Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 129 BY BRYAN DRISKELL One of the most often used expressions when talking about football is that "defense wins championships." If head coach Dave Do- eren finally gets NC State over the hump, de- fense will likely be the driving force. Last fall, the Wolfpack ranked among the top 25 nationally in rushing defense (No. 8), total defense (No. 24) and sacks (No. 22). Eight starters return, including one of the coun- try's top defensive lines. "The defensive line … is so good that junior Darian Roseboro is considered a possible early entrant into the NFL next year and he does not even start for the Pack," said Matt Carter, editor of TheWolfpacker.com. "End Bradley Chubb is being touted as a high to mid first-round draft pick next year." NCSU returns five of its top six linemen and both linebackers, but the secondary will have to overcome the loss of two NFL Draft picks. There were some positive moments, but overall the offense held the Wolfpack back, averaging just 15.4 points per game in the five conference losses. Coordinator Eliah Drink- witz must get more production from his unit, which returns four starting linemen, its quarter- back and its top two receivers. Redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Finley was solid in his first season, but NC State will need him to be even more productive this fall. The team's collection of returning skill players could push NC State over the top. "This is probably the best group of receiv- ing options NC State has had under Doeren," Carter said. "Sophomore Kelvin Harmon and redshirt junior Stephen Louis are both big and fast enough, and showed flashes last fall of be- ing a dynamic receiving duo." Louis and Harmon combined for 1,140 re- ceiving yards and 18.4 yards per catch. NC State also gets 2015 starting receiver Jumichael Ramos back after he missed all of last season with a knee injury. In 2016, NC State lost four games by seven points or less, including a 24-17 overtime road loss to eventual national champion Clemson and a 24-20 home defeat versus Florida State. The team's overall experience and high-caliber defense have created a great deal of optimism. "The expectations are higher than they have ever been for a Dave Doeren team," Carter explained. "The question is can NC State meet them with a challenging schedule ahead of it? "The Wolfpack has struggled in the past when expectations were high." ✦ 2017 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2016 Result Sept. 2 vs. South Carolina* — Sept. 9 Marshall — Sept. 16 Furman — Sept. 23 at Florida State L, 24-20 Sept. 30 Syracuse W, 35-20 Oct. 5 Louisville L, 54-13 Oct. 14 at Pittsburgh — Oct. 28 at Notre Dame W, 10-3 Nov. 4 Clemson L, 24-17 (OT) Nov. 11 at Boston College L, 21-14 Nov. 18 at Wake Forest W, 33-16 Nov. 25 North Carolina W, 28-21 * at Charlotte, N.C. QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: NC State leads 2-0 Last Meeting: NC State 10, Notre Dame 3 (Oct. 8, 2016; Raleigh, N.C.) Head Coach: Dave Doeren, 25-26 (5th year) and 48-30 overall (7th year) 2016 Results: 7-6 overall, 3-5 ACC Atlantic (T- 4th); defeated Vanderbilt 41-17 in the Indepen- dence Bowl Returning Starters: 16 (8 offense, 8 defense) 2017 Preseason Rankings: No. 22 by ESPN Foot- ball Power Index, No. 26 by Phil Steele's, No. 27 by Athlon and No. 47 by Lindy's Did You Know?: Notre Dame and NC State's 2016 game in Raleigh was played during Hur- ricane Matthew … Notre Dame recorded just 113 yards of total offense in the loss, its lowest total since 2008 … Three players on the Irish roster hail from the state of North Carolina … H- Back Jaylen Samuels was chosen as a preseason first-team All-American by Athlon … Defensive end Bradley Chubb was named a preseason second-team All-American by Phil Steele's, Ath- lon and Lindy's. Prediction: Notre Dame 28, NC State 19 STRENGTH: Defensive Line There is no disputing the quality of the Wolfpack defensive front. It's a massive, experienced unit that was highly productive last season. In fact, NC State will have one of the nation's best defensive lines, with Phil Steele's ranking the unit the No. 3 in the country and Athlon rating it as the No. 7 group. Senior end Bradley Chubb is listed by Lindy's as the third-best end in the country. NC State has the biggest line Notre Dame will face next season, with its top seven rotational players averaging 301.7 pounds. Chubb is NC State's smallest regular lineman, and he checks in at 6-4 and 275 pounds. Chubb, whose 22 tackles for loss ranked fourth nationally a season ago, is the star of the group. He is joined at end by 282-pound senior Kentavius Street and 287-pound junior Darian Roseboro. The trio combined for 42 tackles for loss, 23 sacks and 16 quarterback pressures last fall. Senior Justin Jones was NC State's top interior player a season ago, but it is senior B.J. Hill who could prove to be the most important player up front. Hill had a down year in 2016, finishing with just 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack. He had 11 tackles for loss in 2015, and if he can get back to that level of production the line could be truly elite. CONCERN: Secondary If there was a kryptonite for NC State last season it was a good passing attack. In the team's six losses the defense gave up 316.5 yards per game through the air and allowed opposing quarter- backs to complete 64.5 percent of their passes. Louisville torched NC State for 390 passing yards, Clemson passed for 378 yards, Florida State amassed 330 yards through the air and East Carolina threw for 297 yards. For the season, the Wolfpack finished 82nd nationally in passing yards allowed per game (244.2). Holding Notre Dame to 54 passing yards in a game played in the middle of a hurricane certainly helped its overall numbers. But seven opposing wide receivers finished with at least 100 yards, four of which happened in its losses. To make matters worse, NC State loses its two best defensive backs and a third starter on the back end. Safety Josh Jones was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the draft, and cornerback Jack Tocho went in the sev- enth round to the Minnesota Vikings. Junior free safety Dexter Wright must replace Jones, who led NC State with 109 tackles and three interceptions. Wright had just 10 tackles last sea- son. Sophomore Nick McCloud made 15 tackles last season, and he will be asked to replace Tocho, the defensive leader with nine passes broken up. NORTH CAROLINA STATE WOLFPACK OCT. 28 • NOTRE DAME STADIUM • SOUTH BEND RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: Reggie Gallaspy II (234 yards, 2 TD) Passing: Ryan Finley (3,059 yards, 18 TD) Receiving: Stephen Louis (678 yards, 2 TD) Tackles: Jerod Fernandez (88) Sacks: Bradley Chubb (10.5) Interceptions: Four players tied (1) X-FACTOR: Electric junior Nyheim Hines, who has tallied 2,770 all-purpose yards on the gridiron and recorded a 10.34-second 100 meters at the ACC Track & Field Championships, is moving from wide receiver to running back. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN