NC State football’s 2022 spring game showcased QB Devin Leary, Wolfpack defense
Quarterback Devin Leary can still throw, and the N.C. State defense is still good.
Other than those two obvious observations, very few questions were answered during the N.C. State spring game Saturday.
The Red team (starters) defeated the White Team, 50-7.
“A conclusion to a very productive spring for a lot of players,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said.
Leary looked in midseason form, completing 26 of 34 passes for 355 yards and three scores.
The junior from Sicklerville, N.J., is coming off a historic year. In 2021, Leary threw for 3,433 yards and 35 touchdowns. The touchdowns were a single-season record, passing Wolfpack great Philip Rivers.
Leary led the Red team to three straight scoring drives, jumping out to a 17-0 lead, to start the day. His one mishap in the first half was an interception by redshirt freshman Sean Brown. After the pick, Leary and the Red team scored on their next four drives, taking a 37-0 lead over the White at the half.
In the first half, Leary threw touchdown passes to Thayer Thomas, Porter Rooks and Anthony Smith.
“I felt good,” Leary said. “I felt really comfortable, really confident in all the guys who were out there. Really just doing my job, which is to distribute the ball to our playmakers out there and let them make plays.”
The Red defense held White to one first down in the first half. The White team finished with just 48 yards of total offense on 37 plays. All-ACC safety Tanner Ingle picked off Ben Finley on the first drive of the day. Even though six defensive starters were out on Saturday, the Red team defense was stout.
“We were already an older team,” Ingle said. “This just gives the younger guys an opportunity to get out there and get the game experience they need. It allows them to get better to get those real game reps they need.”
Finley finished with 32 yards (9 of 14) as the White team quarterback. Finley switched to the Red team in the second half, and he went 6-for-7 through the air with 139 yards and three touchdowns.
This was the first look at the 2022 squad after the Pack went 9-3 a year ago. N.C. State was invited to the Holiday Bowl to play UCLA, but the game was canceled.
In the ensuing weeks, several players started the #RunItBack campaign on social media, posting their plans to return for an extra season.
That started to raise the expectations in Raleigh. A lot of those players were spectators on Saturday, though. Twenty-two players, including eight starters, were held out of spring drills.
New faces
There are a lot of veterans on the team, so fans didn’t have to do too much scrambling to learn new names during the spring game.
One new player who jumped out was freshman tight end Fred Seabrough (6-4, 250 pounds).
With tight ends Trent Pennix and Christopher Toudle both out this spring, Seabrough became one of Leary’s favorite targets. He caught three passes for 38 yards for the Red team. His twin brother, Cedd, caught one pass for the White team.
“He’s progressed tremendously,” Leary said. “He was a guy coming in we knew he was going to be a big playmaker for us. Being able to have him as a target out there is just going to help our offense even more.”
Anthony Smith has seen action the past two seasons, but the sophomore is expected to have a bigger role now that Emeka Emezie has graduated. Known as the team’s best deep threat, Smith caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Leary, but also displayed some toughness in the first half, catching a pass in traffic on the sideline.
Another young wide receiver, Joshua Crabtree, caught a 44-yard touchdown pass from Finley in the second half. Julian Gray, another redshirt freshman, also caught a 44-yard pass from Finley.
“To see Julian Gray and Anthony Smith make plays like that, it’s kind of what we were hoping to see,” Doeren said.
Smith has been working on being more consistent this spring. His goal this fall is to be more of a deep threat and more well-rounded at the position.
“I know I’m fast, I know I can take the top off the defense,” Smith said. “My goal is to be an all-around receiver; blocking, underneath routes, every route in the route tree.”
Redshirt freshman defensive end Travali Price got a lot of reps with the Red team, finishing with three tackles and one sack. With Cory Durden out and Daniel Joseph out of eligibility, there will be plenty of playing time in the spring for Price. Ingle, a fifth-year senior, was impressed with a guy who plays the same position as him.
“Sean Brown. Sean Brown,” Ingle said, clapping his hands and repeating Brown’s name for extra emphasis. “The man has had a hell of a spring. He’s come in willing to learn. He’s just elevated his play and he’s kind of making me scared a little bit.”
Freshman Michael Allen, who enrolled in January, scored the first touchdown of the day for the White team.
The running backs
Speaking of running backs, N.C. State must replace 1,389 yards on the ground with the loss of Ricky Person Jr. and Zonovan Knight, who are both headed to the NFL.
Jordan Houston got the first crack at it, starting for the Red team. Houston scored the first touchdown of the day and finished with 23 yards on the ground.
Delbert Mimms III and Demie Sumo-Karngbaye combined for 48 yards on the ground.
Allen, the top-rated player in the class of 2022, led the White team with 19 yards.
Demarcus Jones II added 3 yards on seven carries.
Players up front
N.C. State has to replace potential No. 1 overall pick Ikem Ekwonu at left tackle. Redshirt sophomore Anthony Belton got the first shot, starting for the Red.
Belton started up front alongside Bryson Speas, Dylan McMahon, Derrick Eason and Timothy McKay. Starting center Grant Gibson was held out of the scrimmage. McMahon normally starts at left guard, but started at center on Saturday.
McKay, a redshirt sophomore from Raleigh, later switched to left tackle for the White team. The Red team offensive line helped rack up 570 yards and no sacks.
“Both of those guys (McKay and Belton) are their biggest critics,” Leary said. “They are hard on themselves, but the biggest thing that I’ve seen from them this entire spring is they get better each and every day. They take it off of film. Mistakes they make a couple of practices, the next day they don’t make that same mistake.”
Of course, Doeren will use the spring to evaluate both players before he names a starter. McKay has the most experience, having played in 18 games in three seasons. Belton was in for 11 snaps a year ago.
“Obviously, there’s going to be a spotlight on that because of what we lost with Ickey,” Doeren said. “These guys are practicing hard, they are playing well. I think all these reps are critical for Anthony. With every rep he gets he’s going to continue to get better.”
This story was originally published April 9, 2022 at 4:52 PM.
