Charlotte, NC – The North Carolina State Wolfpack and the University of Maryland Terrapins will face off in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium on Friday at noon.
The Duke’s Mayo Bowl marks NC State’s 35th bowl qualification and (hopefully!) will mark its 34th bowl game played. It’s the eighth bowl game during head coach Dave Doeren’s 10 seasons with the Wolfpack, although last year’s Holiday Bowl was cancelled on game day.
NC State posts a 17-15-1 all-time bowl record and a 5-2 bowl record under Doeren (last year’s game was cancelled on game day).
Doeren has led NC State to more bowl games than any coach in school history.
This will mark the fourth bowl that NC State has played in Bank of America Stadium. The Wolfpack won the 2005 Meineke Car Care Bowl, the 2011 Belk Bowl, and lost the 2015 Belk Bowl. In 2005, NC State turned in a storybook ending to a rollercoaster season with a 14-0 victory over South Florida on New Year’s Eve. The defense, led by bowl MVP Stephen Tulloch, shut out the Bulls in USF’s first bowl game appearance in school history. It marked the only shutout in a bowl that year and the first ever by the Wolfpack.
In 2011, the Wolfpack scored 24 unanswered points in the second and third quarters to overwhelm Louisville in the 2011 win. Quarterback Mike Glennon, who completed 21 of 33 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns, was named the MVP of the game. In 2015, Mississippi State – behind QB Dak Prescott – won 51-28 over the Wolfpack in the soggy Belk Bowl.
In addition to the three bowl games the Wolfpack has played in Bank of America Stadium, it’s also played four regular season contests in that venue. The Wolfpack closed out the regular season versus East Carolina in Charlotte in 1996 (L, 29-50) and in 2005 (W, 52-14). In 1998 and 1999, NC State and UNC moved their matchup to the stadium. The Wolfpack fell in both of those contests, a 34-37 overtime shootout in Torry
Holt’s last regular season game and a 6-10 loss the following year. NC State opened the 2017 campaign at BoA Stadium versus South Carolina in the Belk College Kickoff Game, losing by a touchdown to South Carolina (28-35).
NO PLACE LIKE HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Not only does playing in the Duke Mayo Bowl give more NC State fans
the opportunity to see their Wolfpack in action, but it will also give a
big percentage of the Wolfpack roster a chance to play in their home
state or near their hometown.
Seventy-four players on the Wolfpack squad are from the state of
North Carolina, including eight players who call Charlotte their home-
town and 11 others are from the surrounding areas.
Here’s a look at the Pack players headed home for the bowl:
Name Pos Hometown High School
Corey Ball OL Cornelius Hough
Ari Bowles LB Charlotte Olympic
Sean Brown SAF Charlotte Hough
Anthony Carter, Jr. OL Charlotte Butler
C.J. Clark DT New London N. Stanly
Jalen Frazier NIC Charlotte Hough
Grant Gibson C Charlotte Mallard Creek
Julian Gray WR Charlotte Hopewell
Alex McLaughlin LS Matthews Weddington
Reid Mitchell TE Concord Cox Mill
Caden Noonkester P Waxhaw Marvin Ridge
Jordan Poole LB Oakboro W. Stanly
Travali Price DE Lincolnton N. Lincoln
Porter Rooks WR Charlotte Myers Park
Nick Treco NIC Charlotte Mallard Creek
Kanoah Vinesett K Rock Hill, SC Northwestern
Andrew Washburn DL Mooresville Mooresville
Torren Wright LB Kannapolis Brown
ON PRO FIELDS
NC State will face the Terrapins at Bank of America Stadium, which
also serves as the home of the NFL Carolina Panthers.
It will mark the ninth time the Wolfpack has played in an NFL Stadi-
um under head coach Dave Doeren, the third at that venue.
Year Opponent Stadium Result
2014 USF Raymond James Stadium W, 49-17
2015 Mississippi St. Bank of America Stadium L, 28-51
2017 Pitt Heinz Field W, 35-17
South Carolina Bank of America Stadium L, 28-35
2018 Texas A&M TIAA Bank Field L, 13-52
2020 Pitt Heinz Field W, 30-20
Kentucky TIAA Bank Field L, 21-23
2021 Miami Hard Rock Stadium L, 30-31
2022 Maryland Bank of America Stadium ?
THE OPPONENT
NC STATE VS. MARYLAND
NC State and Maryland are no strangers. The overall series record
between the two schools dates back over 100 years. The teams first
met on Oct. 30, 1909. For 30 years (1923 – 1953) both teams were
members of the Southern Conference before leaving to become
charter members of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1953. The Pack
and the Terps met every year on the gridiron from 1956 until 2013.
The results of all those meetings couldn’t be closer, standing at
33-33-4.
CLOSE CALLS VS. TERRAPINS
In the 21st century, the games between NC State and Maryland have
been close ones. Of the last 14 contests between the two teams, 11
have been decided by 10 points or fewer. Five of those 14 games
have been decided by four or less points.
Here’s a look at the games between NC State and Maryland since the
turn of the century:
Year Score Res Site Description
2000 28-35 L College Park Game went into double-overtime.
2001 19-23 L Raleigh The Terrapins scored with under a minute.
2002 21-24 L College Park Maryland kicked a field goal with 34 seconds
remaining to take their first and final lead.
2003 24-26 L Raleigh After missing an extra point to tie the game,
the Terrapin placekicker booted a 43-yard
game-winning field goal with just 23 sec-
onds remaining.
2004 13-3 W College Park The Pack dominated the Terrapins defen-
sively, allowing just 91 yards of total offense.
2005 20-14 W Raleigh NC State won by six to become bowl eligible
in the final game of the regular season.
2006 20-26 L College Park The Pack turned the ball over three times to
give the Terps a short field and easy scores.
2007 0-37 L Raleigh Maryland shut out the Wolfpack for the first
time in 150 games dating back to 1995.
2008 24-27 L College Park Maryland drove 90 yards in the final five
minutes and kicked a game-winning FG.
2009 38-31 W Raleigh Maryland got the ball back with 59 seconds
and drove to the Wolfpack 42, but the
Wolfpack defense held strong.
2010 31-38 L College Park With the Pack playing for the ACC Atlantic
Division title, Maryland came back from 14
pts down to win.
2011 56-41 W Raleigh State trailed 41-14 with less than six minutes
in the 3rd quarter, but scored 42 unan-
swered points.
2012 20-18 W College Park Nik Sade hit a 43-yard FG to put the Pack
ahead 20-18 with 32 seconds left, and a Terp
FG hit the upright as time expired.
2013 21-41 L Raleigh In Dave Doeren’s first year as head coach,
the Terrapins won handily in Raleigh.
YOU LOOK FAMILIAR
Although Wolfpack Nation is certainly familiar with the Terrapins,
there are a couple of people in the football program who are more
familiar than most.
Assistant head coach/wide receiver coach Joker Phillips spent the
2019 and 2020 seasons as the co-offensive coordinator and wide
receivers coach at Maryland. He coached All Big-Ten receiver Dontay
Demus, Jr. – now a senior on the Terrapin roster.
Wide receiver Darryl Jones transferred to NC State from Maryland
in January of this year. He played in 42 career games for the Terps
between 2018-21, starting 16. He had 23 catches for 319 yards and
two TDs in 2021.
WINNING VS. WINNERS
Know how many other teams in the nation have more 2022 victories over teams with 7+ FBS
wins? ZERO!
The Wolfpack is tied with eight other schools with five wins each against 7+ win (vs. FBS)
teams. in terms of wins over bowl eligible teams, NC State is tied for third nationally with six
trailing just TCU (8) and Georgia (7).
Most wins vs. 7-win teams Most wins vs. Bowl Teams
NC State 5 1. TCU 8
Louisville 5 2. Georgia 7
Tulane 5 3. NC State 6
Clemson 5 Tulane 6
Michigan 5 Kansas State 6
Ohio State 5 Michigan 6
TCU 5 Ohio St. 6
Georgia 5 LSU 6
USC 5 Tennessee 6
SERIAL SIGNAL CALLERS
NC State did not have a quarterback controversy in 2022. In fact, the matter of NC State’s
starting signal caller for this season was pretty much decided last season, when Devin Leary
threw for a school record 35 touchdown passes.
Or was it? Leary – voted ACC Preseason Player of the Year – went down with a season-ending
injury in Game 6. Enter Jack Chambers, who started the next two games before true freshman
MJ Morris came off the bench vs. Virginia Tech to throw for three touchdowns and win the
starter’s job for the next two contests.
Next, down goes Morris with an injury and after Chambers started again vs. Louisville, scout
team regular Ben Finley came in to lead the team and earned the nod in the regular season
finalé.
Over the last 15 seasons, (technically) only two other teams had four starting QBs each earn
a win in a season: Army in 2020 and Utah State in 2014 (Tennessee also had four players earn
wins in 2019, but that included a WR and South Carolina did it in 2021 but the fourth quarter
didn’t get the official start because he wasn’t lined up at QB on the first play of the game).
Quarterback Games Started Record
Devin Leary 6 5-1
Jack Chambers 3 1-2
MJ Morris 2 1-1
Ben Finley 1 1-0
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
NC State’s four starting quarterbacks (plus WR Thayer Thomas) threw for 23 touchdowns in
That mark currently ranks 10th in school history with a game left two play.
But what’s most impressive about those 23 touchdowns is whom they were thrown to … or
actually how many they were thrown to.
Fifteen different players caught touchdowns for the Wolfpack in 2022 – the highest mark in
the nation this season. That’s also a school record for number of different players with a TD
NC STATE Wolfpack Football The Duke’s Mayo Bowl
catch (the previous high was 12 in 2010 and 2014).
Rank School # of Players with a TD
NC State 15
Texas Tech 13
Florida State 12
North Texas 12
Oregon 12
Penn State 12
USC 12
Georgia 11
Liberty 11
South Carolina 11
U of LA-Fayette 11
UNC 11
ALL-ACC
Five different members of the Wolfpack squad were named first-team
All-ACC by either the official league team, the Associated Press, or
both this season.
ACC Team AP
Christopher Dunn, K (1st) Christopher Dunn, K (1st)
Grant Gibson, C (1st) Grant Gibson, C (1st)
Chandler Zavala, OG (1st) Drake Thomas, LB (1st)
Aydan White, CB (1st) Aydan White, CB (1st)
Drake Thomas, LB (2nd) Chandler Zavala, OG (2nd)
Tanner Ingle, SAF (2nd) Tanner Ingle, SAF (2nd)
Cory Durden, N (2rd) Isaiah Moore, LB (2nd)
TURNING THE TASSEL
Seventeen members of the Wolfpack squad are receiving their under-
graduate degrees in December. They joined 13 players who graduated
prior to the 2022 campaign (two of those 13 will be receiving their
Master’s and one will be receiving a grad certificate in winter gradu-
ation ceremonies!).
For those keeping score, that’s a total of 29 graduates on the Pack’s
bowl roster
December Graduates Prior to season
Rakeim Ashford, SAF Jack Chambers, QB
Devin Carter, WR Christopher Dunn, K
Christopher Dunn, K# Cory Durden, DT
Ben Finley, QB Cyrus Fagan, SAF
Derrick Eason, OL Grant Gibson, C*
Jalen Frazier, NIC Darryl Jones, WR
Grant Gibson, C* Shane McDonough, P
Tanner Ingle, SAF Dreshun Miller, CB
Devin Leary, QB Isaiah Moore, LB
Alec Neugent, DL Derrek Pitts, Jr., CB
Trent Pennix, TE Bryson Speas, OL
Jasiah Provillon, WR Thayer Thomas, WR
Joe Shimko, LS Chandler Zavala, OG*
Teshaun Smith, CB
Drake Thomas, LB
Chris Toudle, TE
Payton Wilson, LB
Kam Walker, TE
Chandler Zavala, OG*
*Earned Master’s degree in December; Earned graduate certficiate in December.
RED CROSS
NC State was hit hard by injuries during the second half of the 2022
season. In the Nov. 19 game vs. Louisville, the Wolfpack was missing
starters at seven different positions. At quarterback, the Wolfpack
was missing TWO starters: preseason ACC Player-of-the-Year Devin
Leary and then MJ Morris, who had taken over the starting role.
Here’s a look at starters who missed significant time this season:
Name, Pos Games Missed
Tyler Baker-Wiliams, NIC 6
Shyheim Battle, CB 2
Devin Carter, WR 1
Grant Gibson, C 2
Devin Leary, QB 6
MJ Morris, QB 2
Savion Jackson, DE 6
Trent Pennix, TE 7
Demie Sumo-Karngbaye 4
Payton Wilson, LB 2
SIMPLY THE BEST
Wolfpack kicker Christopher Dunn capped off a record-breaking
season and career by winning the Lou Groza Award – given to the
nation’s top placekicker. The fifth-year graduate student rewrote the
NC State and ACC record books during his NC State career and was
Mr. Reliable for the Wolfpack this season.
Here are some of Dunn’s season and career highlights:
• The winner of the 2022 Lou Groza Place-Kicker Award.
• A consensus first-team All-American (AFCA, AP, The Athletic,
CBS, FWAA, The Sporting News, Walter Camp).
• The leading career scorer (479 points) and field goal kicker (93) in
NC State and ACC history.
• Ranks second in the ACC in scoring (8.5 points per game). He led
the league in kick scoring and field goals.
• Led the ACC and ranked second nationally in FG percentage this
season (.960), he missed just one kick.
• Tied for the national lead in field goals per game.
• Owns three of the top four field goal streaks in school history.
• Named ACC Specialist of the Week and Lou Groza Star of the
2022 #PACKPROS
Player Years at NCSU Current Team
Garrett Bradbury 2015-18 Minnesota Vikings
Jacoby Brissett 2014-15 Cleveland Browns
Juston Burris 2012-15 Carolina Panthers
Bradley Chubb 2014-17 Miami Dolphins
A.J. Cole, III 2015-18 Las Vegas Raiders
Ikem Ekwonu 2019-21 Carolina Panthers
Trenton Gill 2018-21 Chicago Bears
B.J. Hill 2014-17 Cincinnati Bengals
Nyheim Hines 2015-17 Buffalo Bills
Dontae Johnson 2010-13 San Francisco 49ers
Josh Jones 2014-16 Seattle Seahawks
Justin Jones 2014-17 Chicago Bears
Zonovan Knight 2019-21 New York Jets
T.Y. McGill 2011-14 Minnesota Vikings
Alim McNeill 2018-20 Detroit Lions
Jakobi Meyers 2016-18 New England Patriots
Larrell Murchison 2018-19 Tennessee Titans
Germaine Pratt 2014-18 Cincinnati Bengals
James Smith-Williams 2015-19 Washington Commanders
Kentavius Street 2014-17 New Orleans Saints
Joe Thuney 2012-15 Kansas City Chiefs
Russell Wilson 2008-10 Denver Broncos
NC STATE Wolfpack Football The Duke’s Mayo Bowl
NC STATE Wolfpack Football The Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Week following the win over FSU and won the ACC award again
vs. UNC.
• Tied his career best with four made field goals in the win over
Florida State, scoring 13 of the Pack’s 19 points.
• Tied his career best with a 53-yarder in the win over the ‘Noles.
• Has connected on all 200 of his career PAT attempts – that is also
a new school record.
• Ranks second in school history with a .838 field goal percentage.
• Has started all 61 career games in which he’s played, he chose to
return for his fifth season.
• Made one of the biggest plays of the Wolfpack’s 2021 season,
when he recovered his own onsides kick to give NC State the ball
with 1:33 remaining vs. UNC. The ensuing TD was the game-winner
for the Pack.
FINE-BACKERS
NC State definitely boasts one of the most talented linebacking corps
in the country, but also one of the most experienced. The Wolfpack
trio of Isaiah Moore (MLB), Drake Thomas (SLB) and Payton Wilson
(WLB) combined to post some pretty impressive numbers in 2022 and
throughout their careers.
Against ACC competition in 2022, they ranked first (Thomas), third
(Moore) and sixth (Wilson) in the league in tackles for loss.
For their careers, the Pack LBs have played in 134 games, 6,982 snaps,
tallied 867 tackles, 110 tackles for loss and 37 sacks!
Here’s a look at the career stats of the Pack LB corps:
Name GP-GS Plays Tackles TFL Sack
Isaiah Moore 55-54 2,964 330 41.0 11.5
Drake Thomas 46-37 2,385 282 42.5 18.5
Payton Wilson 33-23 1,633 255 26.5 7.0
Totals 134-114 6,982 867 110.0 37.0
PACK PICKS
NC State has not had a single interception in a game this season.
The Wolfpack did, however, have multiple interceptions in seven of its
12 contests.
NC State intercepted 17 passes in 2022 – a mark that leads the ACC
and ranks third in the FBS. The last time the Wolfpack had as many
multi-interception games was in 2011 – the year NC State led the na-
tion and set a school record with 27 INTs in 13 games.
Tony Gibson’s defense has had three games with no INTs this season
(UConn, Clemson and Virginia Tech), but picked a pair versus East
Carolina, Charleston Southern, Florida State, Syracuse, and Boston
College while pulling down three picks in the wins over Texas Tech
and Wake Forest.
MVBs
The Wolfpack should’ve made a new team award this season for Most
Valuable Brothers.
The Thomas brothers – Thayer and Drake – were named the offensive
and defensive team MVPs respectively at the team’s annual awards
banquet.
Thayer is the Wolfpack’s leading receiver in 2022 with 53 catches –
and when he wasn’t catching the ball, he was blocking like a lineman.
He ranked among the ACC leaders in receptions for most of the sea-
son and led the Wolfpack to victory in the win over Virginia Tech with
118 yards on 10 catches with two touchdowns.
Drake leads the team with 90 tackles and ranks first among all ACC
defensive players with 13 tackles for loss in conference games. A sec-
ond-team All-ACC pick he also ranks second in the ACC with 6.5 sacks
in ACC contests.
CAN YOU SPARE A NICKEL?
The nickel position – a key to NC State’s 3-3-5 defensive scheme –
looked more like a penny at times in 2022. The position was to be
manned by one of the most experienced players on the team: Tyler
Baker-Williams, but “TBake” struggled with injuries throughout the
season and missed six complete games.
Backup Devin Boykin started the FSU, Boston College and Louisville
games, and safety Jakeen Harris slid over and started the UConn and
Clemson games.
Against UNC in the regular season finalé however, all three nickels
were out with injuries. CB Derrek Pitts ended up starting that game
at that position.
MAN OF THE YEAR
Ask head coach Dave Doeren about his fifth-year linebacker Isaiah
Moore, and he will tell you that No. 1 is one of the best leaders he’s
ever coached. Moore, one of just two three-year captains in school
history, has led the Wolfpack on and off the field, particularly for the
past three years.
Moore’s leadership has been recognized nationally, as he is a finalist
for the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup and one of 20 semifinalists
for the sixth annual Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award.
The Wooden Award is given to a male and female collegiate athlete
from any sport who best displays character, teamwork, and citizen-
ship. The Witten Award honors players who demonstrates a record
of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sports-
manship both on and off the field.
As a fifth-year starter on the Wolfpack’s ACC-leading defense, Moore
has ranked among the team and conference leaders in tackles
throughout his career, but his contributions off the field may be even
more impressive.
A second-team AP All-ACC performer, Moore co-founded PackUnited
– a student-athlete led intiative at NC State which denounces racism
and social injustice and promotes unity through three pillars: educa-
tion, awareness and action. This organization was started following
the murder of George Floyd and has continued to grow.
The graduate student has led many positive dialogues between
student-athletes, coaches, administration and other staff, organized
an on-campus protest over that summer and created a social justice
patch which can be seen on all of NC State’s athletic teams’ uniforms.
He also led a drive through this organization to get 100% of NC
State’s student-athletes and staff registered to vote.
In total, Pack United has also raised more than $10,000 to donate to
local nonprofits.
KNOWING THE NEIGHBORS
Across the street and about a block down from the Westin Hotel in
downtown Charlotte, where the Wolfpack will be hanging out the
week after Christmas, is The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-
American Arts + Culture.
Named for the city’s first African-American mayor and the first Af-
rican-American student at Clemson University, the center celebrates
the contributions of Africans and African-Americans to American cul-
ture.
There is a pretty strong Wolfpack tie to the center – particularly to its
namesake. Harvey Gannt is the grandfather of the Wolfpack’s All-ACC
center, Grant Gibson. Gibson grew up in Charlotte (his mother Sonja
was the lead news anchor for local station WCNC for 15 years).
LEGACY OF SUCCESS
Since the beginning of the 2014 season – Dave Doeren’s second with the
program – NC State has posted the second-best record in the ACC with a
69-44 mark. Only Clemson’s overall record is better in that frame.
The Wolfpack is the only team besides Clemson have more than one
nine-win season since 2017. Only Clemson has posted more nine-win
seasons in the past five years and no other ACC team has more than
one prior to this season.
Team Record Since 2013 9 win seasons 2017-21
Clemson 110-15 5
NC State 69-44 3
Florida St 68-43 1
Miami 67-47 1
Pitt 67-48 1
Louisville 61-52 0
Virginia Tech 61-53 1
UNC 60-54 1
Wake Forest 58-53 1
Duke 54-57 0
Boston College 52-59 0
Georgia Tech 49-60 0
Virginia 48-60 1
Syracuse 43-65 1
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
The Nov. 5 win over Wake Forest was NC State’s 16th in a row at home,
tying the mark under head coach Lou Holtz from 1972-75. It was the
sixth-best active home winning streak in the FBS until the following
week when the Pack lost a one-point heart-breaker to Boston College.
The 2021 Wolfpack was the first squad since 1986 (35 years) to go
undefeated at home (and that squad did post one tie) and one of just
six teams in school history (1967, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1986) to post an
unblemished record at Carter-Finley Stadium.
NC State Home Winning Streaks
Rk. Streak Years Head Coach
16 2020-22 Dave Doeren
16 1972-75 Lou Holtz
10 1966-68 Earle Edwards
9 1993-94 Mike O’Cain
8 2002-04 Chuck Amato
DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK
Wolfpack linebacker Payton Wilson has been named one of 15 semifi-
nalists for college football’s 2022 Comeback Player of the Year Award.
The fifth annual award is presented by College Sports Communicators
(formerly College Sports Information Directors of America [CoSIDA])
in association with The Associated Press (AP) and the Fiesta Bowl Or-
ganization.
The award recognizes college football student-athletes from all divisions
of college football for overcoming injury, illness or other circumstances.
Prior to the 2021 season, Wilson underwent two shoulder surgeries to
repair the labrum on his shoulder. Then in game two of 2021, he suffered
a left shoulder dislocation with a bony Bankart lesion requiring him to
undergo another surgery and miss the remainder of the season.
The surgery required a nine-month rehab as Wilson focused on regain-
ing his range of motion and strength. He was back in the lineup in game
one this season, and even though he missed two complete games with
other injuries, he ranked second on the team with 7.2 tackles per game
and second with 9.5 tackles for loss.
FIRST TIMERS
MJ Morris became the 14th different player to start at quarterback
from the Wolfpack when he got the nod in the win against Wake For-
est. Of those 14, he is one of only two to start a game as a true fresh-
man. The only other one was Philip Rivers, who started the season
opener of his true freshman season on Sept. 2, 2000 – before Morris
was even born.
Unlike Rivers, who graduated high school early and had been on cam-
pus for nine months before his first start, Morris arrived on campus in
June for the second session of summer school and was expected to
redshirt while playing behind preseason ACC Player of the Year Devin
Leary in 2022.
Morris and Rivers and Jacoby Brissett are also the only Pack players
that managed to throw for three touchdown passes in their first ca-
reer start for NC State (although Brissett also threw an INT).
Name Year Date Opponent Result, Score Cmp-Att YdsINT TD
M.J. Morris Fr. 11/5/22 Wake Forest W, 30-21 18-28 210 0 3
Devin Leary RS-Fr. 11/2/19 @ Wake Forest L, 10-44 17-45 149 2 1
Jack Chambers RS-Gr. 10/15/22 @ Syracuse L, 9-24 18-30 160 0 0
Bailey Hockman RS-So. 10/10/19 Syracuse W, 16-10 16-27 205 1 0
Matthew McKay RS-So. 8/31/19 East Carolina W, 34-6 25-37 308 0 1
Ryan Finley RS-Jr. 9/1/16 William & Mary W, 48-14 17-21 174 0 2
Jacoby Brissett RS-Jr. 8/30/14 Georgia Southern W, 24-23 28-40 291 1 3
Pete Thomas RS-Jr. 9/7/13 Richmond W, 23-21 24-31 237 2 0
Brandon Mitchell RS-Gr. 8/31/13 Louisiana Tech W, 40-14 3-3 93 0 0
Mike Glennon RS-Jr. 9/3/11 Liberty W, 43-21 18-31 156 0 1
Russell Wilson RS-Fr. 8/28/08 @ South Carolina L, 0-34 1-5 12 0 0
Marcus Stone RS-So. 10/29/05 Southern Miss W, 21-17 10-26 128 2 1
Jay Davis RS-Jr. 9/4/04 Richmond W, 42-0 16-22 158 0 2
Philip Rivers Fr. 9/2/00 Arkansas St. W, 38-312ot 29-57 397 0 3
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
The Wolfpack has gained a reputation for an attacking defense under
head coach Dave Doeren and DC Tony Gibson. The Wolfpack ranks
among the ACC and national leaders in almost every defensive cat-
egory.
Here’s a look at where some of the team’s other defensive numbers
rank:
Category ACC Rank FBS Rank Mark
3rd-down conversion defense 1st 16th .310
Interceptions 1st 3rd 17
Rushing defense 3rd 11th 102.8
Scoring defense 1st 14th 19.4
Pass efficiency defense 1st 14th 113.7
Total Defense 3rd 21st 325.7
AYDAN’T IT GREAT?
Aydan White became the first NC State corner since 2012 to earn first-
team All-ACC honors in 2022. The third-year player pulled down four
interceptions this season – the second-best mark in the ACC.
White had a massive game for the Wolfpack earlier in the season in the
victory over Texas Tech, earning Walter Camp National Defensive Player
of the Week honors. He became the first NC State corner to record a
pair of INTs in the same game since Jack Tocho did so against Syracuse
NC STATE Wolfpack Football The Duke’s Mayo Bowl
in 2014.
In the first quarter, with the Red Raiders driving, his third career pass
and raced 84 yards for a score. That marked the seventh-longest in-
terception return in school history and the longest since 2001. In the
fourth quarter, he picked off his fourth career pass.
White also tallied five total tackles, including a huge eight-yard sack.
PACKED HOUSE
NC State’s last home game of 2022 vs. Boston College marked the
sixth sellout of the season. That’s the highest number of sold out
games in a season since the Wolfpack sold out six games in 2003.
It looks like the house will be packed in 2023 as well. As of December
14, the Wolfpack had already sold more than 31,000 season tickets
for next year, with a 92% season renewal rate!
GOOD COMPANY
When true freshman MJ Morris came in to lead the Pack to a come-
from-behind victory versus Virginia Tech, he joined some elite com-
pany in NC State and ACC history.
He was the first true freshman since Philip Rivers to throw three TD
passes in a game.
He also became one of just six true freshman in the ACC during the
playoff era to boast 20+ completions, 260+ yards, three touchdowns
and no interceptions in a game:
MJ Morris NC State 2022
Sam Howell UNC 2019 (6 times)
Trevor Lawrence Clemson 2018 (3 times)
Lamar Jackson Louisville 2015
Deshaun Watson Clemson 2014
Brad Kaaya Miami 2014
BREAKING THE TD DROUGHT
The Syracuse game marked the first time in 101 games that NC State
did not score a touchdown, as the Pack scored all nine of its points in
that loss (its first game since losing preseason ACC Player of the Year
Devin Leary) on Christopher Dunn kicks.
Before that contest, the last time the Wolfpack had failed to cross the
goal line was a 41-0 shutout at Clemson in 2014 – Dave Doeren’s sec-
ond year with the program.
In 2016, while playing Notre Dame in the remnants of Hurricane Mat-
thew, the Pack scored a touchdown on special teams but not on of-
fense. That was the only other time under Doeren that NC State failed
to score a TD offensively.
RE-DUNN-DANT
Kicker Christopher Dunn held the nation’s longest active streak for
consecutive field goals made with 22 before missing one in the regular
season finalé. That’s the second-longest streak in school history.
But that’s nothing new for the fifth-year player. He also hold NC State’s
third (19), and fourth (14) longest stints of consecutive makes.
NC State Consecutive Field Goals Made
Rk Name Con. FGs
Marc Primanti, 1995-96 27
Christopher Dunn, 2022 22
Christopher Dunn, 2018-19 19
Christopher Dunn, 2019 14
Danny Deskevich, 1998 12
Steve Videtich, 1993-94 12
LOSING LEARY
For the second time in his career, QB Devin Leary suffered a sea-
son-ending injury in 2022.
In 2020, Leary broke his foot in Game 5 and underwent surgery and
this year, he tore a pec muscle (on a late hit) in Game 6.
Following the 2020 injury, Leary came back and had a record-set-
ting campaign in 2021, tallying 35 passing touchdowns and just five
interceptions, while racking up 3,433 yards through the air. Only
three other QBs have done that (35 TDs, five or less picks and 3,400+
yards) in the playoff era: Mac Jones (Alabama), Marcus Mariota (Ore-
gon) and Cody Kessler (USC).
Leary decided to enter the transfer portal following the regular sea-
son.
BREAK OUT THE SYRUP
NC State’s coaches give out bottles of syrup to the offensive line
each week – one bottle for every pancake block. Following the win
over Florida State, the entire offense could have eaten stacks for days
with all of the bottles that would’ve been awarded, as the offense
combined for 34 pancakes blocks.
The Wolfpack rushed for a season-high 182 yards against the Semi-
noles – most against an ACC opponent since running for 270 yards vs.
Wake Forest in the 2020 season opener.
The offensive line tallied 29 pancakes – led by C Grant Gibson and RT
Tim McKay with career highs of eight each. LT Anthony Belton also
tied his career-best with six.
TOUCHDOWN, THOMAS!
When wide receiver Thayer Thomas was being coached in high
school by NC State’s all-time touchdown reception leader Torry Holt,
he had no idea that one day his name would be second to Holt’s in
the NC State record book in that category.
Thomas hauled in eight touchdown catches last season and four in
2022 – giving him 24 for his career. That mark trails Holt’s career
mark by seven.
His 22nd touchdown grab vs. UConn might have been his most
dramatic, marking the first time since 1991 that the Wolfpack scored
on the first offensive play of the game. Thomas made the beautiful
catch, then won the race to the end zone resulting in a 75-yard score.
Thomas has pulled down a touchdown reception in 18 different
games during his career.
Career Leaders in Touchdown Receptions
Rk. Name, Years TD Rec.
Torry Holt, 1995-98 31
Thayer Thomas, 2018-pres. 24
Jerricho Cotchery, 2000-03 21
Jarvis Williams, 2007-10 20
Jaylen Samuels, 2014-17 19
TOUCHDOWN, THOMAS PART 2
Not only does Thayer Thomas catch touchdowns, he also throws
them.
When the fifth-year grad student hit running back Demie Sumo-
Karngbaye for a 38 yard score in the win over Texas Tech, it marked
the fourth touchdown pass of his career.
Thomas has thrown 13 passes in his career, and although he’s only
NC STATE Wolfpack Football The Duke’s Mayo Bowl
completed seven, that completion to touchdown ratio is pretty
strong.
He threw for two TDs in 2019, one in ‘20 and then vs. the Red
Raiders. In total, he’s passed for 194 yards.
SNAP DECISION
NC State long snapper Joe Shimko has snapped for every placekick
since the beginning of the 2019 season. He boasts 236 long snaps
and 235 short snaps (that’s 471 total snaps for his career with ZERO
bad snaps!).
Shimko was named to the 2022 Patrick Mannelly Award semifinalist
list – given to the nation’s best player at his position. Before this sea-
son, only seniors were eligible for the award, which is named after the
former NFL long snapper, and will be presented to the player judged
to be the best FBS long snapper.
Last season, Shimko was named a fourth-team All-American accord-
ing to Phil Steele.
ESTABLISHING THE CULTURE
Anyone who spends any time around the NC State Football program
will tell you that the culture might be its strongest asset. Dave Doeren
introduced his 1Pack1Goal brand when he became head coach in De-
cember of 2012, describing it as a united mission to win a champion-
ship.
In 2016, when former quarterback Philip Rivers spoke to the team, he
added to that, saying that the Wolfpack played “hard, tough, together.”
Those aren’t just hashtags for the Wolfpack, they’ve become a way of
life. And stability at the head coach position has definitely given the
Wolfpack an advantage when it comes to building that culture and
passing it down.
Doeren, who is in his 10th season at NC State, boasts the second-lon-
gest current tenure in the ACC and the 11th among FBS coaches.
Rk Name School First year Season
Kirk Ferentz Iowa 1999 24th
Mike Gundy Oklahoma St. 2005 18th
Kyle Whittingham Utah 2005 18th
Pat Fitzgerald Northwestern 2006 17th
Rick Stockstill Middle Tennessee St. 2006 17th
Troy Calhoun Air Force 2007 16th
Nick Saban Alabama 2007 16th
Dabo Swinney Clemson 2009 14th
David Shaw Stanford 2011 12th
Dave Doeren NC State 2013 10th
Mark Stoops Kentucky 2013 10th
DADDY DUTY
The Wolfpack’s first and second-team players at nose guard have
more than their position in common.
Corey Durden has two children – Jaxxon (2) and Olivianna (8 mos),
while Josh Harris is the father of Aylah – who just turned 1.
BROTHERS
There are four sets of brothers on the 2022 NC State football squad.
Crowell: These brothers have sat out with injuries this season. Micah
is a former WR turned running back, while Isaiah is a true freshman
nickel.
Seabrough: See if you can tell these two apart when they’re not in
their jerseys. Ced and Fred are the same height (6’4), within five
pounds of the same weight (245/250) and both play tight end.
Thomas: Brothers … and MVPs. Thayer was named the offensive team
MVP this season, while Drake was defensive MVP.
Vann: Davin is in his third year playing DE/DT while Rylan is a true
freshman offensive lineman.
BABY BROTHERS
In addition to the four sets of brothers currently on the squad, they
are four current players whose older brothers are Wolfpack alums.
Throwing it back the furthest is cornerback Darius Edmundson,
whose older brother Duane Herndon lettered on the defensive line
under head coach Chuck Amato from 2003-05.
Reserve quarterback Ben Finley is the younger brother of Ryan, who
was the Pack’s starting QB from 2016-18 and ranks second in school
history in career passing yards (10,505).
Offensive lineman Timothy McKay is the younger brother of Matthew
McKay, another former Wolfpack quarterback who started the first
five games of 2019.
And finally, true freshman Ashton Locklear is the second in his family
to run with the Pack. His older brother Gavin played wide receiver
from 2015-17 and then went on to become a graduate assistant coach
for the offense. He is now the wide receivers coach at Stony Brook.
GIVE A DAWG A BONE
Defensive coordinator Tony Gibson says he wants ‘dawgs’ on his de-
fense, aka tenacious, relentless, aggressive players. To commemorate
those who play with those characteristics, the defensive staff intro-
duced TAKEAWAY BONE in 2020.
When a Wolfpack defender recovers a fumble or intercepts a pass, the
BONE comes out on the sideline. The player who got the takeaway
signs it and at the end of the season, whoever has signed it the most
times gets to keep the bone.
THE JUICE SQUAD
One of the factors behind the Wolfpack’s success in recent games has
been the contributions of the players on the bench – otherwise known
as the JUICE SQUAD.
Head coach Dave Doeren challenged the players who are redshirting,
injured or otherwise not playing on the sidelines to become a factor in
the Wolfpack’s home games but helping get the crowd into the game
and loudly supporting the players on the field.
You can see that group on the sidelines at Carter-Finley waving towels,
jumping up and down … basically bringing the juice!
When NC State played at East Carolina to open the season, the entire
juice squad was able to come down on game day to be on the side-
lines.
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
In January, NC State Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan was named
the selection committee chair for the College Football Playoff (CFP).
Corrigan, who is in the second year of a three-year term at a member
of the CFP selection committee, spent the second half of the 2022
season commuting back and forth between Raleigh and Texas as the
committee compiled its weekly rankings.
He also served as the spokesperson for the CFP committee following
each week’s picks.
HTT
When former Wolfpack quarterback Philip Rivers came back to visit
his alma mater several years ago, he told the football team that at NC
State, “We play hard. We play tough. And we play together.”
Those words resonated with head coach Dave Doeren, now in his
ninth year leading the NC State football program. Hard and tough
is in his DNA and his programs have become known for being gutsy
and gritty. But it’s the together part that makes the Wolfpack unique.
NO. 1
Since 2014, NC State head coach Dave Doeren has honored a member
of the Wolfpack squad by giving them the No. 1 jersey. The 2022 cam-
paign will mark linebacker Isaiah Moore’s third wearing that special
number.
Moore was only the second underclassman to earn the privilege
(Jaylen Samuels wore the No. 1 jersey as a junior and senior) when he
first wore the jersey in 2020.
Moore has also been the de facto leader of the team’s involvement in
the #PackUnited movement, which stands out against racial violence
and social justice.
Year Name, Pos.
2014 Jarvis Byrd, CB
2015 Hakim Jones, SAF
2016 Jaylen Samuels, TE
2017 Jaylen Samuels, TE/H
2018 Stephen Louis, WR
2019 James Smith-Williams, DE
2020 Isaiah Moore, LB
2021 Isaiah Moore, LB
2022 Isaiah Moore, LB
WELCOME TO THE PACK
The Wolfpack will have two new faces on the sideline for the Duke’s
Mayo Bowl, as Robert Anae has joined the staff as offensive coordina-
tor and Garett Tujague is the new offensive line coach. They replace
former OC Tim Beck, who left to take the head coach job at Coastal
Carolina and John Garrison, who took a job at Ole Miss.
Anae has developed some of the nation’s most prolific offenses during
his 36-year career.
A three-time nominee for the Frank Broyles Award as the nation’s
top assistant coach, Anae’s offense has finished in the top-25 of 10
different NCAA offensive statistical categories a total of 56 times in
his 16-year tenure as an OC, including 21 top-10 rankings
Anae, who has spent the last 16 seasons as an FBS offensive coordi-
nator, comes to NC State after spending last season as the offensive
coordinator at Syracuse. Prior to his stint with the Orange, he served
as Virginia’s OC for six years, leading a unit that ranked third in the
FBS in total offense in 2021.
Tujague is a 30-year veteran who brings a wealth of experience, in-
cluding six seasons as a head coach. He comes to Raleigh after seven
seasons coaching the offensive line at Virginia. He spent nine seasons
working with Anae, at both Virginia and BYU.
Under Tujague’s (TOO-jay) guidance, the Cavalier offensive line paved
the way for three of the top quarterbacks in Virginia history: Brennan
Armstrong, Bryce Perkins and Kurt Benkert. His units also helped the
Cavaliers tally over 5,000 yards of total offense in 2018, 2019 and 2021.
QUICK HITTERS
• Head coach Dave Doeren planned to become an orthopaedic sur-
geon following graduation from Drake and even took the MCAT ex-
ams. But after working a seven-on-seven camp one summer he fell
in love with coaching and never went back.
• NC State’s all-time leading scorer Christopher Dunn honed his kick-
ing skills on a goal he welded himself in his yard as a freshman in
high school.
• Grant Gibson’s grandfather, Harvey Gantt, was the first black stu-
dent to attend Clemson University and the first black mayor of Char-
lotte. The Gantt Center for African-American Arts+Culture is named
in his honor. His mother Sonja was a long-time news anchor, working
at WGN in Chicago and WCNC in Charlotte.
• When he was 10 years old, RB Jordan Houston was the second-fast-
est kid in the U.S. in the 100 meters competing for USA Track & Field.
• Freshman offensive lineman Jacarrius Peak was featured in the Netflix Series Titletown High, which
chronicled Valdosta High School.
• When CB Derrek Pitts was six years old, playing for the South Dekalb Saints, a midget league team
in Atlanta, he took his first handoff handoff and ran nearly 60 yards in the wrong direction before
spiking the ball in the end zone and looking for teammates to celebrate with. Upon realizing his mis-
take, he promptly picked the ball up and weaved his way 100 yards the other way for a real score.
• Long snapper Joe Shimko raised $160,000 in a fundraiser over the summer for the Monmouth Ocean
Foundation for Children and the Red Bank Food Bank in his home state of New Jersey. He raised so
much money that he was able to take $25,000 and donate it to GiGi’s Playhouse – a down syndrome
achievement center in Raleigh.
• The Pack has a Thomas brother starting on both sides of the ball: Thayer Thomas at WR and Drake
Thomas at linebacker. When they started in the same game for the first time in 2019, there were the
first brothers to start at the same time since DaJuan and DeAndre Morgan started at SAF and CB in
2007.
• Payton Wilson’s brother Bryse is a pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates (formerly the Atlanta Braves).
• Graduate transfer Chandler Zavala is the son of Demetrio Zavala, a chef and “Chopped” Grand
Champion on the Food Network.