Upon review: NC State football spring game breakdown
NC State football’s spring game flew a little bit under the radar this year. Final Four runs by the women’s and men’s basketball teams overshadowed the Wolfpack’s annual scrimmage that produced a lot of fireworks Saturday.
The offense looked crisp, the quarterback room is clearly talented and plenty of newcomers appear ready to make a serious impact on NC State’s 2024 season. This was the Pack’s final opportunity to tackle each other until early August, and the program took the field with intensity.
After rewatching the scrimmage, TheWolfpacker.com broke down of every touchdown, turnover and explosive gain from the spring game.
Let’s talk about NC State’s touchdowns
No. 1— Grayson McCall’s 3-yard TD to Justin Joly
This is a great example of McCall’s accuracy under pressure. NC State’s play action fake here leaves a free rusher with an open lane to the quarterback. McCall knew the rush was coming and, thanks to a great route by Joly, he got rid of this ball quickly. The poise by the quarterback to make this throw while backpedaling with a defender in his face is really impressive.
No. 2— Duke Scott’s 3-yard rush
Here’s a two-back set for the Pack. Great blocking by redshirt freshman tackle Rico Jackson and redshirt junior tight end Reid Mitchell created an open hole for Scott to cross into the end zone with ease.
No. 3— Jordan Waters’ 23-yard rush
Left tackle Anthony Belton, wide receiver Noah Rogers and Joly all made fantastic blocks to clear a lane for Waters, who quickly reached the second level and evaded the final defender. He is super hard to tackle in the open field and will generate some huge rushing plays for the Pack this fall.
No. 4— Kendrick Raphael’s 8-yard rush
Great blocking by redshirt junior offensive lineman Matt McCabe and graduate tackle Patrick Matan created an open lane for this score by Raphael. The entire offensive line completely beat the defense off of the ball.
No. 5— Wesley Grimes’ 30-yard reception from CJ Bailey
Grimes ran past the opposing defensive back on his way to a wide open score in the end zone. He is a tall receiver who can make plays on the ball, and the junior showed off his speed here as well. Bailey’s pass hit him in stride.
No. 6— Terrell Anderson’s 28-yard reception from CJ Bailey
Freshman wide receiver Terrell Anderson fumbled early in the game but bounced back with this quick slant-turned-touchdown. The defensive back played soft coverage and, once the former elite recruit got the ball in his hands, no one could bring him down.
No. 7— Lex Thomas connects with Wesley Grimes for 90-yard score
Redshirt freshman quarterback Lex Thomas helped the Wolfpack Red Team reach the 50-point mark with this cannon of a throw to Grimes. Once again, the Wake Forest transfer did not do anything fancy on the route. He just ran past his defensive back. Then, he tracked the ball well, made an impressive catch away from his body, shed the defender at the sideline and sprinted to the end zone.
Forced fumble headlines the defense’s day
*** Senior cornerback Corey Coley recovered from behind a screen play and created a turnoverby chasing down the receiver, punching the ball free.
*** Junior college linebacker transfer Wyatt Wright made a really nice tackle on Waters at the goal line. He exploded off of the backside of the play and made a one-on-one stop. Freshman linebacker Cannon Lewis and redshirt freshman safety Zack Myers also made some nice plays in the open field.
*** Junior nose tackle Brandon Cleveland was consistently disruptive on the interior of NC State’s defensive line.
*** Redshirt freshman linebacker Kelvon McBride is super explosive. I’m high on his potential. Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Isaiah Shirley recorded a sack on an impressive inside move.
The Pack offensive line stands strong
*** On the first play from scrimmage, the left side of NC State’s offensive line opened up a huge hole for Waters. Left tackle Anthony Belton and center Rylan Vann both ate up their blocks, while McCabe ran to the second level and blocked a linebacker.
*** Later in the drive, Vann knocked his defender off the point of attack, disengaged and blocked another defender to create a large hole for Raphael’s explosive run inside the 10.
*** The Wolfpack’s line went up against a defensive unit of mostly underclassmen and walk-ons, and they held up extremely well in pass protection. Defensive coordinator Tony Gibson said they kept everything pretty vanilla, but the offensive line handled almost every challenge thrown at it.
The Noah Rogers highlight reel
Here are 6 catches by redshirt freshman Noah Rogers. He caught short, intermediate and deep routes for NC State Saturday and looked like a future star.
CJ Bailey looks like a game-changing quarterback
Team White scored one touchdown over the first three quarters, and Bailey was a huge reason why the squad reached the end zone. On his first drive, he showed off his athleticism and broke off a 62-yard run on a read option play. Most of the defense bit on the fake, and then Bailey made the last defender miss before sprinting down the field.
He has a live arm, and his unorthodox throwing motion does not impact his release speed. He also showcased his ability to make plays on the ground during the spring game. That dual-thread ability further raises his already high ceiling.
Bailey is already a really talented passer but showed off some savvy Saturday by looking off defenders in zone coverage to help create space for a throw across the middle.
In the second quarter, he missed sophomore superstar KC Conecpcion over the middle for what would have likely been a touchdown. He followed that up with his scoring strike to Grimes on the next play. That’s impressive mental toughness from the freshman to turn the page so quickly after making a mistake.
Miscellaneous NC State spring game notes
*** NC State used a few two-back sets to help with blocking and also throw some fake handoffs into the mix. Concepcion spent some time in the backfield after thriving in that role last season. Him and Waters create a combination of speed and power in the backfield that will be a nightmare for defenses to contend with.
*** Cornerbacks played super soft coverage on redshirt junior receiver Dacari Collins in the first quarter, and the offense took advantage of that with quick comeback routes. McCall showed he has the arm strength to get the ball to his receiver before the defensive back can break on the ball.
*** Former linebacker Jordan Poole continues to make plays as a blocking back. He helped spring a long run by redshirt freshman Hollywood Smothers in the first quarter. NC State’s running back room looked really talented and deep during this game.
*** Redshirt freshman nickel Tamarcus Cooley nearly forced a fumble after shedding his block on a screen play and tackling the receiver for a short gain.
*** Joly’s blocking stood out throughout the game. He could be a game changer in the passing game, but he will also be able to stay on the field and get physical on rushing downs.
*** Freshman running back Duke Scott broke off an explosive 40-yard rush after a huge block by redshirt freshman left guard Kamen Smith cleared a hole. A holding penalty called the play back.
*** McCall ran a two-minute drill at the end of the first half very well. He operated the offense at a high tempo and moved the ball downfield without giving the defense a chance for a turnover. The graduate’s accuracy really does stand out.
*** Sophomore tight end Juice Vereen flashed some of the potential we saw from him early last season with a great catch and run on a deep ball from Bailey. He evaded several defenders on the play, showcasing his elite athleticism.
The post Upon review: NC State football spring game breakdown appeared first on On3.
