Tony Gibson is ready to see his standout NC State defense in action

Will the NC State football defense meet its lofty expectations in 2022? The answer to that begins high. noon Saturday, Sept. 3 at East Carolina.

The Pack was No. 2 in the ACC last season in points per game allowed (19.7) and third in total yards permitted a contest (331.6), rushing yards surrendered (124.0) and passing yards given up (207.6). NC State was the only defense in the conference to be able to claim a spot in the top three of all those statistical categories.

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Seventeen defenders who started multiple games in 2021 are back this fall. Two more who have made one start also return.

The preseason predictions of success for the Wolfpack defenders doesn’t bother third-year defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Tony Gibson.

“We’re not running from it; we’re running to it,” Gibson noted.

The internal ambitions are also high for Gibson’s unit.

“We’re here for a reason,” Gibson said. “I want to be the best defense in the country. That’s my goal every year.

“They can bring all the hype they can give us, but we’ve got to go out and execute. I want that pressure. I want us to be the best. In order to do that, we have to practice that way and play that way.”

The first test will come from East Carolina quarterback and former NC State football recruiting target Holton Ahlers, who elected to return for a super senior season. Ahlers has thrown for 10,219 yards and 69 touchdowns in his Pirates career.

“He’s got a lot of experience,” Gibson noted. “Their coordinator obviously has a lot of experience. They haven’t had any rollover on the offensive side of the ball since 2019.

“[Ahlers] is a veteran. He understands the game. He’s also a threat to run the ball when he sees something that he doesn’t like. We have to be on our toes.”

NC State’s experience has made game prep a smoother process.

“You don’t have to spend as much time schematically,” Gibson noted. “Now it’s all about the offense. Where we need to be elite is our communication — see formations, understand situational football, down and distance. Just things before they weren’t really worried about.

“They just worried about getting lined up. Now, they can do all those things because they understand what we are doing and how we are trying to attack offenses.”

Tony Gibson On Key NC State Defenders

Tony Gibson also broke down the progress of a few NC State defenders through fall camp:

• Super senior nose tackle Cory Durden: “It all starts with our nose guard. We’ve got to be strong in the middle of our defense with what we do. Our middle linebacker, our safety and our nose guard — those guys have to be the anchor up there.

“He’s phenomenal at doing that. He’s in the best shape he’s been in. He’s had a full offseason. He’s playing as well as I’ve ever seen him.”

• Fourth-year redshirt sophomore defensive lineman C.J. Clark (returning from injury): “C.J. is playing end and nose. We’re using him a little bit everywhere. We all know C.J. has a high motor. He’s very athletic and can do a lot of things for us. He’s good against the run and good in pass rush.

“I love where he’s at and where his head is at right now.”

• Third-year sophomore defensive lineman Davin Vann: “It really started in the spring for Davin. He’s playing at a whole other speed right now. … I think he has confidence. He’s in the best shape he’s been in. He’s getting pushed. We have a lot of guys on that d-line that have played in games.

“He’s really doing well right now. I’m excited to watch him play.”

• Super senior nickel Tyler Baker-Williams: “He’s got tremendous man skills. We use him a lot of different ways in our blitzes. He fits the run game for us. Usually, he’s matched up on everybody’s best wideout. He’s special in our scheme and what we do.”

• Redshirt freshman linebacker Jordan Poole: “Jordan has had a really good camp. He’s preparing well. He’s running with the twos right now. He is in and out of our dime package doing some things with the pass rush. Jordan has really stepped up. He’s going to be a really good player for us.”