Savion Jackson: "We're A Great Defense When We Want To Be"
NC State sophomore defensive end Savion Jackson met with the media via Zoom ahead of the Wolfpack’s Friday-night matchup against No. 11 Miami.
What can you tell us about the Wolfpack’s plans to contain D’Eriq King?
“Keeping him in the pocket. He’s really good on his feet. He’s a quick runner. If we keep him in the pocket and rush him that way, we’ll be more successful.”
How do you simulate King’s play style in practice?
“In practice, we’ve been making sure we run to the ball, tackling all the way, and wrapping. We simulate that so that, when we get into the game, it’s the same thing that we do in practice. We work on our technique. Playing defensive end, I’m working on not rushing past the ball, keeping him in the pocket, and all of that.”
Will it feel different playing college football on Friday compared to high school football?
“It’s a big difference. High school football is less detail-oriented. Obviously, playing college football has more details and smaller error to lose. It’s still the same feeling though. Football is football.”
How personal did you take the loss against North Carolina, especially considering the defense’s shortcomings versus the Tar Heels’ run game?
“We took it really personally. We came back from that loss and had a meeting as a defense. We talked about the defense that we are and how we’re a great defense when we want to be. We took the little things from the UNC game into practice and worked on every phase of what we did wrong. We fixed everything we didn’t do in the UNC game.”
What have you seen from Levi Jones that’s allowed him to make an impact on the defense?
“He’s been great. His biggest strength is in how versatile he is. He can play almost any position on the defense. He can rush the passer, he can jump into coverage, and he also has a motor, so he can chase the ball for days.”
What do you have to do to make King uncomfortable?
“He’s not as accurate as he is when he’s out and running, so we keep him in the pocket and rush him that way and not let him get loose. That’d be the best way to go.”
How much does the loss of Tuffy II affect the football team?
“It was sad to lose him. It’s big for our fan base and NC State as a whole. We hope to have a live mascot again soon. It affects the fans and the little kids that see that.”
Night games at NC State are usually big-time affairs. Does it still feel that way without a full house? Do you still have that level of excitement?
“There’s nothing like a full stadium at night at Carter-Finley Stadium, but you still have that same feeling playing under the lights. Nothing beats the full stadium, but it doesn’t matter whether we have fans or not; we’re still going to play the same way."