NC State Football
Finley-Harmon Combo A Welcome Sight For Wolfpack
September 10, 2017
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If a defense loads the box and plays man coverage to stop the run against NC State then they are playing with fire.
And the Wolfpack intends to burn them.
For the second straight contest redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Finley had PlayStation stats while sophomore wideout Kelvin Harmon eclipsed 100 yards receiving for the second consecutive contest as NC State pulled away in the final three quarters to defeat Marshall, 37-20, Saturday evening at Carter-Finley Stadium.
NC State started out slow, twice trailing by double-digits in the first half.
The Wolfpack rallied and go routes were a preferred method of attack. Finley found Jaylen Samuels on a 39-yard score to pull NC State within three and later hit Harmon on a 34-yard go to hand the Pack a lead it would not relinquish.
Inside Pack Sports
Kelvin Harmon
Harmon is the first player to go for at least 100 yards receiving in two straight games since Bryan Underwood accomplished the feat in 2012.
“He's a tough matchup and if people are going to continue to play man to man and pack it in there he's going to keep having 100-yard games,” NC State head coach Dave Doeren said of Harmon. “I think that's one thing, he's had two in a row and I don't see that changing anytime soon if you're going to play man-to-man.”
Finley has thrown for 761 yards in the first two games of the season.
His eyes light up when he sees the opposition try to cover Harmon with a single defender. He also knows that NC State’s receivers are not content just catching the ball.
“We call that a ‘Yes’ or a ‘Win,’ Finley said of seeing single man coverage. “I thought we had a lot of yards after the catch tonight, which was really good to see -- guys fighting for extra yards.
“Kelvin catching the ball and dragging his way to the endzone, Jay Sam getting to the end zone. [Stephen Louis] ran through three tackles on that screen pass we ran. There was a lot of YAC [yards after catch] and really physical play from the wide receivers tonight.”
Harmon has put in an inordinate amount of work over the summer to improve despite having one of the better freshman seasons for a receiver in NC State history.
When he sees there is man coverage, he simply goes back to all the instruction he received in summer and fall camp with making plays still in the back of his mind.
"I feel that every down,” Harmon said when asked if he can beat his man. “Coach McDonald told me to trust my technique. I just know if I trust my technique there's a great chance I'll get the ball."
It will be interesting to see how teams choose to cover NC State going forward. It may be man, cover-2, cover-3 or cover-4 but the trust that is building between Finley and Harman will make the Wolfpack tough to stop regardless.
"It's a good chemistry that's been building up since last year,” Harmon said. “Coming into the summer we were throwing and getting that chemistry right.
"Every game I think about taking it one play at a time. When the ball comes at me, I catch it."
And the Wolfpack intends to burn them.
For the second straight contest redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Finley had PlayStation stats while sophomore wideout Kelvin Harmon eclipsed 100 yards receiving for the second consecutive contest as NC State pulled away in the final three quarters to defeat Marshall, 37-20, Saturday evening at Carter-Finley Stadium.
NC State started out slow, twice trailing by double-digits in the first half.
The Wolfpack rallied and go routes were a preferred method of attack. Finley found Jaylen Samuels on a 39-yard score to pull NC State within three and later hit Harmon on a 34-yard go to hand the Pack a lead it would not relinquish.
Inside Pack Sports
Kelvin Harmon
Harmon is the first player to go for at least 100 yards receiving in two straight games since Bryan Underwood accomplished the feat in 2012.
“He's a tough matchup and if people are going to continue to play man to man and pack it in there he's going to keep having 100-yard games,” NC State head coach Dave Doeren said of Harmon. “I think that's one thing, he's had two in a row and I don't see that changing anytime soon if you're going to play man-to-man.”
Finley has thrown for 761 yards in the first two games of the season.
His eyes light up when he sees the opposition try to cover Harmon with a single defender. He also knows that NC State’s receivers are not content just catching the ball.
“We call that a ‘Yes’ or a ‘Win,’ Finley said of seeing single man coverage. “I thought we had a lot of yards after the catch tonight, which was really good to see -- guys fighting for extra yards.
“Kelvin catching the ball and dragging his way to the endzone, Jay Sam getting to the end zone. [Stephen Louis] ran through three tackles on that screen pass we ran. There was a lot of YAC [yards after catch] and really physical play from the wide receivers tonight.”
Harmon has put in an inordinate amount of work over the summer to improve despite having one of the better freshman seasons for a receiver in NC State history.
When he sees there is man coverage, he simply goes back to all the instruction he received in summer and fall camp with making plays still in the back of his mind.
We call that a ‘Yes’ or a ‘Win,’ I thought we had a lot of yards after the catch tonight, which was really good to see -- guys fighting for extra yards.
"I feel that every down,” Harmon said when asked if he can beat his man. “Coach McDonald told me to trust my technique. I just know if I trust my technique there's a great chance I'll get the ball."
It will be interesting to see how teams choose to cover NC State going forward. It may be man, cover-2, cover-3 or cover-4 but the trust that is building between Finley and Harman will make the Wolfpack tough to stop regardless.
"It's a good chemistry that's been building up since last year,” Harmon said. “Coming into the summer we were throwing and getting that chemistry right.
"Every game I think about taking it one play at a time. When the ball comes at me, I catch it."
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