NC State is riding high following the emotion-charged 22-21 comeback win over Virginia Tech.
NC State hopes it has found its quarterback in freshman MJ Morris, who threw for 265 yards and three touchdowns, much of which occurred in the final quarter and a half.
The emergence of Morris couldn’t have come at a better moment, with Wake Forest coming to town at 8 p.m. Saturday on ACC Network.
Wake Forest climbed as high as No. 10 in the country, but are now No. 20 following a disappointing 48-21 loss at Louisville on Saturday. The Demon Deacons allowed a disastrous 35 points in the third quarter and finished with four fumbles and four interceptions.
Facing Wake Forest came with trepidation just a week ago, but now, the game has taken on a dramatic turn. One oddsmaker has the Demon Deacons favored by three points.
“I think it starts with faith with what we do,” NC State coach Dave Doeren said. “There is a love here between the players and coaches, a grit, resiliency and belief system. There is a culture that quitting is not an option, period.”
The discussion about how difficult it will be to defend Wake Forest’s offense essentially started after the Demon Deacons fell 51-45 in double overt vs. Clemson on Sept. 24. Wake Forest has scored at least 37 points in six of eight games.
Quarterback Sam Hartman has throw for 2,026 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions, and Wake Forest has five wide receivers with at least 23 catches, led by lanky A.T. Perry, who had 35 receptions for 552 yards and five scores.
“He [Hartman] makes that thing go,” Doeren said. “The receivers they have are big guys that really catch the ball well. He gives them a chance to make plays or earn P.I.’s [pass interference] when he throws it up.”
Morris has been elevated to first string on the depth chart, which was one of several changes announced Monday.
“We haven’t talked about it yet, but he’s the starter,” Doeren said. “We obviously have the ability to play both. We haven’t gotten into all that with the staff yet [with playing Morris and senior Jack Chambers].”
Morris will definitely receive more reps with the first string in practice, which will also pay off for the Wolfpack.
“It’s hard to get three players ready, period,” Doeren said. “When you are talking about quarterbacks, it’s an impossible thing to do. To MJ’s credit, he’d stand behind the offense and was diligent about mental reps and go through the play on air behind Devin or behind Jack.”
Doeren is hopeful for the return of sophomore running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, but announced that junior defensive end Savion Jackson has had his season cut short for the second consecutive year due to having knee surgery. Redshirt sophomore C.J. Clark filled in for Jackson last Thursday, and the Wolfpack only played five defensive linemen against the Hokies. Freshman defensive end Brandon Cleveland was inserted into the second-string behind Davin Vann.
“It’s unfortunate for Savion, but to have someone like C.J., who has been rotating and playing, and obviously Travali [Price] takes on more now [at defensive end,” Doeren said.
Doeren also reiterated the need for vocal fan support Saturday night for all four quarters. He communicated his displeasure with the stadium emptying out during the third quarter by having an inner debate on whether he should “like” or “retweet” something a fan had put out following the comeback win. It also created a stir that the same fan account had called for the firing of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tim Beck.
Doeren called his scenario an “experiment” which then created buzz in the “Twitterverse.”
“It’s pretty comical to me,” said Doeren, who admitted he was bored without playing a game Saturday.
Doeren recalled his first post-game press conference 10 years ago after defeating Louisiana Tech, and how he emphasized then the need to stay all four quarters, including the third quarter after halftime pass outs.
“I am sorry I upset the Twitterverse,” Doeren said. “I am here to support our team and here to make our program better. I know it doesn’t always look that way when we aren’t scoring enough points.”
Doeren also knows that recruits are watching, many of whom attend other ACC and SEC schools during the season.
“I think having a stadium that is full for four quarters helps you win,” Doeren said. “I think it helps you recruit too. When a recruit comes to your campus and sees that you can sell out your games and they stay for four quarters, and it is the coolest thing he has ever seen, it helps you recruit.”
