Wolfpack Freshman Guard Discusses First College Start
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RALEIGH — On a night where the offensive line struggled as a collective in pass protection, NC State got its first look at a critical part of its future in the trenches. True freshman lineman Spike Sowells Jr. started his first game as a member of the Wolfpack.
It was the young lineman's first time playing right guard after training for most of the season as the team's backup center. Sowells finished as the team's highest-graded lineman according to head coach Dave Doeren after he and his staff reviewed the game film from the loss to Virginia Tech.
Sowells spoke to members of the media Wednesday afternoon to discuss his performance and his development throughout the first half of his freshman season.
Watch Sowells' press conference here
Below is a partial transcript of Sowells' availability:
On his feelings about his first start
- Sowells: "(Offensive line coach Garett Tujague) felt he trusted me and I felt that was big. Putting a true freshman starting on the offensive line is not something you see a lot, especially... I'm not like a 6-8 guy ... I deal with what I got and I try my best to execute."
On learning to play guard and center after playing tackle and center throughout high school
- Sowells: "With the experience that (center Jalen Grant) has, JG's been playing great, so my thing was alright, JG's playing great, what are the other opportunities I had to get on the field? I feel I'm a very talented guy and I saw things where coach Tujague's like, 'We'll try you at guard,' And I made the most of it. Just trying to do my job."
On his experience at different positions in high school
- Sowells: "I've never played guard. I've only played center, left and right tackle. When they said guard, it really (laughed)... I've never played guard before then."
On what he's learned since starting to get game reps for NC State over the first five games
- Sowells: "There's a lot. Hand placement, how much different is the speed of the game. When you're playing 68 snaps, you're a lot more tired than when you're playing six. 13-play drive, I'm out there looking around like 'How many plays we in right now?' Getting accustomed to that, long drives, and different D-linemen... who we face against and just getting used to guys of that caliber."
On what he's seen from the leaders of the team
- Sowells: "Our leaders have been doing a great job. We have our leadership council, the older guys. Even the guys who are hurt, AJ Richardson's still leading like he's still playing every week. Sean Brown is still leading. Guys are coming in every day motivating, just making sure we stay on track because we know what we can do. These last two games we fell down, but if we execute the way that we did the way that we did the first three weeks, I think we can win out."
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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