After a surprising 8-5 season in 2014, the Wolfpack is looking to build on its success heading into its third year under head coach Dave Doeren. With a returning senior quarterback in Jacoby Brissett at the helm, the offense is ready to make another strong statement in 2015.
N.C. State’s offense will hit a bit of a speed bump out of the gates as Shadrach Thornton—the Wolfpack’s leading rusher with 907 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground—will sit out the first two games while serving a suspension. Look for versatile junior Matthew Dayes to fill in for Thornton, after the Weston, Fla., native ranked second on the team in both receptions and rushing yards. Dayes also punched in eight total touchdowns.
Doeren’s squad also suffered an unexpected loss when wide receiver Bo Hines—the team’s leading receiver with 45 catches for 616 yards as a freshman—announced he would transfer to Yale. But Brissett is a mobile quarterback who joined Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariotta and former UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley as the only signal-callers to pass for more than 2,000 yards, rush for more than 300 yards, throw 20 or more touchdowns and commit five or fewer interceptions, making him fully capable of making plays with his legs if needed.
Defensively, the Wolfpack will look to improve on a unit that allowed 27.0 points per game last season. Doeren’s squad allowed a respectable 373.1 yards per contest, but struggled to take the ball away from opponents—just 10 interceptions, a number the eight returning starters will need to increase in 2015.
N.C. State should ease into the season with early wins before hitting the difficult part of its schedule with showdowns Oct. 31 against No. 12 Clemson and Nov. 14 at No. 10 Florida State.
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