It’s college football season, and this year’s N.C. State football team finds itself in an almost entirely new situation.
Entering the season, the Wolfpack are ranked No. 13 in the preseason AP Poll. The last time N.C. State was ranked that high coming into a season was 1975, when they opened the year also ranked No. 13. That year’s Wolfpack ended up losing its rank two weeks later and finished the season 7-4-1 under former head coach Lou Holtz. But that was then. Surely N.C. State has shaken off any bad mojo it might have as a program? Or as a school?
Right?
Admittedly, as a UNC graduate, watching Wolfpack fans squirm is one of my favorite pastimes. That’s why it pains me so much to say this year’s N.C. State team looks like the real deal.
The Wolfpack are coming off one of their best seasons in recent memory, as they finished the year 9-3 (6-2 ACC) and closed out the season with a dramatic 34-30 win over rival North Carolina. N.C. State was supposed to play in the Holiday Bowl against UCLA, but a COVID outbreak caused the Bruins to pull out of the game. While not playing in a bowl game left a sour taste in fans’ mouths at season’s end, preseason hype has reached all-time levels. And it makes sense why.
Earlier this offseason, ESPN’s Bill Connelly compiled data on how much returning production each Division-I team has entering the 2022 season. N.C. State ranked 12th overall, returning 81% of its overall production. The Wolfpack rank fifth in defensive production returning at 88%, according to the data.
Last season, N.C. State ranked 15th in the country in points allowed per game (19.7) and 19th in yards allowed per game (331.7). The Wolfpack’s defense is a formidable unit, and it all starts with junior linebacker Drake Thomas, who had 99 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks and three interceptions in 2021.
N.C. State also has several solid players in the secondary, including graduate senior Derek Pitts Jr. and redshirt sophomore Shyheim Battle. The pair combined for 12 passes defensed, four interceptions and 71 total tackles for the Wolfpack last season.
Offensively, N.C. State has one of the top returning quarterbacks in the ACC in redshirt junior Devin Leary, who completed 65.7% of his passes for 3,433 yards and 35 touchdowns and only five interceptions last fall.
Before the 2021 season, Leary only had 16 touchdowns in 12 games playing for the Wolfpack. He is now considered to be a contender for ACC Player of the Year, and he was recently ranked by Pro Football Focus as the No. 67 overall prospect for the 2023 NFL Draft.
Leary has quite a few quality weapons at his disposal, including graduate senior receiver Thayer Thomas, who caught 51 passes for 596 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns last season. Also back is redshirt junior Devin Carter, who caught 31 passes for 556 yards and six touchdowns.
This year, N.C. State’s main rival in the ACC Atlantic Division will be Clemson, who is the media’s predictive favorite for division champion in 2022. The Tigers received 1,080 total votes, including 111 for first place, while the Wolfpack had 959 votes, including 44 for first place.
Clemson is trying to bounce back after a poor start to the 2021 season, but the Tigers did gain momentum with some strong play in the second half of the year, including a win over Iowa State in their bowl game.
Clemson is led offensively by junior quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, who only had 2,246 passing yards, nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season. Defensively, the Tigers’ top player is defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, who was considered the No. 1 overall player in the Class of 2020 by 247Sports.
N.C. State plays Clemson, which is ranked No. 4 in the preseason AP Poll, on Oct. 1. The Wolfpack defeated the Tigers, 27-21, on Sep. 25, 2021 thanks to an overtime touchdown from Leary to Carter.
If the Wolfpack can get by Clemson this year, they’ll have a great shot at winning their first ACC Championship in football since 1979, and their first league title in any sport since 1992.
What could possibly go wrong?
Sports Editor Jeremy Vernon can be reached at jeremy@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @jbo_vernon.