Tag: NC State Wolfpack

Grayson McCall commits to play for N.C. State

The former Coastal Carolina quarterback threw for 10,005 yards and 88 touchdowns across five seasons with the Chanticleers.

Quarterback Grayson McCall, one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the transfer portal, announced his commitment to play for N.C. State next season on Wednesday.

The former Coastal Carolina quarterback set program records with 10,005 passing yards and 88 passing touchdowns across his five seasons with the Chanticleers. He averaged 9.8 yards per attempt over his entire career, he threw just 14 interceptions, and he won the Sun Belt Player of the Year Award three straight times from 2020-22.

McCall broke out in 2020, his redshirt freshman season. He threw for 2,488 yards, 26 touchdowns, and three interceptions, completing 68.8% of his passes.

He improved the following year, setting personal bests in completion percentage (73.0%), passing yards (2,873), yards per attempt (11.3), and passing touchdowns (27) while still only throwing three interceptions.

As the Chanticleers starting quarterback, McCall led his team to a pair of Sun Belt conference championship appearances in 2020 and 2022. Coastal Carolina went 38-12 across the past four seasons, but McCall and former head coach Jamey Chadwell were a combined 31-6 before Chadwell left to be the head coach at Liberty for the 2023 season.

LSU visits NC State transfer quarterback MJ Morris

Quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan reportedly made the trip to Raleigh on Wednesday night to meet with the transfer target.

While LSU seems to be confident in backup quarterback [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] taking over the starting role for [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] in 2024, the Tigers are looking at an inexperienced depth chart at the position next season.

Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] has not ruled out the team adding a transfer quarterback this offseason, and it seems the primary target is former NC State player [autotag]MJ Morris[/autotag].

The Tigers had reportedly already been in contact with Morris, and on Wednesday night, quarterbacks coach [autotag]Joe Sloan[/autotag] made the trip up to Raleigh to visit Morris at his apartment, according to a report from On3’s Pete Nakos.

Morris has appeared in nine games in two seasons for the Wolfpack, throwing for 1,367 yards, 14 touchdowns and six interceptions. He started at NC State this season, but after playing in four games, he opted to sit the rest of the year and preserve his redshirt season.

He will have three remaining years of eligibility.

As things currently stand, LSU’s quarterback room in 2024 comprises of Nussmeier — who has appeared in 17 games while attempting 174 passes in three seasons but has never made a start — as well as redshirt freshman [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] and 2024 commit [autotag]Colin Hurley[/autotag], who is likely heading for a redshirt season as a true freshman after reclassifying from 2025.

While Nussmeier is likely to get his chance to lead this team after staying at LSU through Daniels’ tenure, it’s not surprising that LSU is looking to add another player with experience at the position.

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What Mack Brown said after UNC’s regular season-ending blunder at NC State

UNC’s regular season ended with yet another disappointing loss – to NC State for the third-straight year. Hear what Mack Brown had to say.

Virtually nothing went right for the UNC football team on Saturday night at NC State, with the host Wolfpack winning a 39-20 contest.

The score wasn’t indicative of how bad the game was, particularly in the first half. While the Tar Heels struggled to get merely a first down, the Wolfpack seemed to pick up first downs with every carry, catch and throw.

Exactly how bad was the game for UNC? All you need to know is in this X by Bryan Fischer, a National College Football Writer at Fox Sports:

Let’s not take any credit away from NC State, who scored 39 points and racked up 504 yards of offense. The Wolfpack defense held Drake Maye without a completion in the first quarter. Yes – the same Maye who was, at one point, in contention for the Heisman Trophy.

UNC scored three touchdowns in the game, but two of them came in garbage time. Omarion Hampton didn’t come close to 100 yards rushing. The offense, which normally plays respectably despite the defensive meltdown, was hard to watch at times.

Was this Mack Brown’s last game as the Carolina head coach?

If you look at social media, a lot of Tar Heel faithful want him gone. UNC has lost three straight to its greatest football rival, plus shown an inability in responding to adversity against any opponent.

Regardless of whether Brown is on the Tar Heel sidelines for the TBD Bowl Game, let’s take a look at what he had to say after Saturday’s loss:

Tar Heels have yet another disappointing performance against NC State

UNC played poor football on Saturday night, shooting itself in the foot yet again. NC State took advantage for win number nine.

Would 2023 finally be the year UNC beats NC State in football again?

The answer was clear from opening kickoff – a resounding NO.

NC State, a team known more for its defense than its offense, hung 504 yards on the Tar Heels’ porous defense in a 39-20, Wolfpack victory.

UNC has been exposed a lot in recent weeks, but just how embarrassing was Saturday night in Raleigh?

Typically, even the hottest of teams will have an occasional drive stall out.

Not the Wolfpack. Not against the Tar Heels, who couldn’t stop a turtle from 100 yards downfield.

Dual-threat quarterback Brennan Armstrong played like an all-star for NC State, completing 22-of-31 passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns. Kevin Concepcion gave Carolina trouble at both running back and receiver – leading all rushers with 55 yards, plus all receivers with 131 yards and two touchdowns.

How badly did UNC play on offense?

To sum it up in short, Drake Maye didn’t complete a single pass in the first quarter. He did finally end his night with 254 passing yards and two touchdowns, but a majority of that yardage and scoring came in garbage time.

Carolina star running back Omarion Hampton, who entered the game with six straight, 100-yard outputs and tied for the FBS lead in rushing yards, finished with a disappointing 28 yards on nine carries.

We all knew winning in Raleigh would be a tall task for UNC, a place it hasn’t won since a 41-10 win in 2019.

But we also figured Carolina would be more competitive in a rivalry game.

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Tar Heels announce captains for regular season finale at NC State

Drake Maye, John Copenhaver and Cedric Gray will all captain the UNC football team for Saturday night’s battle at N.C. State.

And just like that, college footballs’ regular season is coming to a close.

What started as a year full of hope and promise, is now a year with heartbreak and unexpected results.

You’ve seen traditional powers, like Clemson, lose to a historically bad Duke team. Ohio State went into Ann Arbor earlier today, hoping to secure its spot in the College Football Playoff, only for Michigan to win a third-consecutive battle. Arizona, a program who hasn’t finished with a winning record since 2017, is now ranked and about to nab its ninth victory.

Two seasons that are exactly the same right now, but have gone in completely opposite directions, are those of UNC and NC State. These two ACC rivals, who the football hatred runs deep between, are facing off at 8 p.m. ET tonight.

Carolina started 6-0 and was ranked 10th in the AP Poll, putting them in fringe College Football Playoff position. Consecutive losses to Georgia Tech and lowly UVA, plus later Clemson, killed both CFP and ACC Championship hopes.

The Wolfpack were sitting at 4-3, unsure of who their starting quarterback was, but are now in the midst of a 4-game winning streak.

One of our favorite things to do before games is look at team captains. For UNC, those captains are quarterback Drake Maye, tight end John Copenhaver and star linebacker Cedric Gray.

Even with an off week at Clemson, Maye still leads the ACC with 3,354 passing yards. Copenhaver hasn’t been utilized as much in recent weeks, but is still one of three Carolina tight ends with 100 receiving yards. Gray is the only Tar Heel with 100 tackles, plus one of two in the ACC (Payton Wilson) to reach the century mark.

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Five things to watch in UNC-NC State regular-season football finale

After blowing late leads to rival N.C. State in 2021 and 2022, can UNC find a way to win its football regular-season finale on Saturday?

Can you believe that college football is nearing its end?

The last week of regular season play is this coming weekend, but we’ll have a December full of conference championships and bowl games.

UNC is already bowl-eligible, but its Saturday finale at N.C. State is more highly-anticipated. Carolina tends to better against its Raleigh rivals, while its track record in bowl games is not great (1-6 in last seven appearances).

The stakes are high for this game, as the winner could clinch third place in the ACC. This doesn’t mean as much nowadays, as the conference has gone division-less, but a win in the finale would be a huge morale-booster going into Bowl Season.

The Tar Heels have been struggling since a 6-0 start, dropping three of their last five games, while the Wolfpack have consecutive wins against Clemson, Miami, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech.

Regardless of how the game plays out, there’s one thing we know for certain – Carter-Finley Stadium is going to be rocking.

What exactly should you be paying attention to in Saturday’s 8 p.m. kickoff? We’re here to tell you.

Five offensive keys to game in UNC-NC State regular season finale

After only scoring 20 points last weekend at Clemson, how can UNC increase its offensive output in Saturday’s clash with N.C. State?

The Tar Heels were able to collect 457 yards of offense at Clemson last weekend, but it wasn’t enough to win.

Three turnovers ultimately doomed UNC in a 31-20 loss. Wide receiver J.J. Jones caught Drake Maye’s lone touchdown pass early in the first quarter, then Carolina didn’t score again until the third quarter. Clemson’s offense exploded in the middle two quarters, scoring 28 of its 31 points.

Maye’s 209 passing yards was his second-lowest output this year. I think a lot of Tar Heel Nation expected him to have a better game, but the Tigers have one of the ACC’s better defenses.

UNC star running back Omarion Hampton, despite fumbling twice, registered his sixth-consecutive 100-yard game (19 carries, 178 rushing yards, two touchdowns).

Carolina’s next game doesn’t get any easier, as it faces another strong defense in N.C. State. Outside of a victory over Marshall and a loss to Notre Dame, the Wolfpack haven’t allowed an opponent to score over 30 points in a game.

State is hot as anyone, winning its past four games. UNC was 6-0, but is now 2-3 in its last five games.

As the Tar Heels prepare to end their regular season in Raleigh, what exactly do they need to do for a much-improved, offensive output?

UNC at NC State: Game preview, info, prediction and more

Whoever wins Saturday night’s UNC-N.C. State football game likely locks up third place in the ACC. What should you be looking out for?

Remember all the hype before college football started?

It’s dwindled a bit, with teams not playing up to expectations, but still alive with Rivalry Week coming up this weekend. Ohio State-Michigan has arguably the greatest implications, with the winner likely locking in a College Football Playoff spot, but Friday and Saturday are also full of rivalry clashes.

One of those under-the-radar, rivalry games is UNC-N.C. State, which kicks off on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 8 p.m. ET in Carter-Finley Stadium. Both teams sit at 8-3, with the winner on the inside track for 10 wins (Bowl Games in December). If Georgia beats Georgia Tech, the Carolina-State winner locks up third place in the ACC.

Carolina started 6-0 and was ranked 10th in the AP Poll, only for disappointing losses to UVA and Georgia Tech to drop them entirely. UNC lost to Clemson last weekend, but that result was more likely to happen.

N.C. State is the complete opposite. The Wolfpack started 4-3, but have won their past four matchups. They’ll try to make it three in a row against Carolina, who’s held late leads in the 2022 and 2021 matchups.

Report: N.C. State quarterback M.J. Morris to redshirt remainder of 2023 season

The Wolfpack sophomore led the team to upset wins over Clemson and Miami the past two weeks and won three of his four starts.

North Carolina State quarterback M.J. Morris will redshirt the remainder of the 2023 season, according to a Tuesday report from The Wolfpacker’s Ethan McDowell.

The sophomore quarterback played the past four games for the Wolfpack, taking over for former Virginia signal-caller Brennan Armstrong. The Wolfpack won three of Morris’s four games, including upset wins over Clemson and Miami the past two weeks.

Morris threw for 719 yards and seven touchdowns over his tenure at the helm of the offense, completing 55.8% of his passes for 6.4 yards per attempt. He threw three interceptions in his debut against Marshall, but he has only thrown two in the three games since.

Armstrong will slide back in as N.C. State’s starter. He led the passing offense in the first five games of the season, throwing for 971 yards, five touchdowns, and six interceptions. He completed 58.8% of his passes for 6.1 yards per attempt. The senior has continued to contribute to the offense with his legs while Morris started, rushing for 51 yards on eight attempts against Miami.

The Wolfpack play Wake Forest on Saturday.

ACC teams on the ‘bowl bubble’ through seven games

With all the focus on Florida State and North Carolina up top, which ACC teams are fighting for bowl eligibility over the next month?

There’s plenty of reason to be excited about the upcoming six weeks in the ACC. All signs seem to indicate that the conference champion won’t be Clemson for just the second time since 2014 after the Tigers took two early losses. Florida State and North Carolina are both still undefeated and seem to get more dominant each week, with both circling the conference championship game as a potential ticket to the playoffs.

But what about the middle of the conference pack? As the Seminoles and Tar Heels fight for a New Year’s Six bowl, who of their conference compatriots simply want to win a sixth game?

Here are four teams deep in the fight for eligibility over the next two months.