NC State redshirt junior quarterback Devin Leary perfectly understand how self-inflicted wounds took points off the board against Texas Tech on Saturday.
The Wolfpack aren’t so much looking to worry about what UConn will do this upcoming Saturday, but control what they can control. Leary had a good sense of humor about it Tuesday, but his own receiving touchdown was taken off the board when left tackle Anthony Belton was called for being ineligible downfield. Who knows when Leary will get to catch a touchdown pass again, but he wants it to be known, he has some good hands.
Belton had apologized to the team, and Leary let him know they believed in the big redshirt sophomore tackle. Eliminating the penalties and making more routine plays is the key for future success.
“I joke around all the time because I catch a snap every play that I have the best hands on the team,” Leary said. “If we need it [that trick play], I got the hands to secure it.
“If Coach [Tim] Beck wants to target me, I’ll go up and make a play for sure.”
Leary also knows that wide receiver Thayer Thomas, who threw him the ball, should have had two passing touchdowns against the Red Raiders. Thomas has gone 6-of-13 passing for 199 yards and four touchdowns, for a 276.3 passer rating in his five years of playing for the Wolfpack.
“I can’t really compete with that,” Leary said.
Another good reason to work extremely hard in practice this week is Clemson is looming Oct. 1 on the road. Leary will need to bring his “A” game against the Tigers and help the offense get untracked.
Leary has gone 48-of-81 passing for 570 yards, five touchdowns and one interception, but four of the passing touchdowns came against Charleston Southern. The UConn game will give him one more opportunity to get sharper for the first ACC challenge.
“As a leader of this team, a guy who gets the ball every play and calling the plays, and relaying it in from [NCSU offensive coordinator and quarterbacks] Coach [Tim] Beck, I always seek to get better,” Leary said.
Leary also shared how his leadership skills have helped his teammates, which is something that hasn’t always come natural. He was a redshirt freshman when former NC State quarterback Mike Glennon spoke to the guys, and one aspect has always stuck with Leary.
“I remember when Mike Glennon came in here and said, ‘If you want to be a pro, you have to act like a pro in all aspects of life,’” Leary said. “That really sunk in with me.”
Another self-inflicted wound was when sophomore running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye fumbled the football before getting credited with a touchdown. Leary gave him the same speech that he once gave Payton Wilson, when the latter needed to bounce back against Florida State in 2019.
“I remember coming off to the sideline and Demie was down on himself for a moment,” Leary said. “He’s a young player, who is still growing and still learning.
“I remember asking him, ‘Hey Demie, do you want to go to the NFL and be an NFL player?’ Obviously, his response was ‘Yes.’ I told him, ‘There are many a scout here watching this game. The first thing they want to see is how you respond to what you just did on the field. He looked me in the eyes and was like, ‘I got you.’”
Karngbaye then caught a 38-yard trick-play pass from Thomas.
“He responded like a pro,” Leary said.
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