The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1043000
NOVEMBER 2018 ■ 95 most physical line unit in the country, The late Joe Moore had coached the offensive line at Pittsburgh, Temple and Notre Dame from 1980‑96. The Pack had only given up three sacks through six games, and its 0.50 sacks al‑ lowed per game ranked second nationally. NC State also had a pair of individuals receive special attention. Fifth‑year senior left guard Terronne Prescod and fifth‑year senior center Garrett Bradbury were both named to Pro Football Focus' (PFF) mid‑ season All‑America squad, with Prescod earning the top guard grade in the country. Both Sports Illustrated and the Associ‑ ated Press included Prescod on their re‑ spective midseason All‑American teams. He received those accolades despite bat‑ tling a back injury off and on this season. He missed the Marshall game Sept. 22 and an undisclosed ailment slowed him down at Clemson. He went down a few times to his knees following plays. The Tigers have the best defensive line the Wolfpack will face all season, featuring three potential first‑round NFL Draft picks in defensive tackles Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence plus defensive end Clelin Ferrell. NC State lost 41‑7, and the offen‑ sive line played a role with one turn‑ over — an unexpected shotgun snap from Bradbury that sixth‑year senior quarterback Ryan Finley wasn't ex‑ pecting — and four penalties. The good from the line, though, outweighed the bad with only one sack allowed in 35 passing plays, which was by a blitzing Clemson linebacker. The Wolfpack rushed 32 times for 104 yards. Bradbury said it's not about the honors you receive in mid‑October, but the ones earned when the season concludes. "That stuff doesn't matter, nothing preseason or midseason matters," Bradbury said. "It is about what is happening right now. If there are accolades at the end of the season, that's awesome and fun." Ledford returned fifth‑year se‑ niors Prescod, Bradbury and left tackle Tyler Jones, but had to re‑ work the right side. Sophomore Josh Fedd‑Jackson and redshirt sopho‑ more Justin Witt have started at right guard and right tackle, respectively. Ledford likes what he has seen of his new starters. "You can tell the work Justin has put in in the weight room, changing his body and getting stronger," Led‑ ford said. "That is showing up on the field. He has confidence — he knows he belongs out there. Last year, it was more a deer in headlights. "Fedd‑Jackson is going to be a special player. He is what you want in a guard. He has great girth and he plays very physi‑ cal. He's going to be a joy to watch and to coach these next three years." Prescod knows how important his fifth‑ year senior season is in order to accomplish his NFL dreams. He's trying to keep the right perspective. "There is a lot of urgency to do the best that I can," Prescod said. "There is also a lot of slowing down to enjoy the moment with my brothers like Garrett [Bradbury] and Tyler [Jones]." Ledford has also started to develop some depth behind the starters, which will pay off particularly well next year. Redshirt sophomore Joe Sculthorpe has been rotat‑ ing as a backup at both guard spots, and redshirt junior right tackle Tyrone Riley has spotted Witt a few series here and there this season. "I'm never been a guy that says, 'You four are going in here,'" Ledford said. "Usually, it's just one guy going in at a time. I like to do about one spot here or there because you want to keep that chem‑ istry there. It's always hard to rotate guys." The journey of Prescod to such lofty honors started from humble beginnings. The 6‑5, 334‑pound Prescod had an overall grade of 87.2 through six games — which was the third among guards — and the top run‑blocking guard grade in the country with 89.0 by PFF. Sculthorpe was second in the country in run blocking with a grade of 88.7. Prescod getting that kind of recogni‑ tion as an offensive lineman wouldn't have likely occurred a few years ago, so it is a new welcome kind of attention. The successful start to his senior year took root when he was a freshman. He of‑ ten had after‑practice jogs in the parking lot around Carter‑Finley Stadium and the prac‑ tice fields to help improve his conditioning. "I always look back to those days to en‑ joy the moment," Prescod said. "I'll think about how much I've been through. I have come from so far away. I came to this point now, and I can't give up. "When I was 18, it was, 'Why am I doing this [jogging in the park‑ ing lot]. Why do they keep running me?' It was always 'Why?' It was never, 'What could it do for me?'" It took Prescod some time to eventually understand the "Why," and he's tried to pass along his wis‑ dom to younger teammates. "I got my 'Why?' a couple of times because I was overweight and out of shape," Prescod said. "I un‑ derstand that now." The last offensive lineman to be named an All‑American at NC State was Joe Thuney in 2015, Thuney is now a starting guard for the New England Patriots. The last interior lineman to be an All‑American was College Football Hall of Famer Jim Ritcher in 1978 and 1979. Ritcher won the Outland Trophy in 1979. Bradbury, a former tight end and defensive tackle at NC State, is right behind Prescod with an 82.9 over‑ all grade and 85.9 in pass blocking per PFF. However, he deflects any credit that could come his way. "There are no individual awards on the offensive line. Anything I get is a testament to Coach Ledford and the other five or six lineman that are playing," he said. ■ Pro Football Focus named fifth-year senior center Garrett Bradbury to its midseason All-America squad. PHOTO BY PAUL STRELOW