Notebook: Wide receiver Kelvin Harmon off to hot start
Ken Martin/TheWolfpacker.com
NC State sophomore wide receiver Kelvin Harmon is starting to live up to his considerable potential, perhaps even faster than expected.
Harmon has topped the century mark in yards his first two games, something he achieved just once last year (against Syracuse). The physical 6-3, 213-pounder had 10 catches for 114 yards last week against South Carolina, and then added nine receptions for 121 yards versus Marshall on Saturday. Among those nine grabs was a 34-yard touchdown that give the Wolfpack a 23-20 lead with 16 seconds left in the first half. NCSU never relinquished the lead en route to a 37-20 triumph.
Harmon has complete confidence that he can make a play every down. He put in extra time last summer with redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Finley, who called any man-to-man coverage on Harmon a “yes play.”
“I just know if I use the correct technique, there is a good chance I’ll get the ball,” Harmon said.
His 265 receiving yards gives him a strong chance of reaching 1,000 for the season. He needs to average 69.5 yards per game over the next potential 11 games to reach 1,000, which would make him the first Wolfpack wideout to achieve that feat since Jerricho Cotchery in 2003.
“He is a tough matchup,” head coach Dave Doeren said. “People are going to continue to play man-to-man and pack it in, and he’ll continue to get 100-yard games. He has had two in a row and I don’t think that is changing any time soon if they keep playing man-to-man.”
NC State’s passing attack has carried the offense the first two games — redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Finley has thrown for 756 yards and five touchdowns — with multiple receivers showcasing big-play ability. Harmon and senior H-back Jaylen Samuels were dominant against South Carolina, and Harmon and redshirt junior wide receiver Stephen Louis came through against Marshall. Louis added five catches for 73 yards, which included a 24-yard score.
“It feels really good to get the win,” said Louis, who added that the emphasis was for the receivers collectively reach 100-plus yards after the catch.
NC State Secondary Gets Tested
Marshall redshirt junior wide receiver Tyre Brady set a new Carter-Finley Stadium record for receiving yards with 11 catches for 248 yards and one touchdown, and exposed NC State’s depth at cornerback.
Marshall junior quarterback Chase Litton attacked NCSU fifth-year senior cornerback Johnathan Alston repeatedly in the first half. Brady had six catches for 188 yards at halftime.
NC State adjusted in the second half and inserted redshirt freshman James Valdez for his first extended playing time. Valdez dinged his left knee, but Doeren was hopeful that it wasn’t anything serious. Alston finished with seven tackles and one pass broken up, and Valdez had four stops.
“Brady at receiver was an outstanding player,” Doeren said. “We didn’t defend him well in the first half, but I thought our adjustments were solid in the second half. Marshall has always had good receivers.”
The Alston/Valdez duo were filling in for injured senior cornerback Mike Stevens, who has missed the first two games due to a knee injury. Stevens could be back next week against Furman.
The secondary also featured two new starters at safety with redshirt freshman Isaiah Stallings and sophomore Tim Kidd-Glass. Stallings replaced sophomore Jarius Morehead, but then the latter came in for the second quarter and closed the game out. Kidd-Glass was filling in for injured redshirt junior free safety Dexter Wright.
Litton completed 26 of 43 passes for 350 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, which NCSU senior weakside linebacker Airius Moore notched.
Wolfpack Running Game Searching For Rhythm
NC State junior running backs Reggie Gallaspy and Nyheim Hines helped the Wolfpack rush for 144 yards and two touchdowns against Marshall. The yardage was aided by Finley contributing 46 yards.
The running lanes were a little congested at times, but the Wolfpack loosened up the Thundering Herd during the second half. Gallaspy scored on a one-yard plunge in the third quarter and then put the game out of reach with a 23-yard scamper with 3:58 left in the contest.
“We are a balanced offense and when we can run and pass, we are hard to deal with,” Finley said. “We had some really good runs by Reggie.”
Doeren was impressed with how Gallaspy ran down the stretch. He pointed out that Marshall loaded up for the Wolfpack’s outside runs, so offensive coordinator Eli Drinkwitz turned to more inside zone plays. The reworked offensive line will only get better with more experience playing together.
“Reggie can do it every game, and we love him and Nyheim in the backfield because they can make plays,” NCSU senior right guard Tony Adams said. “He [Gallaspy] broke a really good tackle for that last play, the 23-yard run on that last play.”
Gallaspy finished with 12 carries for 61 yards and two touchdowns, and Hines had 13 carries for 29 yards. The hope is that the return of redshirt junior right tackle Will Richardson will help take the running game to a new level. Richardson has been suspended the first two games for violating team policy. Richardson’s return will also lead to redshirt junior Terronne Prescod going back to left guard.
“It is going to be a great addition and we’ll have our full line back,” Adams said. “It is one of those things where when everything is together and all the pieces of the puzzle are together, it just looks beautiful. It’s a symphony.”
Finding a running rhythm during last week’s 35-28 loss to South Carolina in Charlotte also proved difficult at times. The Wolfpack had 89 yards and two touchdowns against the Gamecocks. NCSU understood going into the season, it would be difficult replacing star running back Matthew Dayes, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards last year.
“Since we have all the pieces in place and 100 percent, there is no doubt nobody can stop us,” Adams said.
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