The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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52 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Three Bold Predictions 1. More than one quarterback will play this season Over the prior three seasons, Ryan Fin- ley became one of the most prolific passers in school history. However, during Finley's first season starting (2016) there were times where NC State turned to backup Jalan Mc- Clendon. During the adverse weather conditions of Hurricane Matthew, McClendon's legs and athleticism proved to be an asset and helped lead NC State to a 10-3 win over Notre Dame. McClendon was given the game ball afterward. McClendon actually had an opening to po- tentially get back into the starting conversa- tion when an ineffective Finley was benched late in the second quarter of the debacle at Louisville, with the Pack already trailing 34-0 at that point. But McClendon misfired on all three passes, including an interception. Yet McClendon played a key role in NC State upsetting UNC 28-21 in Chapel Hill to end the regular season, completing 2 of 5 passes for 23 yards and rushing for 42 yards after Finley was banged up. Odds are good that whoever is the first un- der center against East Carolina Aug. 31 will not be the only one to take meaningful snaps this year for the Wolfpack. 2. This will be the best defense Dave Doeren has had at NC State Despite reloading on defense last year after the loss of eight starters — including four draft picks off the defensive line — from the 2017 squad, NC State posted very similar numbers in terms of points and yards al- lowed. The Pack was slightly stingier in scoring defense (24.9 points allowed per game in 2018 compared to 25.2 in 2017), while allow- ing a handful more yards (392.6 compared to 384.2). That bodes well for this year's unit if it can make improvements with its seven returning starters. Head coach Dave Doeren, defensive co- ordinator/linebackers coach Dave Huxtable and cornerbacks coach George Barlow were all in agreement in the preseason that this is the most depth at cornerback NC State has enjoyed in Doeren's tenure, and it is the pass defense that could stand to make the biggest jump. NC State has ranked 104th and 108th the past two seasons in passing yards allowed out of 130 teams in the Football Bowl Sub- division. The standard for Doeren's defenses is the 2016 squad, which gave up 22.8 points (27th nationally) and 352.8 yards per game (24th) while being particularly difficult to run against (108.6 yards per game to rank eighth in the land). But those numbers were also aided by Hurricane Matthew, which shut down Notre Dame's offense as much as the NCSU defense. 3. The first half of the ACC slate will define the season NC State opens league play for the second time in three years with a game at Florida State. It will then host Syracuse 12 days later for a Thursday night contest in Carter-Finley Stadium. In the ACC's preseason predictions, Syracuse and Florida State were picked to finish second and third in the Atlantic Divi- sion ahead of NC State, which was fourth. Then the Wolfpack has a two-game road stretch, sandwiched around a bye, that fans are dreading: Boston College Oct. 19 and Wake Forest Nov. 2. Since BC joined the ACC in time for the 2005 season, NC State has gone 2-5 at Chestnut Hills, Mass., and 1-6 in Winston-Salem, N.C. The 2015 season was the only time that NCSU managed to win both road games. ■ Senior Nick McCloud, who ranked ninth in the ACC in passes defended (10) last season, leads the way for a deep group of cornerbacks that could help NC State make significant defensive improvement. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN