Can North Carolina State Wolfpack Win With Doeren?
Offense
It really didn’t matter who started at the position last year between Pete Thomas and Brandon Mitchell. Neither were good. Mitchell was the better player, but he wasn’t much. Thomas was flat-out awful and, needing to get as far away from Raleigh as possible, was smart to transfer. That would leave Doeren with junior Garrett Leatham, sophomore Bryant Shirreffs, and freshman Jalon McClendon. But instead, Florida transfer Jacoby Brissett has fallen into his lap. The junior was once a 4-star on Rivals and has all of the makings to become a star in the ACC. Remember, the most success N.C. State usually has comes when it rallies around a great quarterback. Could Brissett be that next guy? Standing at 6’5″ 225 pounds and running a 4.5 40, he has incredible size and speed for a quarterback, so watch out.
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Junior running back Shadrach Thornton is back after 768 yards and 4 touchdowns to go with a 4.7 yards per carry average on the ground last year. That may not seem like much, but it’s impressive when you consider the pathetic quarterback play. Sophomore Matt Dayes will be able to back him up after 252 yards and 4 touchdowns as a freshman last year,and senior Tony Creecy should have a larger role this year after only 125 yards last year. Together, those three players should make for a deep, experienced, decent running game. It won’t be great, but it can be pretty good. There are also three freshman running backs coming in.
The receiving corp. is young but has some talent. None of them racked up many yards last year, but again, quarterback play was awful. What hurts is the two leading receivers are gone in Rashard Smith and Quinton Payton. Senior Bryan Underwood will have to take the lead role after 382 receiving yards and 1 touchdown, but sophomores Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Jumichael Ramos have the most potential. Ramos had 352 yards and 3 touchdowns as a freshman last year, Valdes-Scantling had another 281 yards, and both stand at 6’3″. Tight end David Grinnage also returns after 150 yards and a touchdown as a freshman last year. Sophomore Bra’Lon Cherry saw experience last year too. Look for sophomore Jonathan Alston and three newcomers to all provide depth as well, but there’s not much to suggest the unit will be better than last year.
Oct 12, 2013; Raleigh, NC, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack runningback Shadrach Thornton (10) gets blocking help from fullback Tyler Purvis (47) against the Syracuse Orange at Carter Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Liz Condo-USA TODAY Sports
The offensive line, however, is a different story. If the Wolfpack are to take any strides, this will have to be the strength of the group. Senior Left Tackle Rob Crisp has superstar talent at 6’7″ 300 pounds, and it’s time for him to live up to that billing. On the other side, senior tackle Tyson Chandler is a veteran with 23 career starts and provides incredible size at 6’7″ 354 pounds. The Wolfpack should have absolutely no problems on the outside portions of the line. Junior center Quinton Schooley is back as the starter, standing at 6’4″ 301 pounds, and so is junior guard Alex Barr. Duran Christophe is the only loss on the line, and despite being the most experienced, there’s so much returning talent that the unit should be much better. Junior Thuney will also heavily be in the mix with 12 career starts, as will seniors Alex Jomantas and Ali Kassem and sophomore John Tu’uta. And after being so thin last year, this is where Doeren has made his mark to build depth, bringing in three new freshmen and having three redshirt freshmen added to the roster this year. That’s six additional guys, all of whom were 3-star recruits. This is where it all starts when it comes to having the horses to compete.
Despite the losses at receiver and the lack of change in the running game, a change at quarterback and more experience on the offensive line should be enough for a little improvement on offense this year. However, it doesn’t suggest dramatic improvement. That will have to come with more time and recruiting.