NC State football countdown to kickoff: 11
The NC State football season opener for 2022 is at East Carolina on Sept. 3 — or 11 days away from Tuesday. The Wolfpacker continues its countdown for the season with notes about the number 11.
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11: Significant notes involving the number 11 in NC State football history
• One of the most recognizable players on the NC State football roster wears No. 11: fifth-year redshirt junior linebacker Payton Wilson.
In the two seasons Wilson has been healthy, he has made a big impact for NC State. That included in 2020, when Wilson led the ACC with 108 tackles despite missing two games. That included 11.5 hits for loss and 3.5 sacks, and Wilson also added two interceptions.
Unfortunately for NC State, Wilson has also dealt with injuries. He tore his ACL as a senior at Orange High School in Hillsborough, N.C., and then suffered a similar injury after his arrival in Raleigh that forced him to redshirt in 2018. Then last fall, Wilson injured his shoulder in Week Two at Mississippi State and was lost for the remainder of the season.
When healthy, Wilson is one of the premier linebackers in the ACC. NC State football strength and conditioning coordinator Dantonio “Thunder” Burnette listed Wilson as one of the top five freaks on the team. A big season this fall will help Wilson become a high NFL Draft pick.
• The other player who wears No. 11 is one of the least known veterans on the roster. Former Maryland wideout Darryl Jones was one of two transfer portal additions in the offseason.
Last season, Jones caught 23 passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns for the Terrapins.
After being slowed by a hamstring injury in the spring, Jones has earned some praise from head coach Dave Doeren during preseason camp. The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder is credited with being a good athlete for his size.
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Coming out of Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach, Jones was an On3 Consensus four-star and No. 6 prospect in Virginia’s 2018 class. He picked Maryland over offers from Syracuse, UCF, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia, among others.
• One of the most famous players to wear No. 11 for NC State football is quarterback Dave Buckey, who was the first-ever Wolfpack signal caller to go over 4,000 career passing yards.
From 1972-75, Buckey completed 303 of 524 passes for 4,004 yards and 22 touchdowns. Buckey’s 8.18 yards per pass attempt is still the highest all-time mark in NC State history, and his completion percentage of 57.8 percent is tied with Russell Wilson for seventh best.
His passing effiency rating of 133.12 is sixth best all-time for the Pack.
Buckey finished his first season in Raleigh winning Offensive MVP of the 1972 Peach Bowl and ended his time selected first-team All-ACC. NC State’s record over those four seasons, all coached by Lou Holtz, was 33-12-3.
• NC State football and Louisville have played a total of 11 times, including four games prior to the Cardinals joining the ACC. The Cards lead the all-time series, 7-4, but NC State has taken three of the last four, including a 28-13 win last season in Raleigh.
The two teams will meet at Louisville on Nov. 19.
