RALEIGH, N.C. – The N.C. State Wolfpack kicked off the 2016 season with a 48-14 win over the Tribe of William & Mary at Carter-Finley Stadium on Thursday.
It was the two teams’ 19th meeting all-time and first since 2008 when the Wolfpack claimed a closer 34-24 home decision over their FCS opponent back then.
Coming into the game, N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren stated during the ACC’s weekly coaches teleconference that he more or less wanted to see it all from his team – moving the ball, completion rates, touchdowns, interceptions, scoring drives, etc.
That is what he got.
“Obviously excited to be 1-0,” Doeren said.
“It was good to get out there and play the game. I thought there were a lot of things that we did well. I think offensively we were able to get guys the football and play well on the perimeter. We were efficient in the passing game…Defensively, they played well.”
Doeren had previously indicated that he would rotate quarterbacks Ryan Finley and Jalan McClendon into the game.
However, once Finley took the reins from the opening snap, he was allowed to keep them and led the Wolfpack to its season-opening victory completing 17-of-21 passes for 174 yards and two strikes.
“I was excited to get out there and play,” Finley said.
“We had some great drives – glad that we got the win.”
Jaylen Sameuls (5 catches, 66 yards, 1 TD/5 rushes, 24 yards, 2 TD) and Matt Dayes (23 rushes, 138 yards, 2 TD/2 catches, 18 yards) powered N.C. State’s offense on the ground.
“We wanted to pound the rock and get those guys out front,” Finley said.
“I think they did a real good job at it.”
“When Matt scored his first two touchdowns, I knew I had to get some,” Samuels stated with a smile.
“I knew mine was coming sometime. I had to block for him, he had to block for me.”
Steve Cluley took snaps for William & Mary (9-18, 99 yards, 2 INT, 1 TD) and worked the ball in the air to Devonte Dedmon for a touchdown while rushing in from 10 yards to help post the Tribe’s two scores.
William and Mary was simply worn and ground down throughout the game as the Wolfpack’s 521 total yards – efficiently split into 262 yards passing and 259 yards rushing – eclipsed the Tribe’s 168.
“N.C. State is a very good team and very physical,” William and Mary head coach Jimmye Laycock said.
“It was a very physical game and it took its toll on us.”
Jerod Fernandez led the N.C. State defense with seven tackles (6 solo), an interception and a tackle-for-loss followed by Airius Moore and Bradley Chubb who posted four tackles apiece.
N.C. State led 28-7 at halftime, and had gained 306 yards to the Tribe’s 78.
By that time, Finley had racked up 157 yards, connecting on 15-of-18 pass attempts for one touchdown, and getting sacked once.
McClendon (6-9, 88 yards) saw brief time under center as a result of throwing an interception early in the second quarter.
State extended its lead to 21 points, leading 35-14 heading into the final quarter.
McClendon briefly resurfaced early in the fourth for a short four-yard rushing sequence before Finley came back in and completed a pass to Samuels that resulted in a 14-yard touchdown.
A blocked PAT kept the Wolfpack lead at 41-14 with 13:14 to play.
The unsuccessful attempt stood as the only blemish for N.C. State place kicker Kyle Bambard who converted the other four PAT’s he lined up for.
Johhny Frasier’s one-yard TD run rounded out the game’s scoring five minutes later and capped off the win for the Wolfpack.
Looking forward to a challenging matchup at East Carolina next week, one area Doeren looked to improve on was his team’s discipline.
“I’m disappointed in the penalties (7 penalties, 80 yards), really disappointed,” he said.
“That’s stuff that will get fixed this week. But it was a good start. It’s a really good start to play a team like that.”