Offense has nowhere to go but up after a horrendous 2019
As surprising as it may seem, NC State has had a pretty good track record of putting NFL-caliber quarterback out on the field and then they go on to have moderate to very successful careers.
Phillip Rivers, Russell Wilson, Jacoby Brissett and Ryan Finley were all successful in their own way in Raleigh and went on to do some great things in the NFL. Devin Leary and Bailey Hockman combined for some truly putrid numbers, like a 50 percent completion rate and a 102.6 passer rating.
If the Wolfpack want to improve, they have to start to get good quarterback play and that will involve either Leary or Hockman taking big steps forward as passers or it could be incoming freshman quarterback Ben Finley who — as you might have guessed — is the brother of former Wolfpack gunslinger Ryan Finley.
What could breath new life into the offense is the arrival of new offensive coordinator Tim Beck, who spent last season with the Texas Longhorns and led a good offensive attack, but was let go in a staff shakeup. The big problem for Beck is the Wolfpack don’t have a quarterback on the same level as Sam Ehlinger and the talent level is nowhere near Texas’.
The run game could be a bright spot with Zonovan Knight looking to build upon a freshman season that saw him run for over 700 yards and five touchdowns, while averaging over five yards per carry. The running back room has depth with Jordan Houston back after having 500 yards last season, while also averaging over five yards per carry. Both players will have to carry a bigger load this season with the uncertainty at quarterback.
The Wolfpack will be returning several of the top targets in the receiving corps and that kind of continuity should in theory help out whoever is at quarterback.
Emeka Emezie and Devin Carter combined for over 1,000 yards last season and hope for an even stronger campaign in 2020. The tight end spot will be anchored by Cary Angeline and he was probably the Wolfpack’s most consistent threat last season, accounting for 379 yards on only 25 catches and grabbing five touchdowns.
This receiving corps may not have an elite weapon on the field, but they are plenty capable of putting up better numbers with more consistent quarterback play.
The offensive line was very young last season and should take steps to be better last season with four starters back. One of the reasons that NC State struggled last season was that they could not settle on a starting five up front and continuity will be important if the Wolfpack want to improve on one of the program’s worst offenses.