NC State was in pads on Saturday for its second scrimmage of spring practice, and the Wolfpack got through it without any significant injuries, which is always good. That Pack is a little banged up in some places, though--Bra'Lon Cherry, Stephen Louis, and Johnathan Alston were not able to play.
But that does open the door for guys like redshirt freshman Elliott Davis, who recently made the transition from defensive back to receiver. Dave Doeren liked his effort during the scrimmage, but also lamented the absence of the other players. After all, those guys could use plenty of reps as well.
"[Davis's] come a long way and he's a benefactor of a lot of reps because of our situation. Unfortunately, we have a position that is young and, none of them are major, but it has a lot of minor bumps and bruises that are allowing him to get a ton of reps."
Davis is one part of a larger position shuffle, which has primarily been centered around the Wolfpack's front seven. Between the losses at defensive tackle, end, and linebacker, State's coaches have a challenge to figure out the best way to re-shape that portion of the defense.
So far that's meant Kentavius Street moving inside, Bradley Chubb and Ty Linton moving from linebacker to defensive end, tight end Garrett Bradbury shifting to DT, and Airius Moore moving from middle linebacker to the weak side. Moore's move frees him up to play alongside MLB Jerod Fernandez.
Moore only started a few games in 2014 since he was stuck behind Fernandez, but he got more reps during the latter half of the season and made enough plays to show he deserved more time on the field. That problem is solved. So that's one down.
"It has been a good move for us," Doeren said. "Those guys have really good chemistry, and they're playing well together. For Jerod and Airius, they've always kind of supported each other, now they're out there together. I think they're having fun playing together at the same time."
In more important news, Doeren said he was pleased with the way NC State's punters performed. Place kicking, sure, that might be an adventure. As long as the punting situation is squared away, however, everything's gonna be just fine.