Heading into the 2024 season, things were expected to be different for the NC State Wolfpack.
After years of the Wolfpack knocking on the door of something more, this was the year where it was all supposed to come together.
The Pack targeted big pieces in the transfer portal, revamped its offense, and coaches and players spoke in the offseason about a new standard.
Saturday’s marquee matchup against the No. 14 Tennessee Volunteers was their first chance to prove that they were ready for that next step, but a 51-10 thrashing proved just how far the preseason hype might have been from reality.
“Too many turnovers, penalties, poor field position,” said NC State head coach Dave Doeren. “We’re better than we showed and that’s disappointing.”
Despite how lopsided the final score ended up being, Doeren’s team actually was right in it for nearly half the game.
As the second quarter wound down, NC State was putting together a solid drive for a chance to head into the locker room tied. Quarterback Grayson McCall had juked out Tennessee star edge rusher James Pearce Jr. before completing a pass to KC Concepcion for a big gain and running back Hollywood Smothers was starting to carve out some yards.
But in cruelly ironic fashion, as the Pack looked ready to prove themselves, McCall chucked up a terrible ball that went the other way for six.
And after that play, things just completely unraveled.
The Pack failed to put together a single drive beyond four plays and finished the game on a 0-for-9 run on third-down conversions which in turn kept their defense on the field, wearing them out until they finally broke down.
“We were in that game,” Doeren said. “It was 10-3 and we were knocking on the door to make it a tie going into the half and it went the other direction. When that happened, we got away from 11-man football. You started seeing guys try to do more than they needed to do and it wasn’t good enough. We have to do a better job of handling situations like that.”
Many had McCall, the three-time Sun Belt Player of the Year and one of the top portal targets, pegged as the kingpin to the Wolfpack’s new offense, but two games in and there isn’t much to be excited about.
But the coaching staff is still holding firm in their belief of the 23-year-old quarterback.
“I’m excited about Grayson McCall,” Doeren said. “He’s our guy and he’s going to rebound well. I’ve been through this with Jacoby Brisset, with Ryan Finley, with Brennan Armstrong. We’ve been through this with a lot of transfer quarterbacks. Sometimes it’s seamless and sometimes it takes a while.”
Perhaps part of McCall’s early struggles though can be accounted to the poor play of the offensive line.
The o-line was bullied by the Catamounts in Week 1 and it was completely mangled by the Volunteers in Week 2.
And it’s not just McCall who’s suffering due to the o-line’s play either as the run game has been virtually non-existent as well, putting up just 39 rushing yards on 28 attempts against the Vols.
NC State rebuilt its offense over the summer, stocking up on weapons in every single skill position, but all of that matters not if the o-line can’t win the line of scrimmage.
“It comes down to execution,” Doeren said. “It starts with your five guys up front playing together, playing aggressive and getting vertical. We just have to get back to the basics.”
In the long run, this game is the least consequential one for NC State to have lost because if the Pack isn’t winning the ACC, the odds are very slim that they’d even make the newly expanded CFP.
However, for the Wolfpack to be embarrassed as badly as they were in the prime-time slot of a nationally televised game, it doesn’t matter what the big picture is because the immediate picture says that if the Wolfpack doesn’t improve quickly and drastically, it’s going to be a long season.
But Doeren’s teams do have a history of responding well to adversity. They usually play their best when they’re pushed up against the wall.
“The thing that is different about college football more than ever is that there’s a lot of new parts on these fields,” Doeren said. “I think the guys, from a chemistry standpoint off the field, are really good, but you’re still trying to get that chemistry on the field in games. You can practice, practice, practice, but practice is still not the game.”
The primary goal of competing for an ACC title still remains possible and the Pack has the pieces to make that happen.
But just once, I’m sure the Wolfpack faithful would like to see their team not have to be pushed to the brink to succeed.
Just once, I’m sure they’d like to see the team deliver a big win against a top-end opponent (Doeren is just 7-26 against ranked opponents since joining NC State).
Because there’s only so many times someone can cry “Wolf,” before the fans stop chanting back “Pack.”
