North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Kicks off a New Season against Troy
9/4/2015 9:05:00 AM | Football
Game Day Central | Thursday Football Notebook
Game 1: NC State Wolfpack (0-0) vs. Troy Trojans (0-0)
September 5, 2015 • 6 p.m.
Raleigh, N.C. • Carter-Finley Stadium (57,600)
Broadcast Info: ESPN3 | Radio: Wolfpack Sports Network, Sirius 115, XM 193
Live Stats | Game Notes | @PackFootball Twitter | Ask the Analyst
RALEIGH, N.C. - As it raises the curtain on a new football season, NC State is being encouraged to 'raise the bar' by third-year head coach Dave Doeren. After winning four of five games in impressive fashion to close out an 8-5 campaign in 2014, the Wolfpack attacked the offseason with an elevated sense of accomplishment and confidence. Now the trick is to avoid the pitfalls of satisfaction.
On Saturday night, the Pack starts anew with an opening night assignment against Troy. Kickoff time from Carter-Finley Stadium is set for 6 p.m.
"I think we're a very confident team because everyone doubts us," said senior defensive end Mike Rose. "If you're not Florida State and Clemson, a lot of people are going to doubt you. I think that gives us an edge because they think they're just going to come in and beat us. I think 'why not us?'
Clemson and Florida State are again picked as the teams to beat in the ACC's Atlantic Division, yet there is a growing list of scribes, broadcasters and analysts who have ordained NC State as a potential dark horse in the race.
When Doeren took over in 2013, he learned very quickly that the Wolfpack was not equipped to hang with the big boys of the ACC. Remarkably, two recruiting classes later, Doeren and his staff have managed to replenish a roster that now features competitive depth at most position groups.
"Last year I think the team felt some pressure that they needed to get it going again," Doeren said. "But I'm not sure we knew how to get it going. We had to go through the process of learning how to win tight games and learning how to be a good road team, and learning how to beat an in-state team. There were gaps that we needed to close. We did those things. We finished with great momentum and won some big games. I think the expectation is to build off of that and continue to win and close gaps."
Closing gaps looks simpler when the leader of your team happens to be a mature, talented fifth-year senior quarterback. Jacoby Brissett completed nearly 60 percent of his passes for 2,606 yards and 23 touchdowns in his first year as the Wolfpack's starting quarterback. Better yet, he threw only five interceptions. In following his coach's lead, Brissett intends on 'raising the bar' in what will be his final season as a college football player.
"In watching last season, I saw things that prevented me from being better," he said. "I worked on my release and footwork and trying to get through progressions faster."
Brissett will have a better chance to reach some of his goals if the Wolfpack can pick up where it left off in the running game late last year. For the season, the Pack averaged 5.2 yards per carry to set a school record, and put up a whopping average of 312 rushing yards over its last three games.
"It starts with the mentality and the attitude," Doeren said. "You have to take pride in running the football. The second thing is I think coach Uremovich (offensive line) and our strength coaches have done a good job of developing strength and technique. Those things are really important."
With the departure of tackles Rob Crisp and Tyson Chandler, Uremovich spent the first few weeks mixing and matching up front before he found the right combination. He eventually settled on two graduates on the left side, with former guard Joe Thuney moving to left tackle and Alex Barr to guard. The center spot will be occupied by senior Quinton Schooley, who'll be flanked on the right by sophomore guard Tony Adams and redshirt freshman tackle Will Richardson.
"They've got good chemistry," said Doeren. "I'm excited about the way they've come together. To be honest, the back-up guys have done a good job this week, too. We feel good about the depth we've developed. We feel like we have a good situation, but obviously, we have to see it live in a game. Thuney and Barr know each other well and have played here a long time, so having them next to each other is a good thing. Will is the new guy in there and he's worked really hard. I'm sure he'll make some mistakes in his first game, but he's really practicing hard."
NC State will be facing a Troy defense that gave up averages of 36 points and 454 yards last season. Following the 3-9 campaign, the Trojans brought in a new head coach with an offensive background. Neal Brown engineered explosive offenses as offensive coordinator at Kentucky and before that, at Texas Tech. At 35 years of age, Brown will be the second youngest coach at the FBS level when he makes his head coaching debut on Saturday night.
"We're looking forward to it and we've got our hands full, without question," Brown said. "It's obviously the first time I'm running out there as a head coach, so there will be some things that I'll have to get used to. I'm looking forward to it. That's a great venue to play in. I played there as a player when I was at UMass. Their crowd is right on top of you. Our guys are excited about playing there."
Brown did get an rather unpleasant taste of Carter-Finley Stadium when he was a senior wide receiver at Massachusetts in 2002. On that day, Philip Rivers and the Pack carved up UMass, 56-24.
Troy does return capable players at quarterback and running back. Sophomore quarterback Brandon Silvers returns after completing 70 percent of his passes last season, a mark that broke Sam Bradford's rookie mark of 69.5 percent. Tailback Brandon Burks has led the Trojans in rushing each of the last two seasons, while junior runner Jordan Chunn has 20 career rushing touchdowns.
This will be the first ever meeting between NC State and Troy.
"We will have practiced 44 times if you count fall camp and the spring without playing a game," Doeren said. "That's a lot of practice, hitting each other and coaching against each other. It's time to play and we want to see what they can do. Game day is the gift and we're excited about it."
The Wolfpack Sports Network will begin pregame coverage from Carter-Finley Stadium at 4 p.m. In hour two of the pregame show, former Wolfpack All-American Johnny Evans will again take questions from fans on the 'Ask the Analyst' segment. Send Johnny a question on Twitter @packradio or submit a question here.
For a full recap of the opener against Troy, catch the Dave Doeren TV Show, which will air Sunday night in the Triangle at 11:30 p.m. on WRAL TV-5. For a full viewing schedule of the Dave Doeren TV Show, click here.
Game 1: NC State Wolfpack (0-0) vs. Troy Trojans (0-0)
September 5, 2015 • 6 p.m.
Raleigh, N.C. • Carter-Finley Stadium (57,600)
Broadcast Info: ESPN3 | Radio: Wolfpack Sports Network, Sirius 115, XM 193
Live Stats | Game Notes | @PackFootball Twitter | Ask the Analyst
RALEIGH, N.C. - As it raises the curtain on a new football season, NC State is being encouraged to 'raise the bar' by third-year head coach Dave Doeren. After winning four of five games in impressive fashion to close out an 8-5 campaign in 2014, the Wolfpack attacked the offseason with an elevated sense of accomplishment and confidence. Now the trick is to avoid the pitfalls of satisfaction.
On Saturday night, the Pack starts anew with an opening night assignment against Troy. Kickoff time from Carter-Finley Stadium is set for 6 p.m.
"I think we're a very confident team because everyone doubts us," said senior defensive end Mike Rose. "If you're not Florida State and Clemson, a lot of people are going to doubt you. I think that gives us an edge because they think they're just going to come in and beat us. I think 'why not us?'
Clemson and Florida State are again picked as the teams to beat in the ACC's Atlantic Division, yet there is a growing list of scribes, broadcasters and analysts who have ordained NC State as a potential dark horse in the race.
When Doeren took over in 2013, he learned very quickly that the Wolfpack was not equipped to hang with the big boys of the ACC. Remarkably, two recruiting classes later, Doeren and his staff have managed to replenish a roster that now features competitive depth at most position groups.
"Last year I think the team felt some pressure that they needed to get it going again," Doeren said. "But I'm not sure we knew how to get it going. We had to go through the process of learning how to win tight games and learning how to be a good road team, and learning how to beat an in-state team. There were gaps that we needed to close. We did those things. We finished with great momentum and won some big games. I think the expectation is to build off of that and continue to win and close gaps."
Closing gaps looks simpler when the leader of your team happens to be a mature, talented fifth-year senior quarterback. Jacoby Brissett completed nearly 60 percent of his passes for 2,606 yards and 23 touchdowns in his first year as the Wolfpack's starting quarterback. Better yet, he threw only five interceptions. In following his coach's lead, Brissett intends on 'raising the bar' in what will be his final season as a college football player.
"In watching last season, I saw things that prevented me from being better," he said. "I worked on my release and footwork and trying to get through progressions faster."
Brissett will have a better chance to reach some of his goals if the Wolfpack can pick up where it left off in the running game late last year. For the season, the Pack averaged 5.2 yards per carry to set a school record, and put up a whopping average of 312 rushing yards over its last three games.
"It starts with the mentality and the attitude," Doeren said. "You have to take pride in running the football. The second thing is I think coach Uremovich (offensive line) and our strength coaches have done a good job of developing strength and technique. Those things are really important."
With the departure of tackles Rob Crisp and Tyson Chandler, Uremovich spent the first few weeks mixing and matching up front before he found the right combination. He eventually settled on two graduates on the left side, with former guard Joe Thuney moving to left tackle and Alex Barr to guard. The center spot will be occupied by senior Quinton Schooley, who'll be flanked on the right by sophomore guard Tony Adams and redshirt freshman tackle Will Richardson.
"They've got good chemistry," said Doeren. "I'm excited about the way they've come together. To be honest, the back-up guys have done a good job this week, too. We feel good about the depth we've developed. We feel like we have a good situation, but obviously, we have to see it live in a game. Thuney and Barr know each other well and have played here a long time, so having them next to each other is a good thing. Will is the new guy in there and he's worked really hard. I'm sure he'll make some mistakes in his first game, but he's really practicing hard."
NC State will be facing a Troy defense that gave up averages of 36 points and 454 yards last season. Following the 3-9 campaign, the Trojans brought in a new head coach with an offensive background. Neal Brown engineered explosive offenses as offensive coordinator at Kentucky and before that, at Texas Tech. At 35 years of age, Brown will be the second youngest coach at the FBS level when he makes his head coaching debut on Saturday night.
"We're looking forward to it and we've got our hands full, without question," Brown said. "It's obviously the first time I'm running out there as a head coach, so there will be some things that I'll have to get used to. I'm looking forward to it. That's a great venue to play in. I played there as a player when I was at UMass. Their crowd is right on top of you. Our guys are excited about playing there."
Brown did get an rather unpleasant taste of Carter-Finley Stadium when he was a senior wide receiver at Massachusetts in 2002. On that day, Philip Rivers and the Pack carved up UMass, 56-24.
Troy does return capable players at quarterback and running back. Sophomore quarterback Brandon Silvers returns after completing 70 percent of his passes last season, a mark that broke Sam Bradford's rookie mark of 69.5 percent. Tailback Brandon Burks has led the Trojans in rushing each of the last two seasons, while junior runner Jordan Chunn has 20 career rushing touchdowns.
This will be the first ever meeting between NC State and Troy.
"We will have practiced 44 times if you count fall camp and the spring without playing a game," Doeren said. "That's a lot of practice, hitting each other and coaching against each other. It's time to play and we want to see what they can do. Game day is the gift and we're excited about it."
The Wolfpack Sports Network will begin pregame coverage from Carter-Finley Stadium at 4 p.m. In hour two of the pregame show, former Wolfpack All-American Johnny Evans will again take questions from fans on the 'Ask the Analyst' segment. Send Johnny a question on Twitter @packradio or submit a question here.
For a full recap of the opener against Troy, catch the Dave Doeren TV Show, which will air Sunday night in the Triangle at 11:30 p.m. on WRAL TV-5. For a full viewing schedule of the Dave Doeren TV Show, click here.
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