NC State Center Zeke Correll: "They Have A Really Solid Front"

NC State center Zeke Correll played in a lot of big games during his time at Notre Dame.  He discussed his first start in Raleigh, Tennessee’s defense, and much more with the media.

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.

Another game, but realistically, you have a lot of teammates from the Charlotte area. How special is it to play for them as they get to be back home again? 
Yeah, more importantly, they play for NC State though. So they gotta represent NC State. Obviously, going home and have more family, friends at the game. But at the end of the day, they're playing for NC State. And we gotta represent our team well for our fans and we owe it to ourselves too.

I don't know if you've been asked this, sir, but the running game, it kind of exploded there in the fourth quarter. Do y'all take great pride in that, seeing that chip, chip, chip, chip away and then finally you killed it off? 
Yeah, I think we do. But also, I know we're urgent to fix the issues that we had some glaring issues. I think it starts with communication. And I think once we can do what we did in the fourth quarter, all four quarters, it's gonna be a really fun year. And this offense is gonna see a lot more success. But I think it all starts up front with the offensive line. 

I'm sure you saw all three fourth and ones, or fourth and shorts. What did you see that you guys did well, or what can you get better at as a group? 
Yeah, it all starts with assignment, making sure we're all on the same page. And then, obviously, short yard situation's different than normal down the distance. You gotta get lower pads, maybe tighten your split a little bit. You gotta strain extra hard to get that one yard. And we didn't do that at a high enough level on Thursday. And that starts with the O-line. That starts with making sure you're prepared going into that week. And I think we're doing a better job this week, making sure we're prepared in that moment. So that doesn't happen. 

How many Saturdays did you have off? How did you enjoy your Saturday? 
It was great. I literally sat on my couch for 11 hours and watched football all day. So it was definitely nice. 

What games did you watch? 
 I had a quad screen going all day. So I watched literally pretty much every game. 

So you've played against some or with some really talented tackles in your career. Anthony Belton's obviously one of them. What makes him a special football player? 
Yeah, obviously, he's a really big guy. But more than that, watching him pass set at how big he is, it's like you just kind of, whoa. I've got to be able to move like that. And not only that, but he can be really explosive. And there's a few times last week where he kind of just flat back the guy and landed on him. Like I'm surprised he didn't crush some ribs when he did that. But he's really a special, talented guy. And when he's playing at his best, look out because he's a really good ball player. 

Is there a moment with Anthony when you first came here and saw him make a great play like that? I was like, oh, that's why they call him Escalade. 
I think just being around him, because obviously, you're an average human. I'm a large, large guy. But he makes me look like a middle schooler. But I think definitely just watching some of those pass sets, like watching how quick his feet are. And it kind of reminded me of the blind side. Just like, oh, Sandra Bullock says his feet are quicker than a hiccup. I think that's kind of what A.B. is. 

Speaking of big dudes, you're going up against some big dudes this week.  Your thoughts on Tennessee's front?
Yeah, they have a really solid front. They have a lot of depth. They have a lot of guys that can play good football. And we never are going to go into a week underprepared. Or you always got to respect your opponent. Make sure you play your best football. And they got a good defense. So we have our hands full this week in preparation. And I think the most important thing is making sure we're communicating well, we're on the same page. And then when we're doing scout stuff this week, our scout team's giving a good look.

So do you see this as a unique opportunity or just one opportunity out of 12? How do you value this game? 
Yeah, obviously, it's a unique opportunity. We're going to play in the NFL Stadium. We're going, you know, we're the home team, but it's not in Carter-Finley. So obviously, it's a little different. Night game, all of the above. But we play Tennessee. And it's NC State versus Tennessee. And we just gotta handle business.