Even with perfect record, QB Devin Leary and NC State offense trying to get in sync
Devin Leary, like many athletes, admits to being his own worst critic.
The N.C. State quarterback is pleased with having his team 3-0 and ranked 12th nationally in the AP Top 25. As for his own play in the 3-0 start ...
“I think there’s always room for improvement,” Leary said Tuesday. “I think as leader of this team, as a guy who gets the ball every play, calling the plays, relaying them from (offensive coordinator Tim) Beck, I always seek to get better, I always want to improve week by week.
“For me, it’s always asking the team what they need from me. I think that’s the biggest thing. Do I need to lead better? How do I need to control the game better? How do I need to play better? I am my biggest critic, but my goal each and every week is to see improvement on the film.”
What the redshirt junior has seen on the film has been an offense that has sputtered, especially in the passing game, where Leary and his receivers have not been on the same page.
Gone is wide receiver Emeka Emezie, known for big-play catches. The Wolfpack has talent at receiver and some guys with speed, but Leary often has turned to reliable slot receiver Thayer Thomas in tight situations or on big third-down plays.
In the first half of the Pack’s 27-14 win over Texas Tech on Saturday, Leary overthrew an open Keyon Lesane deep down the left sideline. In the second half, Anthony Smith got behind the cornerback but Leary’s pass was slightly underthrown, Smith reaching back over his left shoulder for the ball but coming up empty.
The timing was just a little off on both throws. But it was off and the connection wasn’t there on what could have been big plays.
“He’s trying to find some chemistry with new guys, and I think that’s a work in progress,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said Monday. “The chemistry is still in the infant stages.”
Penalties and mistakes also have been costly to the offense. A Thomas-to-Leary touchdown pass on a well-conceived trick play Saturday was negated by tackle Anthony Belton being penalized as an ineligible receiver downfield.
Then there was Demie Sumo-Karngbaye’s fumble. The running back took a pass from Leary and seemed touchdown-bound, only to have the football knocked out of his hands as he was about to cross the goal line.
Instead of a TD, it was a touchback and Texas Tech ball. Leary, already denied a touchdown catch by the penalty, was denied a touchdown pass by the fumble.
His reaction?
“I remember coming to the sideline and Demie was really down on himself for a moment,” Leary said. “I mean, he’s a young player and he’s still growing, still learning.
“I remember asking him, ‘Hey, Demie, do you want to get to the NFL? Do you want to be an NFL player?’ Obviously his response was ‘yes.’ I told him, ‘Well, there’s many a scout down here watching this game right now and the first thing they want to see is how you respond.’ He looked me in the eyes and thanked me and said, ‘I got you.’ On the next series he went out and scored a touchdown and responded like a pro.”
Such is leadership. Leary was named the 2022 preseason ACC Player of the Year based off a tremendous 2021 in which when he had 35 TD passes and five interceptions. He has not been close to that kind of passing pace in the first three games this season — five TDs and one interception — but his leadership approach has not changed as the Wolfpack offense tries to find itself.
A few years ago, Leary said he approached linebacker Payton Wilson with a similar NFL challenge on the sideline. He said he’s had former Pack quarterback Mike Glennon, who played in the NFL, say the same to him in conversation.
Does Leary want to play in the NFL? He does. As he would say — and Leary maintains direct eye contact with any questioner during his answers — it’s a matter of how he responds to a slower-than-expected start this season.
Center Grant Gibson, a graduate senior, expects the response from his QB will be a good one, a strong one.
“Just seeing him, he’s the one who talks to the whole team now,” Gibson said Tuesday. “When he speaks, it’s dead quiet like, ‘What does he have to say?’
“Just seeing how he takes complete control of the offense ... during the game this past weekend, he’s coming up and down the sideline like, ‘Let’s go! Let’s go! :et’s get it going!’ He’s trying to make sure the offense is on point.”
That’s the goal of the Wolfpack offense — to consistently be on point.
“I told Devin there’s games last year where veteran players made veteran plays to help you, and right now we’re trying to make the same plays with guys who are not veteran at times,” Doeren said. “There’s a plan for that, and in my opinion, over time, that gets really good.”
Connecticut at No. 12 NC State
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh.
TV: RSN, Bally Sports.
This story was originally published September 21, 2022 at 6:40 AM with the headline "Even with perfect record, QB Devin Leary and NC State offense trying to get in sync."
