Finley Feels Adversity Has Made The Pack Stronger

NC State struggled early against South Carolina and was forced to chase the game.

The Wolfpack got off to a quick start against Syracuse and had leverage during a poor third quarter.

It is easy to tell which game was won and which was lost.

Last season NC State was throttled at Louisville in what was the lone contest of the season where the Wolfpack was not competitive. Many on the team feel it was a direct result of the tough loss suffered the week before at Clemson.

There are plenty of lessons for NC State to draw on and the Pack has to do it on a short week.

"I think getting off to a fast start is definitely going to be important in this game," redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Finley said. "I think that is one of Louisville’s strengths on offense, it’s that they put up points early. I definitely don’t think that we want to get behind and play at their tempo. We want to control the tempo of the game. I think part of that is getting off to a fast start."

NC State is not looking to repeat history but expand on recent gains.

The blowout loss to the Cardinals last season is only a point of reference and not a defining moment for the team.

Finley feels the Wolfpack grows daily and is clicking with even better days ahead.

"That is definitely not the showing we want to have," Finley said. "We are excited to get another chance.

"I think we are a very different team than we were last year. That speaks to the maturity of our team and the number of veterans we have on our team, just the number of older guys. I think this team has been through a lot -- through the fire, through adversity -- and that is when you learn. I think we are at a really good point right now culture-wise, mentally. I am excited to go out there and play."

The experience of having several near-wins last season, along with the loss at Louisville, did have a bonding effect.

NC State never wavered according to Finley. In fact, by fighting on the team took the easiest path forward.

"Anytime you go through adversity like that you become closer," Finley said. “I think that is one of the strengths of our team."

"I don’t think it is easy to give up," Finley added. "We are all competing. We are all competitors. We expect to win every game we play in...we are excited to get back out there. Obviously, we are not happy about what happened last year and we are going to be ready to play."

There is a lot swirling around NC State in terms of its football history, both recent and beyond.

Finley is just living in the moment and is keyed up to play.

"That’s all in the past," Finley said. "I don’t really care about the past. We are focused on what we are doing here. We are really excited about the opportunity out there on Thursday an ESPN, so that’s going to be fun."