Pack Protects Home Turf vs Pirates

One yard.

One stop.

That was the challenge the NC State defense faced with 42 seconds on the clock and a seven-point lead in the season opener with East Carolina.

The Pirates had a nightmarish night trying to run the football, so the Pack felt a pass was coming. "I didn't expect them to try to run the ball up the middle," Dave Doeren said. "I thought it'd be something off the edges."

It was a play the Pirates ran against the Pack in the Military Bowl a year ago. Defensive coordinator "Coach (DJ) Eliot prepared them well for that play," Doeren explained. "We practiced that play throughout the week, just like that."

The play-action pass to the left was met with pressure on the edge from Utah State transfer Cian Slone. Once the pass was completed, it was one-on-one and Temple transfer Jamel Johnson would not let ECU get to the first down marker. Ronnie Royal III made the final push out of bounds.

So how do you prepare for situations like that?

"We train in chaos," Doeren said. "We try to put them in tough situations. We did it all through training camp."

Offensively, quarterback CJ Bailey was efficient and on target. The sophomore finished the night completing 24 of 34 passes for 318 yards and a touchdown. He found a keen connection with senior wide receiver Wesley Grimes who caught a 48-yard touchdown. The senior from Raleigh had a career night with 121 yards receiving, his first career 100-yard effort.

"I just had to have confidence in myself," Grimes said. "And I think when it happens, I play loose, I play free and I have fun with it. So I'm just going to keep that mindset."

"It's great to see Wesley play like that. We all knew he had it in him," Bailey added.

Another top target may have been unexpected to those seeing the Pack play for the first time. True freshman Teddy Hoffmann, from Delray Beach, Florida, had a sparkling debut with 5 catches and 93 yards. Late in the first quarter, Bailey hit Hoffmann with four straight completions for 43 yards. In the final quarter, he made a veteran adjustment on a deep ball that resulted in a 50-yard completion.

Hoffmann's play was no surprise to Bailey. "I told you that I saw a lot of growth in Teddy Hoffman and it showed today," Bailey said. "Teddy is a great player. He's amazing."

Victory formation was the final call to preserve a thrilling 24-17 win over East Carolina, the eighth-straight season opening win for Dave Doeren and the Pack.

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Team Stats

CJ Bailey

Players Mentioned

CJ Bailey

Wesley Grimes

Teddy Hoffmann

Jamel Johnson

Cian Slone