NC State redshirt freshman quarterback Ben Finley got his chance two years ago at North Carolina, and now history has repeated itself.
Finley could get the bulk of the snaps Friday against the Tar Heels in the big rivalry game. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Finley provided a spark for NC State against UNC on Oct. 24, 2020.
Finley went 13-of-20 passing for 143 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, but the latter two categories came with an asterisk. Finley threw what looked like an apparent touchdown to Dylan Parham, but it deflected off his hands in the end zone and went for an interception.
Finley will always remember his first college touchdown pass, which was a 42-yarder to Emeka Emezie to cut the score to 14-7 with 54 seconds left in the second quarter. North Carolina surged in the second half to win 48-21.
Finley just didn’t think his time would come against the Tar Heels this season. NC State redshirt junior quarterback Devin Leary got hurt Oct. 8 against Florida State, and his replacement, freshman MJ Morris got hurt against Boston College on Nov. 12. That left Finley as the best passing option in last week’s 25-10 loss at Louisville.
Playing this season was not a scenario Finley envisioned.
“We’ve had four quarterbacks playing and I don’t think any team could possibly imagine that early in the season,” Finley said.
Finley replaced senior starter Jack Chambers and went 16-of-35 for 201 yards and a touchdown. He threw one interception, but it was on the last play of the game. Finley showcased a strong right arm, but also some rust from playing on the scout team up until two weeks ago.
“Last week was huge just building that comfort in the pocket and just learning those things on the film,” Finley said. “I’ll just be a lot more comfortable back there right now.”
Finley had been the lone scholarship backup last spring with starter Leary, giving him a great opportunity to learn the in’s and out’s of the position.
“Even with Devin out, he’s been a tremendous help just helping me through this process,” Finley said. “He’s actually helping all the quarterbacks.”
The Wolfpack brought in Chambers from Charleston Southern to be the backup last May, and Morris arrived last summer and became the third-string quarterback.
Most quarterbacks in Finley’s position often transfer when falling to fourth string on the depth chart in August.
“In the end, I love my team,” Finley said. “I love those guys so much. I was willing to do whatever it was to help us win. The first 8-9 weeks when I was over with the scout team, we helped to prepare them [the Wolfpack defense] really well. We even got guys off the scout team, which was awesome seeing from my perspective.”
Finley is the younger brother of former NC State star quarterback Ryan Finley. The elder Finley transferred from Boise State to NC State and became a three-year starter and the No. 104 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft in the fourth round. He played two years with the Cincinnati Bengals.
“I’m trying to get him to fly up for this one,” Ben Finley said. “Hopefully, he’ll be there and I can celebrate Thanksgiving with him and then celebrate a win [over UNC].
“He’s in Arizona right now with his girlfriend and his dog. He’s just chilling.”
Chilling might not be the word to describe Ben Finley this week, but he’s got a unique perspective on life. His older sister at Arizona State just graduated law school, so he is now pondering dabbling with the maybe being a lawyer one day.
“I’m thinking about taking the LSAT for giggles and then maybe studying for it and taking a class,” Finley said. “When the time comes, I don’t really know what I want to do with my life. I really don’t.”
Finley does have sort of a folksy approach to the game, which allowed him to step in against an elite Cardinals defense and not fall to pieces. He said he’ll work on his progressions and getting to his “next couple of reads.”
“I think I just kind of went out there with [thinking], ‘Let it fly,’” Finley said. “I just wanted to go out there and pick a guy and let it fly. I just wanted to simplify the game and have fun. I think it was important that I wasn’t overthinking stuff and just going out there and doing my thing.”
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