NC State football’s 2021 campaign kicks off Thursday, Sept. 2 with a prime-time matchup against the USF Bulls. This is as good of an opening frame as the Wolfpack could ask for, as the Bulls should test it without posing too much of a threat to actually leave Raleigh with a victory.
This contest has the added gamesmanship of neither team releasing a depth chart to the other team. Spurred on by former Clemson assistant and current USF head coach Jeff Scott, who said “We’re not trying to trick NCSU, I don’t think they’re worried about how we lineup,” head coach Dave Doeren responded in kind, publishing this week’s game notes with a two-deep, so we’ll have to wait until Thursday evening to know for certain who the starters are for each squad.
One thing we do know, though, is that the Bulls are led by quarterback Cade Fortin. Fortin is another ACC transplant whom State fans might remember from the 276 yard, 47.5% completions, 2 TDs, 1 INT performance he put up in Larry Fedora’s last game as head coach of UNC, a 34-28 overtime victory for the Wolfpack in Chapel Hill.
After transferring in, Fortin saw little time for USF before suffering a season-ending injury during a terrible 1-8 2020 campaign which included eight straight defeats. After a reportedly strong spring and fall camp, he was named the team’s week one starter after beating out Miami transfer Jarren Williams for the job. He leads an offense that returns every starter with an exception at quarterback and receiver, but ranked No. 75 in passing offense and No. 79 in rushing offense last year.
Still, Jeff Scott is an offensive mind, and he was as hampered in installing his system last year as NC State offensive coordinator Tim Beck was for the Wolfpack. Towards the end of the year, the Bulls offense improved, putting up its top point performance of the year in its last game, a 58-46 loss to rival UCF.
That game offers a look at what this South Florida offense can be: a spread look that passes to set up the run, utilizes QB mobility and runs up-tempo to keep the defense on its heels. While Fortin has the legs to accomplish the second portion of that, and the experience to do the third, he’s never shown much ability to be efficient in the pass game. Last season he threw eight passes and completed just four prior to suffering a season-ending injury, and his 39 passing yards and paltry 4.9 YPA doesn’t inspire confidence, especially considering he’s going up against one of the best defenses in the ACC.
NC State returns all but one starter on the defensive side and has loaded up with transfer talent at key areas including defensive line, cornerback and safety. With the added experience and talent of those additions, the defense is in position to achieve the high expectations in its defensive core tenets.
“We expect those guys to battle in there for us and create havoc and disruption, and to beat the other team in plays in the backfield,” Doeren said. “We call them bombs, but how many bombs go off, where we’re in that backfield, versus our backfield? The next thing is defensive takeaways, how many times are we to get the ball back for our offense? I think that’s a big deal. … And lastly, it’s just [limiting opposing offense’s] explosive plays.”
At its first level, redshirt freshman defensive tackle C.J. Clark, graduate end Daniel Joseph and sophomore end Savion Jackson will likely lead off and will be a load for any Group of Five offensive line. Starting the year with South Florida’s line is a gift for a unit that’s in need of confidence building, and it should not have trouble stifling the Bulls’ rushing attack.
At linebacker, NC State has a vaunted group of players that really goes four deep. Led by team captains in redshirt junior Isaiah Moore and redshirt sophomore Payton Wilson, the second level has to be disruptive but under control, aggressive enough to shut down designed QB runs but able to stay home during Scott’s RPO actions. If the linebackers can force Fortin to beat the defense with his arm, defensive coordinator Tony Gibson will be a happy man.
In the secondary, there are two questions Thursday will begin to answer: how much can we expect from the newcomers, graduate cornerback Derrek Pitts and graduate safety Cyrus Fagan, and injury returnees, senior cornerback Chris Ingram and junior cornerback Teshaun Smith, and how disruptive can this defense be in the backend? Fortin isn’t the most dangerous signal caller in the country, so look for the defensive back to be aggressive in coverage, trusting that he can’t make them pay. If the unit comes away with multiple takeaways, that bodes well for the defense going forward.
On the offensive side, the biggest question mark isn’t at a skill position, it’s the offensive line and specifically who emerges at guard. Head coach Dave Doeren mentioned during fall camp that injuries were hampering cohesion for the line as all five starters couldn’t practice together, and that lack of cohesion extends back to last year as injuries hamper the line. Getting the line a significant amount of game time together will prove extremely valuable.
It gets to take on a 3-3 USF front which ranked No. 106 in rushing defense and gave up nearly 5 yards a carry, and if there was ever a time to feel good about having two backs as good as sophomore Zonovan Knight and junior Ricky Person, it’s now. They are, Scott said, “probably some of the most talented p-backs we’ll see all year,” and if they don’t perform to expectations, the blame will likely reside with the men blocking for them.
In terms of the threat the Bulls pose in defending the pass, there isn’t much there either. The team ranked a deceptively high No. 60 in the country in pass yards allowed, but its almost 13 yards allowed per completion mark shows how many explosive plays the unit gives up. Teams with solid quarterback play performed well against the South Florida secondary, with UCF’s Dillon Gabriel in particular ripping it a new one with a 336-yard, 4-TD day against USF last year.
With Devin Leary solidly in command of this offense and an incredibly deep wide receivers room that matches up well size-on-size with the Bulls, the passing attack should do enough to keep the defense honest.
When the final buzzer sounds, we’ll know much more about NC State football than we did before kickoff, and not because of whether the Wolfpack wins or loses. Thursday is about how dominant a performance the Wolfpack can turn in. How explosive is it on offense, how stingy on defense, how clean on the penalty sheet? Those answers will give us an early gauge on the potential of this squad.
