that hasn't been an issue. The Pack never trailed in its two biggest victories, at Florida State on Sept. 23 or against Louisville last night. Chubb and the defense have made sure of that, fulfilling the promise they made to themselves during the off-season.
"We wanted to finish what we started, to win the games we should have won last year," Chubb said. "If you look back at the games we lost, it was by three points or six points. If you look at the games, it a play or two here or there that changed the whole outcome.
"We knew we had to make opportunities for ourselves by making plays on the field."
Chubb has done that with frightening regularity this season, as one of the nation's most feared defensive linemen.
"I pray to God that he's always on our team," said Wolfpack quarterback Ryan Finley. "Because I don't want to face him. He's playing unbelievable right now. The whole defense is wreaking havoc.
"For them to go out and play like they did tonight on this stage is huge."
Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren certainly appreciated it. And he was pleased that Chubb was able to celebrate such a big win with an extended visit to the student section in the south end zone when the game ended.
"He's becoming a cult hero," Doeren said. "And he deserves that.
"He's playing his butt off."
Players Mentioned
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