The NC State defense might be rusty, but Wolfpack is ready to tackle this key concern
Between COVID-19 cluster breaks and wanting to avoid injuries, N.C. State hasn’t done a lot of full contact so far in camp.
Last weekend, on college football’s opening Saturday, it was clear that many teams still have some rust on defense, particularly with tackling. Part of that is because there hasn’t been as much practice time as in a normal season. Plus, most teams missed out on spring practices, where fundamentals are drilled daily.
The Wolfpack is no exception. This fall, the team had one full scrimmage, then missed a week of practice. Even when it’s been on the field, full contact has been limited. Next weekend N.C. State will face Wake Forest in the season opener. The Demon Deacons will have already played a game (Saturday against No. 1 Clemson), which will presumably help them work on timing and get first-hit jitters out of the way.
“I can see why tackling could be sloppy early on,” N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said.
Second-year defensive coordinator Tony Gibson said tackling, or a lack thereof in practice, is one of the main things that keeps him awake at 2 a.m.
“That is my biggest fear,” Gibson told reporters.
Every other day the team will do drills, offense against defense, where there is some tackling. Position groups, like running backs against linebackers, will also break off and go full contact on occasion. In the scrimmage, Gibson was pleased with the tackling, saying he was “shocked and excited.”
But he admitted that heading into the opener it is one of his concerns. So what brings him relief? A few throwback players.
Throwbacks
Gibson doesn’t really concern himself with jersey numbers, but he joked that linebackers Isaiah Moore (No. 41), Seth Williams (30), Drake Thomas (32) and Payton Wilson (11) should consider changing. Maybe to something in the 50s, a throwback to the numbers traditionally worn at the position.
On Doeren’s weekly talk show Wednesday night, Strength and Conditioning Coach Dantonio Burnette, a former Wolfpack linebacker, singled out Thomas, Moore and Williams as guys who could play in any era. Gibson added Wilson to that list. He said seeking contact is in their DNA — one of the reasons he feels good about tackling heading into the opener.
“Those guys are gritty, they are nasty,” Gibson said. “They’ll hit anything that crosses their face. They love it. Some guys may shy away from it (contact), but they love it.”
Wilson (6-4, 235) led the team in tackles a year ago with 69 stops, despite starting just one game as a redshirt freshman. Moore (6-2, 240) was third on the team with 53 stops and Thomas (6-0, 236) finished with 34 tackles as a true freshman. Williams (6-2, 230) played in all 12 games a year ago, all on special teams.
“They are throwback linebackers, the way they play,” Gibson said. “But I like their attitude and the way they do it.”
Last season, N.C. State gave up 143 rushing yards per game, their highest total since 2015. They surrendered six 100-yard games, five coming in the final six games, including 429 against Boston College, the second most in school history. But with four of his top tacklers returning, Gibson knows they won’t shy away from contact against Wake Forest.
Through fall camp, Doeren said the number of days of contact have not changed, they’ve just been spaced out over a longer period because their opener got pushed back.
Want to
Gibson can do drills, teach technique and scream until he is red in the face. None of that will matter if his guys don’t have that “want to” flowing through their veins.
Part of tackling is attitude, part is talent, but the want to is the most important part to Gibson and what he looks for in a defender.
“Do you want to tackle anybody? Are you a hitter?” Gibson said. “You get some kids in here who weren’t taught the right way maybe, or tackling different than what we want them to, so you fine tune that and tweak it. But a lot of it is effort and getting to the football.”
If the Wolfpack shows some rust against Wake, guys getting to the ball but missing tackles, Gibson hopes enough chase the action so the second or third guy makes the play.
Wilson was the only player to crack the top 25 in the ACC in tackles a year ago. With more depth and experience, Gibson hopes to see an increase in stops across the board.
“Everybody looks good in shorts and t-shirts,” Gibson said. “But when the pads come on, the real guys step up. Hopefully we have a bunch of those real guys.”
This story was originally published September 14, 2020 at 6:00 AM with the headline "The NC State defense might be rusty, but Wolfpack is ready to tackle this key concern."
