NC State didn’t just get in the heads of the Wake Forest players en route to a 30-21 victory, but also had a lot of fun doing it.
NC State proved to be good across the board, whether it was freshman quarterback MJ Morris passing for 210 yards and three touchdowns, or the defense getting three interceptions, four sacks and nine tackles for loss. NC State was clicking in nearly every category.
NC State coach Dave Doeren hopes to see some of that formula again against a struggling 2-7 Boston College squad. The Wolfpack hope to win their 17th consecutive home game and celebrate Senior Day in style.
“When the fans are cheering wildly in a positive fashion for their team, just understand what that does to the psyche of a young person,” Doeren said. “It’s awesome.
“In our team meeting on Sunday, I asked them to give their recap for the game. It was one of the most fun games they’ve played in.”
Doeren estimates about 30 players will walk for Senior Day, with 7-8 underclassmen going through the festivities in case they enter the NFL Draft at a later date, or some could be graduate transfers in theory.
“This group has 336 receptions, 1,446 tackles and put up 698 points,” Doeren said. “They’ve done a lot. You’ll see a really impressive group of guys who have been great to coach and phenomenal in building this program back to where it was after the tough season we had three years ago or four years ago now.”
Doeren said they aren’t just going to be former players to him, but future friends.
“I coach them, but we grew together,” Doeren said. “I’m a better coach because I had these guys to work with. It’s a two-way relationship.”
The symbolism with the seniors getting celebrated is that four true freshmen were able to play against Wake Forest. Each week Morris is learning something new, and his teammates also helped the cause. For instance for the first time all season, the Wolfpack didn’t have a pre-snap penalty.
“He’s throwing the ball on the run, and this game was the first time we’ve really done that with him,” Doeren said. “He threw two deep out routes with Thayer [Thomas] on the run. Those are pretty big throws.”
Joining Morris was running back Michael Allen, wide receiver Terrell Timmons Jr. and defensive end Brandon Cleveland from the class of 2022. Doeren said the path for all four players has been unique with practice reps definitely different, depending on depth and health at the position.
NC State lost quarterback Devin Leary, defensive end Savion Jackson and wide receiver Anthony Smith for the season, and sophomore running back Demie Sumo-Kangbaye has been in and out of the lineup, opening the doors for other players.
“Brandon Cleveland is a great example in that he was not ready to play early in the year,” Doeren said. “He’s worked hard in the weight room and has changed his body in a great way. He’s learned the defense, and we had some injuries, and he was ready. He did some good things in the Wake game.”
Duke topped Boston College 38-30 and freshman backup quarterback Emmett Morehead, who passed for 330 yards and four touchdowns in the loss. He had previously replaced injured Phil Jurkovec during the Connecticut loss two weeks ago.
“He threw the ball really well,” Doeren said. “They had some good pressure on him and he delivered. It was an impressive performance vs. a team that is playing well.”
Doeren was full of praise for Boston College senior wide receiver Zay Flowers, who he tried to recruit out of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) University School in the class of 2019. Flowers has 60 catches for 791 yards and eight touchdowns this season.
“He was a guy we really wanted in high school,” Doeren said. “We offered him to play offense and defense here. I thought he was a great player and he still is a great player.”
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