Notebook: NC State tweaks defense to run 3-3-5
NC State football coach Dave Doeren used the 3-3-5 extensively Saturday while defeating East Carolina 34-6 in the season opener.
Part of the change in defensive alignment is having six linebackers the squad can rotate in and out, in addition to the defensive tackle rotation taking a hit with injuries to true freshmen Joshua Harris and C.J. Clark. Doeren hopes to have Harris back from injury next week against Western Carolina.
With the ACC featuring some explosive offenses in Clemson, Syracuse, and possibly even Wake Forest and Boston College, the change in personnel will be a new season-long trend to follow. Doeren and defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable had extensive talks about the 3-3-5 alignment after last year’s regular season ended.
“Every year we’ve been here, we’ve played ‘odd’ on third down, so we’ve always had it and I’ve always had it as a defensive coordinator,” Doeren said. “Last year, we played ECU [and won 58-3] and we played three-down [linemen] the entire game. We’ve had it in our system.”
What has bolstered the move to a 3-3-5 is that new co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Tony Gibson ran the scheme extensively at his previous job at West Virginia.
“When Tony got here, he kind of bridged the gap on third downs and being able to play it on first and second,” Doeren said. “That gives us a lot more answers to RPO [run-pass option] football. We’ve also had a lot of injuries on the defensive line. We don’t have enough defensive tackles right now to play four down the entire game.”
The defense came through with three sacks, limited ECU to just 41 rushing yards and forced two turnovers (one fumble and one interception). Keeping the Pirates out of the end zone for a second straight game was a major victory for the NC State defense.
“We really just locked in on defense,” NCSU fifth-year senior defensive end James Smith-Williams said. “If [playing a 3-3-5] works, it works. We started dabbling with it during the spring.”
One of the bigger adjustments among the players is that fifth-year senior Larrell Murchison is now lining up at defensive end in the alignment. He plays in front of the tackle instead of the guard now, and the defensive linemen are adjusting to having three of them going against five offensive linemen.
“I would say that I never flinched,” Murchison said. “I just said, 'Give me my responsibility.' Whatever I do, I’ll just learn it and play to the best of my ability.
“I feel like if you get in a situation and complain, it’s never going to work for you. I love contact, so I didn’t have a problem with it.”
Wide receiver Tabari Hines has quality Wolfpack debut
Fifth-year senior wide receiver Tabari Hines is no stranger to scoring touchdowns in an NC State game, but he was doing it for Wake Forest in the past.
Hines graduated from Wake Forest and transferred to Oregon last year, only to get injured after four games. He then transferred to NC State and made his Wolfpack debut Saturday.
Hines had caught 22 passes for 306 yards and four touchdowns in three career games with Wake Forest against NC State. He showed he is back by catching four passes for 74 yards and a touchdown, and he rushed once for 34 yards.
“I’m really a mentally tough guy,” Hines said. “I’m always studying and always asking questions. I think me being that kind of person allows me to play multiple positions.”
The 5-10, 185-pound Hines is well known for operating out of the slot, but also showed he could do well as an outside receiver when he helped replace injured redshirt junior C.J. Riley.
“He is so excited about playing right now,” Doeren said. “Tabari said the other day, ‘Coach, I can’t wait to play.’”
Hines half-joked that he has some “ups” for jump-ball plays. Junior teammate Emeka Emezie noted it’s not easy to learn multiple receiving positions in a short period of time.
“It is always better to have him on our side than the other side,” Emezie said. “We’ve seen him make plays against us. He’s a playmaker.
“I was really impressed with how he learned the offense and knowing the inside and outside as soon as he got here. I told him that is the way to step up, playing outside when C.J. went down.”
Hines played with quarterback John Wolford at Wake Forest and Justin Herbert at Oregon, who both were among the best in their respective conferences. He liked what he saw Saturday from redshirt sophomore Matthew McKay, who tossed for 308 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for 35 yards and two scores.
“He definitely handled his business like he had done it before,” Hines said. “I’ve played with some great, great quarterbacks, and I feel like he had a great performance today.”
OT Emanuel McGirt Jr. takes advantage of opportunity
Fifth-year senior Emanuel McGirt Jr. was thrilled to finally get his first NC State start. He opened up at left tackle and he even played a few series at right tackle with the Wolfpack rotating in redshirt sophomore Bryson Speas.
McGirt had battled injuries throughout his Wolfpack career before finally getting healthy. He appeared in four games but really started to turn the corner this past spring, and the former Rivals.com four-star prospect got some momentum going into preseason camp.
When fellow fifth-year senior tackle Tyrone Riley suffered a season-ending injury this month, the door became wide open for McGirt, who was a local standout at Durham (N.C.) Hillside High. However, he couldn’t even remember the last time he played right tackle in a game.
“At the end of the day, it’s just football and I wasn’t really anxious or nervous,” McGirt said after the game. “I had fun. I think I did all right, but I’ll have some things to clean up. From a physical standpoint, when I was out there, I tried to make myself known.”
The Wolfpack didn’t allow a sack and rushed 31 times for 191 yards and three scores.
“It feels good to be healthy,” McGirt said. “I’m a little tired, but I’ll be okay.”
Last year’s win over ECU featured center Garrett Bradbury getting a one-yard touchdown run while playing fullback. McGirt didn’t get a carry, but his hustle in recovering McKay’s fumble, which sprang the team forward from the ECU 9-yard line to the 4-yard line, proved critical. McKay followed up with a four-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 17-3 with 51 seconds left in the first half.
“I was at right tackle, I think, and I saw the ball, and I just pounced on it,” McGirt said. “Bradbury actually texted me after the game. I was just thinking about hopping on the ball and keeping the drive going.”
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