Tim Beck’s new NC State offense brought the fun and the frantic in the season opener

The N.C. State offense looked very, very unfamiliar Saturday night, but in a good way.

The Wolfpack failed to reach 28 points in any conference games a year ago, but under new coordinator Tim Beck and with a surprise start from Bailey Hockman, N.C. State exploded for 45 points in a three-point win over Wake Forest (0-2).

Behind a healthy Ricky Person Jr. and a hot start from Hockman, the Wolfpack won its season-opener for the seventh time in eight years under Doeren.

“It was a great first win for us,” Person said. “Coach told us before the game that Wake Forest has beat us for the last three years. We came into this game with the mindset that this (a win) was going to happen, so it was great.”

Opening up against an ACC opponent for the first time since 2005, N.C. State finished with 463 (185 in the first quarter) yards of total offense. Hockman completed his first 12 passes and finished 16 of 23 for 191 yards and one score.

The big hire this off season was Doeren pulling Beck from Texas and Beck introduced Wolfpack nation to an offense it missed last year. The Wolfpack had more than 400 yards of offense for the first time in 10 games.

“Everything rolled all together,” Hockman said. “It’s like a ball rolling down a hill. We just have to keep going.”

Person rushed for 99 yards and two scores and even threw a touchdown pass to Devin Carter (3 catches, 30 yards) in the second half. Hockman was able to spread the love, hitting nine different wide receivers.

“This offense is dangerous,” Hockman said. “When we start throwing the ball more and more it’s going to be more and more effective because we start spreading the ball around the field. Then the defense has to spread out, the run game gets going, our offensive line is big time and they are going to keep pushing.”

Big play State had 11 plays that went for 20 yards or more in the win.

There was drama before the game started as Hockman, who started two games a year ago, was named the starter over Devin Leary. Dave Doeren named Leary the starter in spring practice, and Leary was expected to be the guy in the opener, but it was the Florida State transfer Hockman who got the nod. He found out last week he would be getting the start, but that didn’t change much. Hockman said he prepared like a starter from day one.

“At the end of the day I’m just happy to be the guy for this team,” Hockman said. “I love these guys and will do anything for them.”

Hockman didn’t exactly light it up in 2019, passing for 546 yards a year ago, but he led the Wolfpack to touchdowns on their first two drives, scoring the second touchdown with his legs on a seven-yard run.

Beck trusted Hockman to make plays — his lone mistake was a pick-six in the third quarter — and leaned heavy on his trio of running backs.

Person got the start and didn’t let the team down, averaging 7.1 yards per carry. He showed off the entire arsenal, throwing a jump pass to Carter for a 1-yard touchdown on N.C. State’s first drive of the second half.

“I told them I used to play quarterback in middle school,” Person said. “I used to tell them to just give me the opportunity (to pass). It was great.”

Person had a 33-yard run on the first drive of the game, the second-longest run of his career. That carry gave him confidence the rest of the way.

“Credit to my offensive line,” Person said. “They did a great job up front tonight. My reads were there tonight.”

Before halftime, Beck had spread the ball to multiple receivers, Person, Zonovan Knight (97 yards, 1 TD) and Jordan Houston (54 yards) out of the backfield and his tight ends. Hockman’s lone touchdown pass was to Cary Angeline in the third quarter, putting the home team up 28-21.

The Wolfpack went up by 14 on Wake Forest twice, only to watch the Demon Deacons make it a game each time. But the State offense had enough horsepower to grind it out when needed. Even some conservative play calling late — a Hockman run on 3rd and 12 — couldn’t deny that this will be a new look N.C. State offense in 2020.

The 45 points were the second most scored by a Doeren-led team in an opener. It’s the 22nd time N.C. State has scored 40 points or more under Doeren, but games like that have been rare against ACC opponents. The 270 yards on the ground for the Wolfpack were the most they’ve rushed for in the last 10 games, the rotation of backs wearing down Wake Forest.

So what’s different? According to Person, it’s the little things.

“We’ve been working on this since the spring,” Person said. “Credit to everyone who paid attention to the details. Before the game coach was telling us we need to take pride in our small details.”

This story was originally published September 20, 2020 at 1:08 AM.