NC State football countdown to kickoff: 25
The NC State football season opener for 2023 is at Connecticut on Aug. 31 — or 25 days away. TheWolfpacker.com’s countdown for the season looks at the significance of the number 25 in Pack history.
NC State Football And The No. 25
• One of the most intriguing young players on the NC State football roster is early enrollee and true freshman Brandon Cisse, a cornerback from Sumter (S.C.) Lakewood High, who will don jersey No. 25. The 6-foot, 182-pounder has gone from under-the-radar to good bet to burn his redshirt in the span of a year.
Cisse did not have any Power Five offers when he showed up at the NC State football camp in June of 2022. A stellar combination of testing results and one-on-one production led to an offer that Cisse did not take long to accept.
Over time, On3’s evaluators became fans of Cisse and rated him a four-star despite the lack of major scholarships. If the spring was an accurate indicator, On3 may look smart. Cisse has made a quick impression, and at the start of preseason camp this past Wednesday was already running second string with the cornerbacks.
• In an era where the passing game was not nearly as emphasized, former NC State football receiver Pat Kenney was a big-play threat wearing No. 25 for the Wolfpack.
In 1972, Kenney set a school record for receiving yards in a season while leading the ACC that year with 832 yards on just 38 receptions. That mark held up for 16 years until Nasrallah Worthen surpassed Kenney by hailing in 856 yards on 56 receptions for NC State in 1988.
Kenney also became the first Pack receiver to lead the conference in receiving yards in a season. Kenney’s 21.9 yards per catch that year was a NC State record until Owen Spencer averaged 22.3 yards a reception in 2008.
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Unsurprisingly, Kenney was named first-team All-ACC and selected as the team MVP on what was Lou Holtz’s first squad at NC State. The Wolfpack finished 8-3-1 overall, was second in the ACC with a 4-1-1 mark and ended the year ranked No. 17 in the Associated Press poll after defeating No. 18 West Virginia, 49-13, in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.
For his career, Kenney caught 63 passes for 1,145 yards, and his average of 18.2 yards per reception is third highest all-time for NC State football.
• NC State football is undefeated under head coach Dave Doeren in three games played on the 25th of the month, with two of those wins coming in rivalry showdowns with archrival North Carolina. As luck has it, the two play this year on Nov. 25 in Raleigh.
The first of those was a 28-21 triumph in 2016 in Chapel Hill that Doeren largely credits saving his job at NC State. The third win on the 25th of the month may be the most memorable — a 27-21 double overtime win against No. 9 Clemson last year in September.
