Tomorrow will be the first time that Wolfpack fans will get to see Dave Doeren’s new schemes as the head coach of NC State. While it is understandably something that everyone in Raleigh is anxious to see, be careful in taking too much meaning from the game. However, if you are looking for something more than just the return of football, here are a few things that you can keep an eye on.
Quarterback Play
The play of Pete Thomas and Manny Stocker is the most obvious (and perhaps most important) part of this season. Thomas has a year and a half of starting experience at Colorado State and was highly regarded out of high school, but he is not an ideal fit for the planned offense of Matt Canada. Manny Stocker saw action in a few games last season, but none of it was significant and he was asked to do very little. Stocker is the better fit for Doeren’s plan, but appears to be the second option as spring practice is winding down. Coach Doeren’s comments on this season as “life without Jacoby [Brissett]” are a bit scary, I must say. What I will be looking for from these two in the game is avoiding mistakes. Luckily, the offense it appears Matt Canada will be installing should minimize the importance of the quarterback with quick throws and sweeps.
Defensive Back Seven
After losing the entire starting defensive backfield and senior leader at linebacker in Sterling Lucas, the defense will have a new look. As stated earlier, it will be tough to make any definitive statements based off of this game, it will be possible to get a general idea of where some improvements can be made.
The defensive backfield looks to be in pretty good shape, but still very young. We know what we are getting with Dontae Johnson, who, despite not starting regularly, has seen plenty of action in his first 3 seasons. Johnson will start off at corner, but will likely see some time at safety and maybe even linebacker. Juston Burris flashed a lot of promise last season at corner, and twice-injured Jarvis Byrd will provide senior leadership at free safety. I also liked what I saw from safety Hakim Jones in limited action last season. What I would watch for tomorrow is how many big passing plays are given up, a pretty obvious sign of work needing to be done.
An undersized linebacker corps will have to prove it can stop the run. DJ Green returning from suspension is a huge boost to the defense. He is the only linebacker with extensive starting experience and should provide some leadership to this unit. The staff is really high on MJ Salahuddin and Brandon Pittman, with Pittman seeing some time at the position last season. Salahuddin played almost exclusively on special teams last season, but will be tried out at the middle linebacker spot. This group should be able to cover well, but will need to prove itself in the run game.
How Quickly Does Everyone Pick Up the New Schemes
With an entirely new offense, and certainly some terminology on defense, how quickly can the players adjust in a game situation? While I am sure Matt Canada will try to keep things relatively simple this early on, there is still quite a jump from pro style to a spread offense. If there are false starts and quarterback-receiver miscommunications, then perhaps there is a little room for concern. Beyond those concerns, just hope for a few trick plays and chances to display some of the athletes’ talents in the open field. I expect the defense to outperform the offense due to the lack of a dramatic change in scheme as well as more experience. Defenses also generally do better in these games because the offense is not going to use all of their best plays in order to keep some measure of anonymity with their playbook.
Who Might Emerge
What players might emerge that a casual fan might not know:
Maurice Morgan, WR: The redshirt sophomore came to NC State as a freak athlete who did not have an assigned position in high school. Reports out of camp seem to be positive and I have always thought he would eventually emerge as a threat.
Bra’Lon Cherry, WR: The early-enrolled freshman is a big-play threat already, and may see some time at special teams as well.
David Grinnage, TE: The redshirt freshman may not see much time during the season due to depth, but this game may be a springboard to 2014. Grinnage is a huge target with very good hands.
K’Hadree Hooker, DT: Hooker was one of the more highly regarded recruits of the 2012 class. After a redshirt freshman season, Hooker should make the rotation at tackle and is already somewhat of a team leader as an underclassman.
MJ Salahuddin, LB: Mentioned earlier, MJ will likely be thrust into what might be the most important position on defense. He will have plenty of chances to make plays and become a fan favorite. Salahuddin is reported to be one of the hardest workers on the team.
Hakim Jones, S: Brother of former Pack favorite Ernest Jones, Hakim made a few big plays last season in a reserve role and should be a steady performer as a sophomore.
