Grinnage gets back in groove for NC State

Quarterback Jacoby Brissett had a basic explanation for tight end David J. Grinnage’s prominent role in N.C. State’s offense on Saturday against Clemson.

“I just threw him the ball,” Brissett said.

Grinnage, a fourth-year junior, was one of Brissett’s favorite targets in Saturday’s 56-41 loss to the third-ranked Tigers. Grinnage finished the game with seven catches for 82 yards and a touchdown.

He had a juggling, acrobatic catch on third-and-18 for 21 yards and a 14-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.

“It was great to see him make some plays,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said.

Grinnage hasn’t been a big part of the passing game this season. In the first seven games, he had five catches for 60 yards and he didn’t have more than one catch in any game before Saturday.

The way Grinnage finished the 2014 season — with four touchdowns in the last six games — he figured to have a bigger role in the offense this season.

Grinnage tied for the team lead last year with five touchdown catches and was the top returner in receiving yards (358 on 27 catches). But a back injury sidelined him during all of spring practice and slowed him during the start of training camp, too.

He had three catches in the first four games, all blowout wins outside the ACC, and there was a sense that N.C. State was saving Grinnage for conference play.

But against Louisville, Grinnage had one catch for seven yards and then one catch for 15 yards against Virginia Tech and no catches against Wake Forest.

Grinnage, who at 6-5 and 265 pounds is one of State’s only big targets, said he wasn’t frustrated by his lack of touches.

“You have to do what you have to do for your team,” Grinnage said. “Other players are out there making plays, you can’t get frustrated. When your time comes, your time comes and that’s when you have to step up and make plays.”

That’s what Grinnage did Saturday and hopes to do over the final four ACC games.

“I just have to build on top of it, come out next week, practice harder and study even more and make more plays,” Grinnage said.

This story was originally published November 1, 2015 at 1:34 PM with the headline "Grinnage gets back in groove for NC State."