Saturday, September 9
Raleigh, N.C.
6 p.m.
NC State
vs
Marshall - Wolfpack Club Day & Ag Day
Wolfpack Meets Marshall in Home Opener
9/8/2017 9:16:00 AM | Football
Game Day Central | Thursday Football Notebook | Stadium Enhancements for 2017
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RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State is hoping the always high-energy home environment provided by Carter-Finley will be just the tonic it needs to move past last Saturday's week one loss to South Carolina in Charlotte.
The Wolfpack (0-1) will open the gates for the 52nd season at Carter-Finley when it hosts Marshall (1-0) Saturday at 6 p.m. While State was absorbing a tough 35-28 defeat to the Gamecocks a week ago, the Thundering Herd managed to score three non-offensive touchdowns in a 31-26 triumph over Miami of Ohio.
Despite last week's setback, NC State remains confident that many of the lofty goals it set for itself before the season are still very much within reach. But for that mission to be accomplished, the Pack must take care of business on home turf this fall. Teams that go on to record special seasons always tend to be virtually unbeatable at home.
"It's always vital to go undefeated at home," said senior H-Back Jaylen Samuels. "One of our goals is to go undefeated at home. I'm just looking forward to playing in 'the Carter' for my last season, and having the home opener this weekend is going to be pretty exciting."
Time is precious for Samuels and the other Wolfpack seniors, who know they have only six more chances to experience that special adrenaline rush that comes with running through the south tunnel before each home game.Â
"It's very exciting," senior guard Tony Adams said. "It's my last first game at home, so it's one of those things that's very emotional. We're just putting our heads down and just working. The past is the past and you learn from it. We're ready for Marshall right now."
Reflecting head coach Dave Doeren's 24-hour rule, which stipulates that the team has just 24 hours to dwell on a defeat or celebrate a victory before looking forward to the next opponent, Adams is one of multiple seniors who stressed the importance of taking the right mental approach this week.
"The leadership council started Sunday morning," Doeren said. "They were texting everyone on the team and making sure we move on. I thought our focus was excellent. That's something we went through last year and the guys have talked a lot about moving on to a new week with a new focus and a new opportunity."
Even in defeat last week, NC State came away with some things to build on. Piling up 504 yards of total offense, the Wolfpack moved the football up and down the field most of the day before a few missed opportunies in the red zone. The Gamecocks also scored two touchdowns after Pack fumbles. Still, the Pack managed to set a new school record by tallying 99 offensive plays from scrimmage, while quarterback Ryan Finley set a new NC State mark by completing 45 passes.
In a departure from its usual balance on offense, the Wolfpack threw the ball 64 times compared to 35 rushing attempts. Being forced to play catch-up most of the day had much to do with the disparity, along with South Carolina's defensive strategy to load up 'the box.'
Last year, the Wolfpack ran the football 54 percent of the time, while the rest (46 percent) were pass plays.
"We should be able to run the ball, but if we're down and we have to throw the ball, we'll protect our butts off," Adams said. "Something that we hold true to ourselves is if we have to run the ball, we can run the ball. That's something we didn't do well last week and we didn't reach our goal. We want to average four yards per carry and we only averaged 2.3. We take that personally. During practice, I reminded them '2.3 and 89 yards.' Have that in the back of your mind and learn from it."
After allowing a kickoff return for a touchdown to South Carolina's Deebo Samuel last Saturday, NC State's kickoff return unit will be on high alert this week, especially after watching Marshall's win over Miami of Ohio. Thundering Herd speedster Keion Davis became only the 21st player in NCAA history to run back two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same game. Sophomore corner Chris Jackson also returned an interception 72 yards for a score, giving Marshall three non-offensive touchdowns.
No one on the Marshall roster has ever played a game at Carter-Finley Stadium, but the Thundering Herd's head coach knows full well what he's getting into. Now in his eighth year at Marshall, Doc Holliday was assistant head coach and receivers coach at NC State under Chuck Amato from 2000-2004.
"What they've done with their facilities, NC State is just a beautiful place," Holliday said. "They've got a tremendous fan base. One thing about them, it doesn't matter who they're playing in that stadium, that place is filled up to the max. It will be a great atmosphere that I'm sure our kids will enjoy playing in."
Holliday was on the staff that produced one of NC State's greatest teams back in 2002 when the Wolfpack posted an 11-3 record, a campaign that included a lopsided victory over Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl. That particular squad also posted a 6-1 record at home.
"Home games mean a lot, especially to our fans," Adams said. "We want to play for them and make sure we do what we can to win the game, meaning we have to execute and be efficient in everything we do."
The Wolfpack Sports Network begins pregame coverage with the Matthews Motors Pregame Show starting at 4 p.m.. In the second hour of the pregame, network analyst Johnny Evans will answer questions from fans on 'Ask the Analyst.' Questions to Evans can be submitted via Twitter @packradio or by clicking HERE.
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| NC State (0-1) vs. Marshall (1-0) | |
| Date | Saturday, Sept. 9 |
| Time | 6 p.m. |
| Location | Raleigh, N.C. |
| Stadium | Carter-Finley Stadium |
| Streaming | ACC Network Extra |
| Radio in NC | Wolfpack Sports Network |
| National Radio | Tunein, Sirius 93, XM 202 |
| Live Stats | GoPack.com |
| Social Media | @PackFootball, PackFootball |
RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State is hoping the always high-energy home environment provided by Carter-Finley will be just the tonic it needs to move past last Saturday's week one loss to South Carolina in Charlotte.
The Wolfpack (0-1) will open the gates for the 52nd season at Carter-Finley when it hosts Marshall (1-0) Saturday at 6 p.m. While State was absorbing a tough 35-28 defeat to the Gamecocks a week ago, the Thundering Herd managed to score three non-offensive touchdowns in a 31-26 triumph over Miami of Ohio.
Despite last week's setback, NC State remains confident that many of the lofty goals it set for itself before the season are still very much within reach. But for that mission to be accomplished, the Pack must take care of business on home turf this fall. Teams that go on to record special seasons always tend to be virtually unbeatable at home.
"It's always vital to go undefeated at home," said senior H-Back Jaylen Samuels. "One of our goals is to go undefeated at home. I'm just looking forward to playing in 'the Carter' for my last season, and having the home opener this weekend is going to be pretty exciting."
Time is precious for Samuels and the other Wolfpack seniors, who know they have only six more chances to experience that special adrenaline rush that comes with running through the south tunnel before each home game.Â
"It's very exciting," senior guard Tony Adams said. "It's my last first game at home, so it's one of those things that's very emotional. We're just putting our heads down and just working. The past is the past and you learn from it. We're ready for Marshall right now."
Reflecting head coach Dave Doeren's 24-hour rule, which stipulates that the team has just 24 hours to dwell on a defeat or celebrate a victory before looking forward to the next opponent, Adams is one of multiple seniors who stressed the importance of taking the right mental approach this week.
"The leadership council started Sunday morning," Doeren said. "They were texting everyone on the team and making sure we move on. I thought our focus was excellent. That's something we went through last year and the guys have talked a lot about moving on to a new week with a new focus and a new opportunity."
Even in defeat last week, NC State came away with some things to build on. Piling up 504 yards of total offense, the Wolfpack moved the football up and down the field most of the day before a few missed opportunies in the red zone. The Gamecocks also scored two touchdowns after Pack fumbles. Still, the Pack managed to set a new school record by tallying 99 offensive plays from scrimmage, while quarterback Ryan Finley set a new NC State mark by completing 45 passes.
In a departure from its usual balance on offense, the Wolfpack threw the ball 64 times compared to 35 rushing attempts. Being forced to play catch-up most of the day had much to do with the disparity, along with South Carolina's defensive strategy to load up 'the box.'
Last year, the Wolfpack ran the football 54 percent of the time, while the rest (46 percent) were pass plays.
"We should be able to run the ball, but if we're down and we have to throw the ball, we'll protect our butts off," Adams said. "Something that we hold true to ourselves is if we have to run the ball, we can run the ball. That's something we didn't do well last week and we didn't reach our goal. We want to average four yards per carry and we only averaged 2.3. We take that personally. During practice, I reminded them '2.3 and 89 yards.' Have that in the back of your mind and learn from it."
After allowing a kickoff return for a touchdown to South Carolina's Deebo Samuel last Saturday, NC State's kickoff return unit will be on high alert this week, especially after watching Marshall's win over Miami of Ohio. Thundering Herd speedster Keion Davis became only the 21st player in NCAA history to run back two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same game. Sophomore corner Chris Jackson also returned an interception 72 yards for a score, giving Marshall three non-offensive touchdowns.
No one on the Marshall roster has ever played a game at Carter-Finley Stadium, but the Thundering Herd's head coach knows full well what he's getting into. Now in his eighth year at Marshall, Doc Holliday was assistant head coach and receivers coach at NC State under Chuck Amato from 2000-2004.
"What they've done with their facilities, NC State is just a beautiful place," Holliday said. "They've got a tremendous fan base. One thing about them, it doesn't matter who they're playing in that stadium, that place is filled up to the max. It will be a great atmosphere that I'm sure our kids will enjoy playing in."
Holliday was on the staff that produced one of NC State's greatest teams back in 2002 when the Wolfpack posted an 11-3 record, a campaign that included a lopsided victory over Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl. That particular squad also posted a 6-1 record at home.
"Home games mean a lot, especially to our fans," Adams said. "We want to play for them and make sure we do what we can to win the game, meaning we have to execute and be efficient in everything we do."
The Wolfpack Sports Network begins pregame coverage with the Matthews Motors Pregame Show starting at 4 p.m.. In the second hour of the pregame, network analyst Johnny Evans will answer questions from fans on 'Ask the Analyst.' Questions to Evans can be submitted via Twitter @packradio or by clicking HERE.
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