NC State knows its starting quarterback, but playing coy
NC State coach Dave Doeren might not know who will play the majority of snaps or finish the game at quarterback against William & Mary on Thursday, but he knows who will start.
Doeren didn’t want to name his starting quarterback publicly Tuesday, but the players involved know the plan in the season opener. He also doesn’t want too much to be read into who gets the start, but assumptions will still be made, at least until either redshirt sophomores Jalan McClendon or Ryan Finley seize control of the position and make it their own.
“We know who is out there first, but it doesn’t help to tell you [the media],” Doeren said. “It was close, but the game week prep didn’t play into it. It was more about coming out. Both of them have worked really hard this week.”
Whatever quarterback moves the team the best and gets touchdowns or field goals is all that matters against the Tribe. The key is to also figure out who is the best quarterback for the long-term, and not just to beat William & Mary.
“Fall camp was close, but he is definitely a guy that had a better complete rate and better touchdown rate than the other guy,” Doeren said. “That is where we are at.”
Doeren said that making sure his quarterback is in a good flow is more important than force feeding a rotation between the two.
“I you have two one-play drives, that is a little different than if you have a 14-play drive and a 10-play drive,” Doeren said. “We’ll just have to see how the game goes.”
The final resolution about the position is still to be determined.
“This was about who was going to get the first start, and that is all it was,” Doeren said. “It’s a long season. I expect both of them to play, and whoever starts this game, is not necessarily the starter for the 2016 season.”
No matter who the quarterback is, the odds are good that the Wolfpack will be pounding the football on the ground regardless. Senior running back Matthew Dayes was on pace for an All-ACC season before he suffered a foot injury in the eighth game of the season against Clemson.
With injuries to the wide receiver group (losing three for the season), relying on a deep group of backs will help take pressure off the passing game. NCSU potentially won’t have the same running threat at quarterback with Finley or McClendon this season as they did with Jacoby Brissett operating.
“It will look different,” said Doeren about the rushing attack. “There will be some plays that are very similar and some plays that aren’t. ... [Brissett] is a little different than these two guys as far as his running skills.”
Doeren also said both sophomore kicker Kyle Bambard and fifth-year senior graduate transfer Connor Haskins will both get the chance to kick against William & Mary. Doeren knows which of the two will get the first kick, but didn’t want to unveil it Tuesday. Bambard was the incumbent after last year, going 7 of 14 with a long of 36.
“You will see them both,” Doeren said. “It has been fun to watch that. It has been really tight. You want to see how game day affects them. They’ve both taken a lot of kicks and both have good distance.”