The NC State Wolfpack spring game is coming up on April 11th at Carter-Finley Stadium. The red and white will go at it to give the faithful in Raleigh the first glimpse of what’s to come for the 2015 season.
NC State Football Spring Watch: Wide Receivers
Coach Dave Doeren’s third season is shaping up to be a promising one coming off a bowl victory and a five game increase in wins from 2013 to 2014. To match the eight wins from last season, or get in range for double-digit wins for the first time since 2002, the Pack will have to reload at several key positions.
Aside from the offensive line, the Pack will have to regroup most in the wide receiver department. The story of the spring will be about who State doesn’t have around any longer. There are two gaping holes in the receiving game that need to be filled.
The wide receiving corps in 2014 gave quarterback Jacoby Brissett plenty of options. Brissett was very mobile, racking up the second most rushing attempts on the squad, only behind first-string running back Shadrach Thornton. Brissett was right behind running back Matt Dayes for total rushing yards (531 and 576, respectively).
While Brissett was running, scrambling, and keeping plays alive, his wide receivers were exploiting weak secondaries like South Florida and UNC, giving NC State two of its easier wins last year.
Leading the way was Bo Hines. That leader is now off to Yale to pursue an Ivy League education in New Haven, CT. Hines led the team with 45 receptions for 616 yards. Hines had one receiving touchdown in 2014, but was a security blanket for Brissett, and a trusty hand to convert on third down. Hines played a Julian Edelman/Jordy Nelson role in NC State’s offense, and he will be sorely missed.
Another receiver, Marquez Valdez-Scantling, left the team this past January. Valdez-Scantling started the first eight games for the Wolfpack last season, but fizzled out in production during the final stretch. With the Hines transfer and Valdez-Scantling leaving the program, NC State will have to rely on a new crop of receivers to pick up the slack.
NC State has ten wide receivers listed on their spring roster with three of the top four in terms of targets returning. Junior receiver Bra’Lon Cherry, junior tight end David Grinnage, and junior running back Matt Dayes were go-to targets of Brissett last season, with Grinnage and Dayes getting five touchdowns apiece.
Cherry was an all-purpose threat, especially in Tampa in the blowout win over the South Florida Bulls. He had three touchdowns in the first half, leaving the run game to nail down the win later in the day. Cherry will most likely be the guy to step up in Hines’ absence to become the top target.
With the offensive line in a rebuilding year, the protection of Brissett will be a key factor in getting the passing game going. With their starting quarterback and two returning running backs in the backfield, the Pack shouldn’t skip a beat on the ground. They can focus on breaking in new starting linemen in the four opening games.
Those early non-conference games will give the line time to gel before the ACC season kicks in. If the Pack can establish themselves on the ground and stay two-dimensional, then the young receivers will have a chance to get some catches under their belts.
Establishing the line of scrimmage in September will be huge for tuning up for Louisville and Virginia Tech in October. Spring practices and the game itself will be a time for the new guys and the veterans alike to step up and keep the momentum going from the eight win season.
