10/29/2019 football Edit

Ryan Finley set to make his first career NFL start

Matt Carter • TheWolfpackCentral

Editor

A struggling and winless Cincinnati Bengals is making a change at quarterback that will result in former NC State standout Ryan Finley getting his first career start following a bye this weekend.

Finley finished his career at NC State earning first-team All-ACC in 2018. He ranks second on the school’s all-time list for career passing yards (10,505), completions (881) and attempts (1,365).

Among qualified passers (minimum 100 attempts) he had the highest all-time passing percentage at 64.5 percent and second best efficiency mark (140.03). His 60 touchdown passes is fourth highest in NC State’s annals.

Dalton is in his ninth season as a starter for the Bengals, but he has struggled this year. He is completing 60.4 percent of his passes for 2,252 yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. He has a career-low quarterback rating of 79.2.

Cincinnati traded up to draft Finley in the fourth round this past April. Reports suggest that the Bengals want to see what Finley offers ahead of the offseason where it will have to make decisions at the quarterback position.

Finley would become the fourth former NC State quarterback to start this week in the NFL, joining Russell Wilson of the Seahawks, Philip Rivers of the Chargers and Jacoby Brissett of the Colts. In addition, former Pack QB Mike Glennon is the backup for the Raiders.