NC State hosts Louisville this week. Here are updates from the team ahead of the game
N.C. State holds its conference home opener Friday evening against Louisville, and the team is gearing up for an exciting matchup.
Here are things to note as the team preps for their date with the Cardinals.
NC State injury report
Center Dylan McMahon and safety Devan Boykin could play against Louisville, despite not being listed on the depth chart.
Both are day-to-day, Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren said Monday. Boykin is doing better than expected. It’s a long shot, but the junior could play this week. McMahon is in the same situation. The graduate student was watching film on Monday.
Neither have long-term injuries, but the staff is monitoring their progress closely.
McMahon left the VMI game early, while Boykin was removed after the second play of the game at Virginia. Safety Cecil Powell was also removed — though he’s back on the two-deep — requiring the staff to completely adjust the secondary against the Cavaliers.
Fellow safety Rakeim Ashford warmed up before the UVA game for the first time since his injury at UConn.
“I’d love for this team to get a little bit healthier, that’s the one thing,” Doeren said. “The good news is they’re not season-ending things — other than Jakeen (Harris) — but we need to get some more of these dudes back out there.”
Sticking to the current playbook
After the game against UVA, Doeren said the team may need to pare down the playbook. It has a lot of less-experienced players who are learning a new system.
He has changed his mind on that since watching the film.
“Our mistakes aren’t in the fact that we have to narrow it down,” Doeren said this week. “We have to be better fundamentally.”
The offensive line needs to play with “independent feet” and complete blocks. Everyone needs to have correct hand placement and eye discipline, stuff he’s talked about before. It seems like players will execute correctly on one play and get exposed on another play when they don’t. Doeren said the team could reduce the number of plays available to run, but the plays still wouldn’t be successful if guys weren’t executing their basic skills.
“That’s really where the emphasis is. It’s not necessarily paring it down as much as it is honing our technique and our fundamentals,” Doeren said. “That’s the biggest area, I think.”
Wolfpack individual improvements
Even though the Wolfpack has a long list of things it wants to improve on, Doeren is pleased with the growth from his players. The 11th-year head coach said he’s seeing individual improvement, especially on offense, and that’s exciting.
Rookie wide receiver Kevin “K.C.” Concepcion had a career-high night against the Cavaliers and has become a consistent target. Fellow receivers Keyon Lesane and Julian Gray have stepped up. Left tackle Anthony Belton has made positive strides, too. Doeren said Belton’s performance at UVA was his best.
“It’s in progress, I think is the best way to say it,” Doeren said. “You’ve got some guys that are trying to get in different spots on the field with coach (Robert) Anae’s system, and I think there’s chemistry that’s growing and growing as this thing goes.”
Delbert Mimms III is looking forward to doing more of that for himself. The running back has become known as the short yardage guy, scoring four touchdowns of the season — all 1-yard runs.
The redshirt junior is grateful that the team trusts him in short yardage situations, but he wants to do more. Mimms wants to put up 20- or 30-yard gains and help in that way, too. All he needs is to find a seam and “explode out.”
“That’s what you want,” Doeren said. “You want to get better each week individually so that you can get better collectively.”
Playing on Friday
The Wolfpack will play a Friday night game for the second straight week.
Doeren isn’t a fan of playing, because it means missing his son Connor’s high school games and coaches can’t be out recruiting if they’re at their own game.
He’d prefer to play on Thursday night, if he was allowed to choose. That way, they could still have Fridays.
“I understand the value of the coverage. I mean, that part of it’s great for our program,” Doeren said last week. “But, I understand it’s about dollars, and we need to make money in our conference. All conferences are doing it. We have our two weeks back-to-back, and we’re going to make the most of them. We’re going to get on national television and do the best we can to win games.”
Interestingly enough, the players enjoy the Friday night atmosphere. This time, the Pack will unveil new uniforms to accompany the “blackout” theme. Plus, there’s a nostalgic aspect for the players.
Left tackle Anthony Belton likes it. This schedule gives the team a “high school Friday night feeling. Sometimes you miss that.”
The Pack hosts Louisville at 7 p.m. Friday. Fans are encouraged to wear black to match the team. N.C. State is also recognizing the game as Parents, Families and Educator Appreciation Day.
This story was originally published September 26, 2023 at 7:22 PM.
