NC State redshirt sophomore tight end David J. Grinnage's best football might be ahead of him, but that doesn't mean he isn't making key contributions already.

Grinnage was named to the John Mackey Award midseason watch list Monday, joining 32 other tight ends (including six from the ACC) nominated for the award recognizing the nation's best at the position. Grinnage has caught 14 passes for 200 yards and one touchdown, a 16-yard grab last Saturday against Boston College. He is one reception away from tying his receptions from last year and already has 50 more yards.

"It's a great honor to be on the Mackey list," Grinnage said. "I have to give it up to my teammates and my coaches. They allow me to play a position that suits my strengths as a receiving tight end. Without them, I wouldn't be able to do it."

Grinnage's teammates and coaches were happy about the recognition. Fellow tight end Benson Browne said the honor is a credit to his teammate's work ethic.

"Dave and I are really close," said Browne, a redshirt junior. "I am very happy to see that for him. It is coming to fruition for him. We are getting the ball to him more, and he is getting open. He is an all-around, really good tight end and good guy."

The 6-foot-5, 269-pounder, a former prep wide receiver from Newark (Del.) High, provides a big target for redshirt junior quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Grinnage's ability to work the seams downfield was put to use with four receptions for 87 yards, with a season-best 45-yard reception, in the 56-41 loss against Florida State on Sept. 27.

"I think there's a trust between our quarterback and him, which is where it all starts," NC State head coach Dave Doeren said. "David's playing hard, and he's so much mentally tougher than he was when I first got here. I'm proud of him for his work and for the way he has developed, not just on the field but also off the field. He's handling his business."

Grinnage hopes to have more responsibilities in helping NC State (4-3 overall, 0-3 ACC) finish strong down the stretch.

"I'm a big target and big body," Grinnage said. "I have good hands, and they [opposing defenses] have to take somebody off of someone else to cover me. That leaves somebody else open to make a play."

NC State plays at Louisville at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in what will be a challenging road contest. The Cardinals have the No. 1 defense in the country for total yardage (230.0 yards allowed per game) and are fourth in points allowed (14.1 surrendered per game).

"They play hard and fast, and they aren't scared to put their head in there whenever they need to," Grinnage said. "They have a great defense, and we'll have to give it our all and play as a team."

The Wolfpack is hoping to not be distracted with the various issues of the past week. Seven players are suspended for Saturday's game, rain was a factor in both Tuesday's and Wednesday's practices, and the team is playing for an eighth straight week.

"We have to come back together," Grinnage said. "We were playing great the first four games, really the first five games. We were playing as a team. We kind of got away from that, and people started doubting themselves and doubting everybody. We can't do that."

Grinnage said the team has to believe in each other and trust that the player next to them will do their job.

"We haven't been getting started and getting that first first down," Grinnage said. "We have to get started fast, and that will give us the confidence. That will just build on top of each other."

The Wolfpack has mustered just two touchdowns the last two games. Grinnage hopes the return to health of redshirt junior left guard Joe Thuney will help make it easier on the rest of the offense. Thuney missed four contests with an illness, and the line was shuffled as a result. Redshirt junior Alex Barr played left guard, and freshman Tony Adams was at right guard.

The offensive line, Grinnage and the running backs will have to handle the Cardinals' pass rush, which features senior weakside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin IV, who has five sacks already this season.

"I'm going to be a part of the blocking scheme," Grinnage said. "We are just game planning and figuring out his moves, and how we'll go about blocking him. He lines up at linebacker, defensive end, stand up or three-point [stance]. You have to find him and know what you have to do."

The Wolfpack players always talk about taking the season one game at a time, but when a team is just two wins away from being bowl eligible, it's hard to not think about that.

"Every team wants to get to that bowl, and knowing we are just two games away from being guaranteed a bowl, it gives us extra push to win these games," Grinnage said. "Without these games, we'll be sitting at home watching other people play. We don't want to do that. We want to be playing while other people watch us."