Behind Enemy Lines: Talking NC State Football with Brett Friedlander of Wolfpack Maven
Boston College faces off with NC State on Saturday at noon. To better understand the opposition we spoke with Brett Freidlander, editor of Wolfpack Maven. Check out his site for all things Wolfpack, and follow him on Twitter as well.
AJ: Dave Doeren recently made the switch from Matthew McKay to Bailey Hockman. In his limited time as QB what have you seen out of Hockman and how does he look in this offense?
BF: The biggest takeaway is Hockman's ability to throw the ball downfield. The Wolfpack had virtually no vertical passing game with the inaccurate McKay under center, allowing opposing defenses to bring an extra man into the box to defend the ground game and short passes across the middle. In its first five games combined, State had just eight completions of 20 yards or more. Last week against Syracuse in Hockman's first career start, it had six "chunk" plays in the passing game. Hockman showed his inexperience with a few ill-advised passes -- one of which was intercepted -- and by holding onto the ball too long and taking three sacks. But coach Dave Doeren will live with the tradeoff of a few mistakes given the positives Hockman provides.
AJ: Last year, State's skill position players were the difference as the Eagles had no answer to Jakobi Meyers and Kelvin Harmon. Who will be replacing all that talent and how do you see Doeren attacking BC's porous defense?
BF: The Wolfpack's best playmakers this season are a pair of freshman running backs. Leading rusher Zonovan Knight has run for 354 yards and is averaging 5.1 yards per carry while doing most of his damage between the tackles. Jordan Houston, who has gained 280 yards and is averaging 6.2 per carry, is more of a speed back who is also a threat in the passing game. The receiving corps is led by junior Emeka Emezie, who was the third starter last year alongside Harmon and Meyers. He leads the team with 33 catches. Thayer Thomas is a reliable slot receiver while tight end Cary Angeline presents a big target at 6-foot-7. The man to watch, though, is redshirt freshman Devin Carter, Six of his 12 catches have come in the last two games and he's averaging 14.3 yards per catch. He figures to become a much bigger part of State's passing game now that it has a quarterback capable of getting the ball to him downfield.
AJ: Let's talk about that NC State defense. Obviously BC is going to run the ball, and the Wolfpack have been incredibly stout against the run. What has made this rushing defense so good this year?
BF: Much of the credit goes to a deep, athletic linebacking corps. It's really a no-name group of young players led by junior Louis Acceus, who ranks second on the team with 36 tackles, including six for losses. Redshirt sophomore Isaiah Moore and junior Brock Miller are the other starters, but the rising star of the group is redshirt freshman Payton Wilson. Wilson is a kid who missed both his final high school season and last year at State with two knee surgeries. But he's healthy now and has made a big impact with a nose for the ball reminiscent to that of former BC All-American Luke Kuechly. Another big factor in the Wolfpack's ability to stop the run is improved tackling. There hasn't been nearly as many yards after contact this season as there has been in the past.
AJ: Now the pass rush, 26 sacks so far this year. Talk about the talent you have and the schemes that have led to such a strong pass rush.
BF: The biggest factor has been the switch from a four-man front to a 3-3-5 installed by first-year co-defensive coordinator Tony Gibson. It might seem as though taking a man off the line would hurt the pass rush, but it has had the opposite effect. One reason for that is the athleticism of the aforementioned linebackers and their ability to blitz from a variety of different angles. There's also a lot of talent up front, especially defensive tackle Larrell Murchison, who leads the ACC with eight sacks, five of which have come in the past two games against Florida State and Syracuse. The Wolfpack has also worn opposing offensive lines down by rotating five edge rushers -- James Smith-Williams, Joseph Boletepeli, Xavier Lyas, Ibrahim Kante and Savion Jackson -- with very little dropoff.
AJ: Final question, what is the mood like so far amongst State fans, and the State program given the Pack is sitting at 4-2.
BF: The fan base is still very skeptical about how good this team actually is. Only one of its four wins is against a Power 5 opponent (last Thursday against Syracuse) and it has yet to win on the road. There is a feeling that this team is still very much a work in progress because of all the first-time starters on offense, but now that they've all played half a season, the time is now to start showing improvement. A win at BC on Saturday would go a long way toward changing the expectations for the rest of the season. At this point, though, the most realistic goal is finding the two more wins necessary to gain bowl eligibility.