The USF Bulls open their 2021 football season with a primetime Thursday night matchup against the NC State Wolfpack. BullsInsider went Behind Enemy Lines with The Wolfpacker’s Matt Carter to give Bulls fans an idea of what to expect to see on Thursday night.
BI: NC State went 8-4 in 2020, but was just 4-8 the year before. Head coach, Dave Doeren is in his ninth year with the program. What do you see as the trajectory of this program under his leadership? Are they getting better, worse, or staying the same?
I think it has ebbed and flowed a bit, but he has NC State back on the upswing. He had a very nice two-year run in 2017-18, and this feels much more like that time when his teams were in the top 25 for most of those seasons.
The 2019 season was a hiccup, but also partially explained by a huge amount of bad luck. NC State suffered a catastrophic slate of injuries across the board at pretty much all the position groups with perhaps the exception of quarterback, and it was already a transition year. The Pack also had unfortunate bounces when it came to turnovers, especially fumbles.
Overall though, Doeren in six of his eight years has at least seven wins to his credit, and at least eight victories in four of them. Aside from the transition season in year one and the bad luck campaign in 2019 it’s been pretty steady.
BI: The Wolfpack’s quarterback to start the season is Devin Leary, who played in just four games as a freshman last season, but went 3-0 as a starter. In those four games, he was sacked seven times and NC State ranked 119th in sacks allowed (32) for that full season. Would you say that those sacks are largely timing or mobility issues on part of the quarterback, or are there issues with the offensive line? In either case, do you think the team has addressed those problems?
Leary’s starts were his three starts came against three of the top 15 teams last season nationally in the FBS level in sacks per game, and the other game he appeared in was Virginia Tech, who was fifth in the country in that category. All total, NC State played seven of the top 20 teams in sacks per game, so that may have attributed to some of the numbers you see.
Bottom line though is there is no doubt there needs to be some improvement in pass protection. Leary has a quick release and a strong arm, whereas his counterpart who played most of the year in Bailey Hockman was more lacking in those areas, and that contributed to some of the issues.
BI: In week two, NC State faces what they might see as a more interesting opponent in Mississippi State. Considering the Bulls are a one-win team from last season, do you think the Wolfpack will be looking past them? If not, how serious of a threat do you think the team, coaches, and fans see USF to pull out the win?
I would be lying if I didn’t think most fans and followers of NC State have been circling that Mississippi State contest in week two as a crucial early-season showdown. This is a very experienced coaching staff at NC State, however. There are a lot of coaches with at least two decades of college coaching under their belts and know not to take anything for granted.
It’s also an older, experienced squad that I think adopts that mentality. If anything, I think there is even a little nervousness about some of the unknowns around USF with all the newcomers and different personnel possibilities which may take some time to adapt to at the start of the contest.
Being a Thursday night game in primetime and first time back in front of what should be close to a full house will also help the players.
BI: Which side of the ball is NC State more dominant on and why? Are they balanced, or are they stronger on defense or offense? Who are the names that USF fans can expect to hear called out by the announcers after making big plays?
The defense probably is a little more heralded at this point. In the final five games of last season, no opposing offense had more than 23 points on the defense, which is pretty good in modern college football. It really took a big step forward when it shut down Liberty star quarterback Malik Willis and held them to 14 points. I have seen Willis listed as a potential high NFL Draft pick in some circles.
The linebacker corps is what stands out, with Payton Wilson a potential ACC Defensive Player of the Year candidate and Isaiah Moore a likely future pro.
The offense though has potential, if Leary proves to be a consistent ACC-caliber quarterback. The skill talent is pretty good. Zonovan Knight at running back was the top vote-getter at his position on the preseason All-ACC team, and his counterpart Ricky Person Jr is a former Rivals100 product who will split carries. Receiver Emeka Emezie could leave as NC State’s all-time leader in catches, and Thayer Thomas is a dynamic all-purpose threat in the slot.
BI: It seems in most seasons, most teams have a breakout star, someone nobody saw coming early on but who made his name known during the season. Who is the most likely star in the making for the Wolfpack and how do you think he will shine?
NC State added a couple of transfers on defense who have really impressed: defensive lineman Cory Durden from Florida State and cornerback Derrek Pitts Jr., who started his career at West Virginia and then went to Marshall before coming to NC State.
Pitts could well be a starter at corner for the Pack. He was a former four-star who seemed to find himself last season at Marshall and took advantage of the frozen eligibility to be a grad transfer.
Durden was thought to be a NFL Draft prospect in 2020, but he struggled in the coaching transition down at Florida State. The NC State defensive coaches have raved about Durden in camp, however, and it sounds like he looks more like the 2019 version of Durden that was considered a future pro.
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