NC State redshirt junior linebacker Brock Miller has a new position title and is excited about being part of the Wolfpack’s 3-3-5 defensive alignment, which was unveiled in the season opener against East Carolina.
Miller and junior Louis Acceus were presumed to be battling for one linebacker spot opposite redshirt sophomore middle linebacker Isaiah Moore in NCSU’s previously used 4-2-5 scheme. Now he gets to play with Acceus and Moore and not worry about coming in off the sideline.
NCSU coaches have given his outside linebacker position the “Buc” tag, which Miiler has taken in stride.
“What is it like? It’s unique,” he said. “It’s a good position that is unique and new. It’s always exciting to learn something new.”
He finished with three tackles and one pass broken up in the 34-6 win over East Carolina last Saturday. Miller also had an interception that was wiped away by a defensive penalty.
Miller shares the position with redshirt freshman linebacker Payton Wilson, who added six tackles, including two for loss, against ECU. Both Miller and Wilson are similarly sized (Miller is 6-3, 238 pounds and Wilson is 6-4, 235 pounds) with experience at the prep level getting after the quarterback.
Miller was a gifted pass-rushing defensive end in high school, registering an astounding 65 tackles for loss and 25 sacks as a senior at John Carroll Catholic High near his hometown of Port St. Lucie, Fla. Now he can blitz from unpredictable spots on the field for NC State. It feels like a perfect match for his skill set.
“This is basically out of my high school book,” Miller said. “I’m off the edge, and I’m dropping off into space. I’m rushing the passer from anywhere.”
Wilson similarly appreciates the diverse role of the position.
“We’re in the box and out of the box a lot," he said. “We have to be able to cover and take on blocks, so I feel like we’re more versatile than a normal linebacker.”
Punter Trenton Gill Has Successful Performance
Maybe lost in the shuffle during the summer during the hype of the quarterback competition was another important position battle.
Redshirt sophomore Trenton Gill won a pair of key roles by edging redshirt sophomore Mackenzie Morgan for the punting job and sophomore Christopher Dunn on kickoff duties. Gill replaced A.J. Cole, now of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders.
Cole texted Gill after Gill’s performance against East Carolina last Saturday, during which he averaged 41.6 yards on five punts and boomed three touchbacks on seven kickoffs against the Pirates.
“I think the quarterback battle [got more attention],” Gill half-joked. “Everyone was looking at Matthew [McKay], Devin [Leary] and Bailey [Hockman], but I thought we had a really good competition this summer.”
The former Hillsborough (N.C.) Cedar Ridge standout found out about a week before the ECU game that he wrapped up the two jobs.
“I was really excited and put in a lot of work last summer,” Gill said. “I was doing 6 a.m. workouts and then I’d stay until 2 p.m., doing a lot of little things.”
Against ECU, NC State won the toss and deferred until the second half, allowing Gill to get any nervousness out of the way on the opening kickoff. He boomed a touchback on it.
“I was happy, and I was really excited,” Gill said. “My standards are end zone or out.”
Gill had a few different college options coming out of high school, but he had the burning desire to walk on and try to make an impact at NC State. He is majoring in biological sciences.
“I just loved the program here,” Gill said. “I loved how they cared about football here, and the academics were really good.”
Gill, like the rest of his teammates, watched his film — which included recording a tackle on one kickoff — to see what he could improve upon for week two.
“I looked at how I catch the ball and how I mold it," Gill said. "I look at my steps and my swing. It looks like a simple motion, but you can break it down into little parts.”
Seeing Cole become one of the NFL’s 32 punters has been a thrill for Gill. He also is jealous of one other aspect of Cole’s newfound success.
“He is verified on Twitter,” Gill said. “I thought that was pretty cool.”
New Defensive Alignment Not Just Passing Down Defense
NC State co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Tony Gibson is ever the perfectionist, so he still found some areas of concern despite the defense allowing zero touchdowns in a 34-6 win over East Carolina last Saturday.
The Wolfpack can show their progress at 12:30 p.m. Saturday against Western Carolina.
“We had too many mistakes,” Gibson said. “The first couple of series, we were on our heels a little bit. Once we settled in, the kids played hard. That is what showed up on film. We tackled well and played hard. Just too many mental errors that we had to clean up.”
Head coach Dave Doeren credited Gibson with being able to add some wrinkles to allow the Wolfpack to run a 3-3-5 defensive alignment on first down and second downs. Gibson ran the scheme as West Virginia’s defensive coordinator before coming to NC State and said the key is to have eight players see the ball and run to it.
“It’s really an eight-man front any way you want to put it on the board or on paper,” Gibson said. “You have three down linemen, three linebackers and two overhang safeties we count to fit the run game.
“That is my background of 18 years doing it. I’m just trying to bring it and show what we did and how we did. We tweaked it so it’s our defense now and put our own spin at NC State.”
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