In the Mid-American Conference, Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer had to game-plan his defenses for Ben Roethlisberger, a two-time Super Bowl champion who’s a big, yet still mobile NFL quarterback.

He sees a similar style of play in North Carolina State (4-4, 0-4 Atlantic Coast) quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

“I think before he finishes his career in the ACC that he’ll be one of the better quarterbacks — just my opinion,” Shafer said at his weekly press conference Thursday evening. “He reminds me of Ben Roethlisberger.”

Brissett, a 6-foot-4, 231-pound redshirt junior, linebacker Rodman Noel and the rest of the Wolfpack go up against Syracuse (3-5, 1-3) at 3 p.m. Saturday in the Carrier Dome.

Brissett is third in the ACC in individual offense per game, averaging 248 yards. The quarterback is also fourth in the conference in passing yards per game with 224.5. Although Brissett has just one rushing touchdown and has just one carry longer than 20 yards this season, Shafer praised his ability to extend plays from lengths of three or four seconds to seven or eight.

“He moves extremely well. He’s got to have huge hands,” Shafer said. “He made a couple of plays against Florida State that were really exceptional football plays. I mean, a couple of the better college football plays I’ve seen this year.”

In a 56-41 loss to the Seminoles on Sept. 27, Brissett threw for 357 yards and three touchdowns, while completing 32-of-48 without throwing a pick to the reigning national champions.

Shafer also likened the quarterback to his own starter, Terrel Hunt.

“I think the whole key when you’re playing a quarterback like him is to make him throw it on time,” Shafer said of Brissett. “I think we have to do a good job of containing him on the outside and pressing the pocket on the inside. He does a really good job stepping up through windows and sliding to his right or left and making plays on the run, or just tucking it and moving the chains.”

Shafer added that the NCSU defense reminds him of the units that Dave Doeren, the Wolfpack’s head coach, used to coordinate at Wisconsin. Shafer was Michigan’s defensive coordinator in 2008.

Noel, the brother of the Philadelphia 76ers’ Nerlens Noel, is a 6-foot-4, 233-pound senior linebacker. He ranks within the top 30 of the ACC in tackles per game.

He’s the Wolfpack’s third-leading tackler and his 6.5 tackles for loss on the year are best on the team.

“The thing I like about him is that he probably is the guy who takes charge of the defense as well. You can see him making calls and getting lined up,” Shafer said. “They’re an extremely well-coached defensive team.

“(Noel) makes a lot of good, sure tackles in space and he’s a physical football player, as you well know.”

Published on October 30, 2014 at 8:46 pm

Contact Phil: pmdabbra@syr.edu | @PhilDAbb