Creativity is key as NC State heads into fall camp
Over the past couple of years, NC State established itself as one of the top defenses in the country behind Tony Gibson’s unique 3-3-5 scheme.
Head coach Dave Doeren hired Robert Anae during the offseason, pairing two of the most creative coordinators in the country together and preparing the Wolfpack for explosive plays, unique blitz packages and plenty of innovation in both meeting rooms.
The two coordinators spent the past week preparing for fall camp, which officially started Tuesday. It will be Gibson’s fourth season with the Wolfpack and Anae’s first. Both of their respective system have the NC State’s head coach and a few athletes excited to hit the field soon.
NC State is ready to embrace a fast-paced, aggressive offense
NC State finished with the No. 9 scoring offense in the ACC last season at 24.3 points per game. Offensive coordinator Tim Beck then left for the head coaching job at Coastal Carolina, and Doeren responded by bringing in Anae.
The coordinator, who breathed new life into two ACC offenses over the past couple of years, is ready to do the same with the Wolfpack. Creating more explosive plays is the first step towards that goal.
“We want to score 31 points a game,” Doeren said. “That’s one of our tenants. We need around nine explosive plays a game to have that opportunity. That’s kind of how coach Anae looks at it.”
Doeren said Keyon Lesane, Jordan Houston and Trent Pennix are a few of the athletes who offer that big-play potential this year. He also shouted out Kevin Concepcion and Juice Vereen as possible contributors.
NC State will likely task Brennan Armstrong with getting those playmakers the ball. After setting all kinds of records alongside Anae during the 2021 season at UVA, returning to that level of success is obvious his No. 1 focus.
He said the reunion with the Wolfpack offensive coordinator will maximize his strengths. NC State fans can expect the unfiltered and authentic Armstrong this fall.
“[Anae] just lets me be me,” Armstrong said. “I don’t feel confined, I don’t feel like I’m locked up at all, I am just allowed to play how I want to play.”
The sixth-year signal caller threw for 4,449 yards and 31 touchdowns 2 seasons ago. He complemented Anae’s creativity as a coordinator.
Armstrong said they kept things pretty vanilla this spring, but the Pack will start to implement more “weird” formations and increased motion during fall camp
“I think guys are going to feel very comfortable with the positions they’re in…” Armstrong said. “He just puts guys in positions to be successful. When guys understand that, they play harder, they play faster, they play smarter, they are able to play freer. You don’t have to think, you can just go make a play.”
Tony Gibson’s unique system leads to success on Saturdays
Doeren pointed out at ACC Kickoff last week that very few teams run a 3-3-5 defense. That means programs have to spend a lot of time game planning for the challenges it presents.
By the time opponents are ready for the Wolfpack, the coordinator has already prepared a counter.
“He understands the ins and outs of [the system] really, really well,” Doeren said. “He knows how people are going to attack them, he knows what the answers are before they happen.”
NC State held every opponent to 30 points or less last season, leading the ACC in scoring defense. Following a career coaching year for Gibson, he signed a three-year contract that pays $1.3 million dollars annually, per FootballScoop.com
In addition to his strategic skill, Doeren said Gibson is a foundational part of the culture that the head coach has worked to build during his decade in Raleigh.
Veteran linebacker Payton Wilson obviously has a deep appreciation for his position coach and coordinator. He effusively praised Gibson’s system and detailed how the coach puts his position players in a spot to succeed.
“His scheme is ridiculously smart,” Wilson said. “His play calling is ridiculous. Some of the plays that he calls for us, I mean, if you don’t make that play, you shouldn’t be in college football.
Similar to the freeing feeling that Armstrong said comes from Anae’s offense, Gibson’s athletes do not have to slow down to think.
“In coach Gibson’s defense, there’s not one play, there’s not one snap, where you feel like a robot,” Wilson said.
Aydan White enjoys playing in the scheme as well, even though he acknowledged that it is not necessarily cornerback friendly. The star defensive back said the system is tailored more to the linebackers and linemen and often leaves cornerbacks with one-on-one matchups against a receiver.
White took advantage of that opportunity in 2022 and led the conference’s cornerbacks in interceptions with 4.
“As a corner, you are on an island for the majority of the whole game, so that helps me and Shyheim [Battle] thrive,” White said. “The ball is coming to us, so we’ve got to make a play.”
When you have Battle and White in the secondary, two all-conference caliber cornerbacks, Doeren said it helps the Wolfpack defense play with even more confidence, translating to an elite product on the field each weekend.
“In the past, there were times where Tony was nervous about blitzing and putting those guys on that island,” Doeren said. “I think it just frees him up a little bit more.”
White, who is coming off of a first-team All-ACC season, expects a lot from the Wolfpack this fall.
“I expect our defense to be No. 1 in passing defense throughout the whole league,” he said.
Innovation and unique strategy transformed NC State’s defense into one of the nation’s best within a couple of years. Time will tell if Anae can do the same with his side of the ball.
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