Published Sep 9, 2020
The Wolfpacker countdown to NC State football: 10
Justin H. Williams  •  TheWolfpackCentral
Staff Writer
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@JustinHWill

In May, we originally started a countdown to NC State football's season and ACC opener against Louisville, a game that was originally scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 3.

In mid-June, the game was moved up a day to Wednesday, Sept. 2 in order to not conflict with the Kentucky Derby which was postponed from the traditional first Saturday in May to Saturday, Sept. 5 over Labor Day weekend.

In late July, the ACC scrapped its original football schedule to create a new 11-game model due to challenges presented from the coronavirus pandemic. A week later, NC State learned the dates of its new schedule which was set to begin Saturday, Sept. 12 in a road game against Virginia Tech.

Then an identified COVID cluster within the NC State athletic department shut down fall camp for eight days in late August, prompting the Pack to push back the opener against Virginia Tech to Sept. 26. Now NC State will open its season at home against Wake Forest on Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. on ACC Network.

Today, Sept. 9 marks 10 days from the Wolfpack's season opener.

Each day, The Wolfpacker will do a countdown to the season with a reflection on the significance of that number to NC State.

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No. 10— Junior safety Tanner Ingle and freshman quarterback Ben Finley 

Junior safety Tanner Ingle and freshman quarterback Ben Finley will both wear the No. 10 jersey for NC State in 2020.

Ingle is a projected starter on defense and returns as the Wolfpack's second-leading tackler after tallying 68 total tackles in 2019. He was the team's leading tackler before missing the season finale against North Carolina with an injury.

Ingle transitioned to free safety prior to his sophomore season in 2019. Along with his 68 total tackles (37 solo, 31 assisted), he added five tackles for loss, three pass breakups, two quarterback hurries and one forced fumble.

He registered a career-high 10 tackles in two of the Pack's road games in 2019, the first against West Virginia and the second against Boston College. Ingle went on to receive the Dewayne Washington Award for Defensive Back of the Year.

Prior to his first season as a safety, Ingle was a nickel and became one of two freshmen in 2018 to start multiple contests on defense. He started the first seven games of his freshman season at nickel and finished sixth on the team in tackles with a total of 44 (33 solo, 11 assisted). Three of his tackles were for a loss and he added one sack, one pass breakup, one quarterback hurry and one forced fumble.

Finley is the brother of former NC State quarterback Ryan Finley, who ranks second all-time in school history for career passing yards and is a current member of the Cincinnati Bengals.

He arrived as the 23rd ranked quarterback in the country as part of the NC State 2020 class according to Rivals.

Over his four-year high school career on the varsity team at Paradise Valley High in Phoenix (Ariz.), Finley threw for 8,272 yards for 74 touchdowns. He averaged 212.1 passing yards per game and held a career completion percentage of .550.

In NC State head coach Dave Doeren's latest media availability, Doeren said that Finley was the third-string quarterback on the depth chart as the Wolfpack approach the season opener on Sept. 19.

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