North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Hits the Road for First Time
9/18/2015 9:16:00 AM | Football
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TV: ASN | Radio: Wolfpack Sports Network, Sirius 158, XM 198
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RALEIGH, N.C. - The 43rd consecutive sellout at Old Dominion's S.B. Ballard Stadium won't be just another sellout. For the first time in program history, the upstart Monarchs (2-0) will be hosting a team from the neighboring ACC when NC State (2-0) comes in for a visit Saturday night at 7 p.m.
The Wolfpack will also become the first Power-5 conference team to travel to Old Dominion since the program was resurrected seven years ago.
For NC State, this will be the first road game of the season. For ODU, the game will be a milestone event.
"We're excited to play Old Dominion," said NC State head coach Dave Doeren. "I've been told it will be a sellout, so they'll have a great crowd. For us, it's just a continuation of trying to improve on the little things and details. Our focus and preparation will be really key.
"I think that's what being a good road team is all about. We need to focus on us and control what we can control. We just need to control every situation we can and try to keep getting better as a team."
After two relatively easy wins at home over Troy and Eastern Kentucky respectively, the Pack now leaves the comfort zone of Carter-Finley Stadium for the more unknown habitat of a road stadium in which it has never played. And although Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium only holds 20,118 fans, Doeren didn't treat this road trip any differently than if his team was about to play at Clemson. Using the enclosed Close-King Indoor Practice Facility during the week, the Wolfpack offense tried to function amid deafening music being in piped in through numerous speakers.
And while NC State will be the first ACC team ever to visit Old Dominion, it won't be the last. Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Wake Forest have also scheduled future trips to Norfolk.
"The fact that this will be our 43rd consecutive sellout is remarkable to me," said Bobby Wilder, the only coach the Monarchs have had since the program was reinstated in 2007. "Other programs see that and see that we have a successful program. That's something I look at when we're scheduling an opponent. This region is known nationally in coaching circles for recruiting. There are kids coming out of here every year that are national caliber players. Teams want to come here because they want to recruit here."
The Tidewater area of Virginia is indeed fertile recruiting territory and with a strong performance on Saturday night, NC State could make a very favorable impression on future prospects that might be looking on.
With Jacoby Brissett leading the nation in completion percentage (84.4%), the NC State offense has looked like a well-oiled machine at times through the first two games. The Wolfpack has been typically balanced, with averages of 225 yards rushing and 221 yards passing. Brissett has already spread the football around to 12 different receivers over the first few games.
The return of tailback Shadrach Thornton from a two-game suspension can only contribute to making an efficient offensive attack even more potent. In Thornton's absence, Matt Dayes carried the load with 244 yards and five touchdowns on 48 carries. The return of Thornton, who led State in rushing last season with 907 yards, will only serve to keep both backs fresh for all four quarters.
"We all know the gifts that Shadrach has been blessed with to play football," said NC State tight end Benson Browne. "Matt Dayes has been phenomenal these two games, but Shadrach is going to be Shadrach. He's going to play hard, he's going to be physical and he's going to do what he does best. Giving Matt a break and getting Shad out there is going to be good for us."
Members of the NC State defense who participated in last year's wild 46-34 victory over ODU in Raleigh are eager to get another shot at the Monarchs. With Taylor Heinicke passing for 274 yards and two touchdowns, Old Dominion took a 21-18 lead into the halftime break before the Pack rallied in the second stanza. Now that Heinicke is plying his trade with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings, ODU has transformed its offensive philosophy by turning things over to tailback Ray Lawry, who leads the nation in rushing with 438 yards on 59 carries through two games. Lawry was a problem for the Pack 12 months ago when he tallied three rushing touchdowns.
"Last year we took them lightly and they came out and hung 34 points on us," said Wolfpack cornerback Justin Burris. "We're not taking ODU lightly at all. This is the first road trip. We've got to go there with the mentality that we're going to put them away early and hopefully get out of there with a win."
Coming off 35-0 shutout of Eastern Kentucky, the NC State defense should be brimming with confidence this week. The Wolfpack allowed just 112 yards of total offense for the game and a mere 15 after halftime. Through two games, the Pack defense has gotten off the field 18 of 21 times on third down. Third down defense was a major emphasis by Doeren and his staff during the preseason after State allowed opponents to convert 48 percent of their third down plays last season.
After posting wins over Eastern Michigan and Norfolk State to open the season, Wilder and Old Dominion figure to cut it loose against an ACC team like NC State.
"They've got the screens and then the fakes and throwback plays off the screens," Doeren said. "They've always been an explosive offense under coach Wilder. They've been pretty vanilla in the first two games and relied a lot on the run game, so hopefully we can stop the run and put them into an offense they haven't been forced to run in the first two games."
The Wolfpack Sports Network will begin its live coverage on Saturday at 5 p.m. in hour two of the broadcast shortly after 6 p.m., network color man Johnny Evans will field questions from fans on 'Ask the Analyst.' Anyone wishing to forward Johnny a question can do so on Twitter/@packradio or by going here.
On Sunday night, the head coach of the Pack will breakdown the ODU contest on the Dave Doeren TV Show, which airs Sunday nights in the Triangle at 11:30 p.m. on WRAL TV-5. For more station information on the Dave Doeren Show, go here.
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Game 3: NC State Wolfpack (2-0) vs. Old Dominion Monarchs (2-0)
September 19, 2015 • 7 p.m.
Norfolk, Va. • Ballard Stadium (20,118)
September 19, 2015 • 7 p.m.
Norfolk, Va. • Ballard Stadium (20,118)
TV: ASN | Radio: Wolfpack Sports Network, Sirius 158, XM 198
Live Stats | Game Notes | @PackFootball Twitter | Ask the Analyst
RALEIGH, N.C. - The 43rd consecutive sellout at Old Dominion's S.B. Ballard Stadium won't be just another sellout. For the first time in program history, the upstart Monarchs (2-0) will be hosting a team from the neighboring ACC when NC State (2-0) comes in for a visit Saturday night at 7 p.m.
The Wolfpack will also become the first Power-5 conference team to travel to Old Dominion since the program was resurrected seven years ago.
For NC State, this will be the first road game of the season. For ODU, the game will be a milestone event.
"We're excited to play Old Dominion," said NC State head coach Dave Doeren. "I've been told it will be a sellout, so they'll have a great crowd. For us, it's just a continuation of trying to improve on the little things and details. Our focus and preparation will be really key.
"I think that's what being a good road team is all about. We need to focus on us and control what we can control. We just need to control every situation we can and try to keep getting better as a team."
After two relatively easy wins at home over Troy and Eastern Kentucky respectively, the Pack now leaves the comfort zone of Carter-Finley Stadium for the more unknown habitat of a road stadium in which it has never played. And although Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium only holds 20,118 fans, Doeren didn't treat this road trip any differently than if his team was about to play at Clemson. Using the enclosed Close-King Indoor Practice Facility during the week, the Wolfpack offense tried to function amid deafening music being in piped in through numerous speakers.
And while NC State will be the first ACC team ever to visit Old Dominion, it won't be the last. Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Wake Forest have also scheduled future trips to Norfolk.
"The fact that this will be our 43rd consecutive sellout is remarkable to me," said Bobby Wilder, the only coach the Monarchs have had since the program was reinstated in 2007. "Other programs see that and see that we have a successful program. That's something I look at when we're scheduling an opponent. This region is known nationally in coaching circles for recruiting. There are kids coming out of here every year that are national caliber players. Teams want to come here because they want to recruit here."
The Tidewater area of Virginia is indeed fertile recruiting territory and with a strong performance on Saturday night, NC State could make a very favorable impression on future prospects that might be looking on.
With Jacoby Brissett leading the nation in completion percentage (84.4%), the NC State offense has looked like a well-oiled machine at times through the first two games. The Wolfpack has been typically balanced, with averages of 225 yards rushing and 221 yards passing. Brissett has already spread the football around to 12 different receivers over the first few games.
The return of tailback Shadrach Thornton from a two-game suspension can only contribute to making an efficient offensive attack even more potent. In Thornton's absence, Matt Dayes carried the load with 244 yards and five touchdowns on 48 carries. The return of Thornton, who led State in rushing last season with 907 yards, will only serve to keep both backs fresh for all four quarters.
"We all know the gifts that Shadrach has been blessed with to play football," said NC State tight end Benson Browne. "Matt Dayes has been phenomenal these two games, but Shadrach is going to be Shadrach. He's going to play hard, he's going to be physical and he's going to do what he does best. Giving Matt a break and getting Shad out there is going to be good for us."
Members of the NC State defense who participated in last year's wild 46-34 victory over ODU in Raleigh are eager to get another shot at the Monarchs. With Taylor Heinicke passing for 274 yards and two touchdowns, Old Dominion took a 21-18 lead into the halftime break before the Pack rallied in the second stanza. Now that Heinicke is plying his trade with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings, ODU has transformed its offensive philosophy by turning things over to tailback Ray Lawry, who leads the nation in rushing with 438 yards on 59 carries through two games. Lawry was a problem for the Pack 12 months ago when he tallied three rushing touchdowns.
"Last year we took them lightly and they came out and hung 34 points on us," said Wolfpack cornerback Justin Burris. "We're not taking ODU lightly at all. This is the first road trip. We've got to go there with the mentality that we're going to put them away early and hopefully get out of there with a win."
Coming off 35-0 shutout of Eastern Kentucky, the NC State defense should be brimming with confidence this week. The Wolfpack allowed just 112 yards of total offense for the game and a mere 15 after halftime. Through two games, the Pack defense has gotten off the field 18 of 21 times on third down. Third down defense was a major emphasis by Doeren and his staff during the preseason after State allowed opponents to convert 48 percent of their third down plays last season.
After posting wins over Eastern Michigan and Norfolk State to open the season, Wilder and Old Dominion figure to cut it loose against an ACC team like NC State.
"They've got the screens and then the fakes and throwback plays off the screens," Doeren said. "They've always been an explosive offense under coach Wilder. They've been pretty vanilla in the first two games and relied a lot on the run game, so hopefully we can stop the run and put them into an offense they haven't been forced to run in the first two games."
The Wolfpack Sports Network will begin its live coverage on Saturday at 5 p.m. in hour two of the broadcast shortly after 6 p.m., network color man Johnny Evans will field questions from fans on 'Ask the Analyst.' Anyone wishing to forward Johnny a question can do so on Twitter/@packradio or by going here.
On Sunday night, the head coach of the Pack will breakdown the ODU contest on the Dave Doeren TV Show, which airs Sunday nights in the Triangle at 11:30 p.m. on WRAL TV-5. For more station information on the Dave Doeren Show, go here.
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