NC State’s defense heads into Saturday’s season opener with something most teams don’t get in Week 0: a real feel for the quarterback.
When the Wolfpack line up against Virginia in Charlottesville, safety King Mack and linebacker Da'Kaari Nelson won’t be meeting Beau Pribula for the first time. Both spent their early college years at Penn State with the dual-threat quarterback, who is now Virginia’s Week 0 starter after transferring from Missouri. That shared background gives NC State a built-in layer of scouting that goes beyond film.
Mack knew the matchup was coming as soon as Pribula’s move to Virginia was finalized. "Once he end up going to Virginia, I knew that we'd see him week one," Mack said.
"I was like, yep." Nelson had the same realization once the schedule came into focus.
"It definitely started this summer when I found out we were playing Virginia," he said. "Then week zero came, I'm like, I know this dude real good.
So it was a yes moment."
What stands out to both defenders is Pribula’s athleticism, especially when he decides to take off. Mack still remembers the first time he saw that part of the game in person.
"He did a read option, and I was like, yo, he got wheels," Mack said. "He gave flashes of the Texas A&M Johnny Manziel..
Like he could move." Mack also saw the work behind the talent up close, including time in the weight room.
"Bo is definitely a workhorse. I've got a lot of respect for him."
That familiarity gives NC State a starting point, but it doesn’t solve the problem by itself. Mack says Pribula trusts his legs and will go if he sees even a sliver of daylight.
"We know that if he sees any scene, he's going to take it. He trusts his speed," Mack said.
"So we know that we have to tackle. We know we have to keep contained.
Everybody has to do our job, because he's so fast that if you give him any little room, he's gonna take advantage of it."
That’s where the Wolfpack’s offseason emphasis comes into play. DJ Eliot’s message in fall camp has centered on finishing plays, swarming to the ball and gang-tackling instead of letting runs or scrambles slip away. A quarterback like Pribula, who can turn a broken play into a chunk gain in an instant, is the kind of early test that shows whether that approach has really taken hold.
Nelson, too, has noticed Pribula’s game change since their Penn State days. "I think he got more comfortable throwing the ball," Nelson said.
"The first four weeks of the season, he was a Heisman candidate. He got way more comfortable in the pocket, making the easy passes instead of trying to force things down field.
That's where he improved his game."
Virginia’s new system under Tony Elliott, along with a rebuilt receiving corps, adds another layer of uncertainty. NC State may know the player, but not the exact version of Pribula that will show up Saturday.
The Wolfpack has tried to remove as many unknowns as possible on its side. Nelson said the defense spent the summer in player-led walkthroughs with no coaches on the field, using cards to work through route concepts and staying ahead of whatever an opponent might throw at them. After last season, he said the urgency changed.
"Coming off last season wasn't the season we wanted, so the standard changed for us," Nelson said. "Instead of waiting till fall camp to get it right, we're going to get it right now. So when the season comes, it'll be the easiest thing ever."
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN. Virginia is a 5.5-point favorite, but NC State’s defense brings a kind of edge that doesn’t show up in the betting line: two defenders who already know plenty about the quarterback on the other side.
"We respect every opponent," Mack said. "At the end of the day, we going to come out, and I trust our scheme, I trust our coaches, I trust my teammates, and I know we're going to perform."
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That front will have to set the tone quickly because so many of the skill-position pieces are new. Virginia is also replacing its top running back after JMari Taylors 1,000-yard season, with Jekail Middlebrook stepping into that role, while a largely rebuilt receiving corps tries to grow up around the quarterback competition. For NC State, it makes this an early test up front against a line that should be experienced, sturdy and far more settled than the offense behind it. [Read more 🡒]
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Dave Doeren spent part of the lead-up to NC States opener making sure nobody inside the program treated Virginia like a soft landing spot. The Cavaliers are coming off the best season in program history, and under ACC Coach of the Year Tony Elliot they return the look of a team that knows what it is doing on both sides of the ball. Doeren pointed to Virginias experience as a real part of the challenge, with a roster that should be far more settled than the average early-season opponent.
For the Wolfpack, the assignment gets more complicated because Virginia also brings a quarterback situation that demands extra planning and a defense with some uncertainty attached. Doeren emphasized the value of earning a win over a strong opponent right away, which is exactly why this one carries more weight than a typical September opener. The only catch for NC State is that the Cavaliers may not be quite as settled as they appear, with one of their key defensive pieces still working through a major injury recovery heading into the game. [Read more 🡒]