North Carolina State University Athletics
Saturday, September 1
Raleigh, N.C.
12 p.m.
NC State
vs
James Madison - Wolfpack Club Day | Red and White for Life Game
Wolfpack Opens 2018 Campaign with James Madison
8/31/2018 8:06:00 AM | Football
Game Day Central | Game Notes | Thursday Football Notebook
2018 Stadium Enhancements | Expanded Heat Plan
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Led by No. 5 overall pick Bradley Chubb, NC State had a school record seven players taken in the draft, including all four starting defensive linemen.
Kickoff to the 2018 season is at noon, and the game will be televised by ESPNUÂ and streamed on ACC Network Extra.
The measure of any consistent program is the ability to successfully replace stars with the next line of productive players.
The Wolfpack now appears to be in a position to do just that.
Although there may not be another Chubb in the group, defensive linemen like Darian Roseboro, Eurndraus Bryant and James Smith-Williams have seen plenty of playing time in recent years. Others, like transfer Larrell Murchison and Shug Frazier, are motivated by the opportunity to prove themselves at this level.
"I think any time the media's attention is about who's gone instead of who's back, I think you're going to have a chip on your shoulder," said NC State head coach Dave Doeren. "It's an opportunity for those guys to prove themselves and I know they're excited about that opportunity."
Said Roseboro: "We're not looking at what last year's team did, we're looking at this year's team. Every team is going to be different and we've got to go out and do our job."
Had he chosen to leave school early, the 6-4, 283-pound Roseboro could have conceivably given NC State a fifth defensive lineman to get drafted, but the Lincolnton native sided with other priorities.
"I made a promise to my day that I would graduate and plus, I didn't think I was ready yet," Roseboro said. "There are a lot of things I want to accomplish here at State. I want to win the ACC Championship and a National Championship. I want to bring something home to Raleigh."
Those are ambitious goals to be sure, but in the sixth year of Doeren's tenure, NC State is clearly a program on the rise. Four straight bowl appearances and two consecutive postseason victories offer some validation.
A better measuring stick may be last year's 6-2 mark in the ACC, the first time an NC State team has won as many as six conference games since 1994. Even more impressive, the Wolfpack plays in the fierce Atlantic Division, viewed as one of the nation's toughest conference divisions.
Despite losing playmakers Jaylen Samuels and Nyheim Hines to the draft, NC State figures to have one of the league's most entertaining offenses with graduate quarterback Ryan Finley starting for a third season at NC State and now throwing to a big, experienced collection of wideouts.
"I'm excited," said Finley, who threw for 3,518 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. "I think we're all as comfortable as we've even been. We're continuing to grow as an offense and I think we just have so many ways to attack a defense with so many different weapons. I can't wait to see what we can do."
Finley's history of protecting the football could be a major asset on Saturday. The Phoenix, Ariz. native, who was intercepted only six times in 479 pass attempts last year, will be going against a ball-hawking James Madison defense that picked off an unthinkable 31 passes last season. With 44 takeaways, the Dukes were one win away from an FCS National Championship. In two years under head coach Mike Houston, JMU has gone 28-2 with a pair of CAA titles and national title game appearances.
"Thirty games in two years is a lot of football," Doeren said. "Even though they lost a lot of starters in some areas, they've got a lot of guys that have played and expect to win just like we do. I look forward to the game, I look forward to the atmosphere and I look forward to seeing our players."
Saturday's contest will mark the first ever meeting between the Dukes and Wolfpack.
With a noon start, the Wolfpack Sports Network will open its coverage at 10 a.m. with the Lowes Foods Countdown to kickoff. In hour two of the pregame show, veteran network analyst Johnny Evans will take questions from fans on 'Ask the Analyst.' Questions to Johnny can be submitted via Twitter@packradio or by clicking HERE.
Tune in to 'One with Wolfpack Football,' NC State's weekly TV show starting Sunday night. A list of times and stations is available HERE.
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2018 Stadium Enhancements | Expanded Heat Plan
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| NC State (0-0) vs. James Madison (0-0) | |
| Date | Saturday, Sept. 1 |
| Time | 12:00 p.m. |
| Location | Raleigh, N.C. |
| Stadium | Carter-Finley Stadium |
| TV | ESPNU |
| Streaming | ACC Network Extra |
| Radio in NC | Wolfpack Sports Network |
| National Radio | Tunein, Sirius 211, XM 194 |
| Live Stats | GoPack.com |
| Social Media | @PackFootball, PackFootball |
Led by No. 5 overall pick Bradley Chubb, NC State had a school record seven players taken in the draft, including all four starting defensive linemen.
Kickoff to the 2018 season is at noon, and the game will be televised by ESPNUÂ and streamed on ACC Network Extra.
The measure of any consistent program is the ability to successfully replace stars with the next line of productive players.
The Wolfpack now appears to be in a position to do just that.
Although there may not be another Chubb in the group, defensive linemen like Darian Roseboro, Eurndraus Bryant and James Smith-Williams have seen plenty of playing time in recent years. Others, like transfer Larrell Murchison and Shug Frazier, are motivated by the opportunity to prove themselves at this level.
"I think any time the media's attention is about who's gone instead of who's back, I think you're going to have a chip on your shoulder," said NC State head coach Dave Doeren. "It's an opportunity for those guys to prove themselves and I know they're excited about that opportunity."
Said Roseboro: "We're not looking at what last year's team did, we're looking at this year's team. Every team is going to be different and we've got to go out and do our job."
Had he chosen to leave school early, the 6-4, 283-pound Roseboro could have conceivably given NC State a fifth defensive lineman to get drafted, but the Lincolnton native sided with other priorities.
"I made a promise to my day that I would graduate and plus, I didn't think I was ready yet," Roseboro said. "There are a lot of things I want to accomplish here at State. I want to win the ACC Championship and a National Championship. I want to bring something home to Raleigh."
Those are ambitious goals to be sure, but in the sixth year of Doeren's tenure, NC State is clearly a program on the rise. Four straight bowl appearances and two consecutive postseason victories offer some validation.
A better measuring stick may be last year's 6-2 mark in the ACC, the first time an NC State team has won as many as six conference games since 1994. Even more impressive, the Wolfpack plays in the fierce Atlantic Division, viewed as one of the nation's toughest conference divisions.
Despite losing playmakers Jaylen Samuels and Nyheim Hines to the draft, NC State figures to have one of the league's most entertaining offenses with graduate quarterback Ryan Finley starting for a third season at NC State and now throwing to a big, experienced collection of wideouts.
"I'm excited," said Finley, who threw for 3,518 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. "I think we're all as comfortable as we've even been. We're continuing to grow as an offense and I think we just have so many ways to attack a defense with so many different weapons. I can't wait to see what we can do."
Finley's history of protecting the football could be a major asset on Saturday. The Phoenix, Ariz. native, who was intercepted only six times in 479 pass attempts last year, will be going against a ball-hawking James Madison defense that picked off an unthinkable 31 passes last season. With 44 takeaways, the Dukes were one win away from an FCS National Championship. In two years under head coach Mike Houston, JMU has gone 28-2 with a pair of CAA titles and national title game appearances.
"Thirty games in two years is a lot of football," Doeren said. "Even though they lost a lot of starters in some areas, they've got a lot of guys that have played and expect to win just like we do. I look forward to the game, I look forward to the atmosphere and I look forward to seeing our players."
Saturday's contest will mark the first ever meeting between the Dukes and Wolfpack.
With a noon start, the Wolfpack Sports Network will open its coverage at 10 a.m. with the Lowes Foods Countdown to kickoff. In hour two of the pregame show, veteran network analyst Johnny Evans will take questions from fans on 'Ask the Analyst.' Questions to Johnny can be submitted via Twitter@packradio or by clicking HERE.
Tune in to 'One with Wolfpack Football,' NC State's weekly TV show starting Sunday night. A list of times and stations is available HERE.
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Players Mentioned
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Coach Doeren Postgame Presser vs UNC
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Coach Doeren Weekly Press Conference (Nov. 24)
Monday, November 24