Bryant Says Pack Can't Get Distracted

Football is a team game. There are 11 men on the field and each has to do its job for the unit to be successful.

It is also a sport that requires depth to be elite. A violent game means the next man has to be ready. A fatiguing event demands substitutions without dropoff.

NC State has one of the best defensive lines in the nation and on the big stage Thursday against Louisville the Wolfpack front shined.

There was, however, one name that might have been unexpected among the defensive leaders.

Eurndraus Bryant led the Wolfpack in sacks against the Cardinals with two and was a force whenever he was on the field spelling at defensive end.

For Bryant, the key is patience. When the time comes, he has to make a play.

“The things that I do, that they do, it helps us create energy for ourselves so they just tell me to keep going,” Bryant said of the message he receives from his teammates. “Just keep going every week and keep improving. The plays will come when it is time.”

The task given to the NC State defensive line is not limited to making plays against the opposition.

The Wolfpack defensive front also helps prepare the offensive line for ACC play and it is paying off. Will Richardson was recently named ACC Offensive Lineman of the week and NC State is getting the rushing yards along with the pass protection its needs to be successful.

That is all a part of the plan.

“The looks we can give them will definitely help [the offensive line] out,” Bryant said. “I think we are good and an established defensive line. We are very experienced right now. It can help them a lot.”

While Bryant is not a senior nor a starter on the defensive line, he is a part of a unit that has developed a close bond.

The recent passing of Darian Roseboro’s father means the team has pulled together even tighter.

“It is very close,” Bryant said. “It is so crazy how it has changed since my freshman year to now. It is like three years of experience and you almost feel like you have been with them your whole life. That is how close it has gotten. We are like brothers, blood brothers.

“Being [Roseboro’s] brother, we have to make sure he is straight, he is alright. We sent him and his mom some flowers to just make sure everything is good with him.”

There is plenty of hype around the NC State program and it is building. The Wolfpack has reached the top-20 and the prospects for one of the better seasons in school history are there.

Bryant counsels against putting the horse before the cart, especially when fans are students excitedly speculate on NC State’s future.

“We are not really paying attention to it,” Bryant said of the ranking. “We know it is there. We don’t want to pay attention to all of that and get distracted. You just basically have to tell [students and fans] we are going to keep playing, building and preparing for every other team.”