We’ll soon know if Devin Leary can play, but NC State QB Jack Chambers ready if needed

The guessing game continues. Will he or won’t he?

Two days before NC. State’s game at Syracuse, Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren on Thursday did not update the status of injured quarterback Devin Leary, saying only, “You’ll know Saturday.”

While Doeren remained coy on Leary, there’s a good chance Jack Chambers will be the starter against the No. 18 Orange.

Wolfpack offensive coordinator Tim Beck remembers his first look at Chambers.

“He kind of poked his head in,” Beck said this week.

That was last spring, when Chambers was set to transfer from Charleston Southern and was visiting the Wolfpack’s Murphy Center at Carter-Finley Stadium, saying hello to the coaches.

“He was looking for a place to maybe play and move on,” Beck said.

Little could Beck have known that the player poking his head in the door, looking for a place to play, could be the starting QB for the No. 15 Wolfpack (5-1, 1-1 ACC) in the seventh game of the 2022 season, against an undefeated Syracuse team (5-0, 2-0) on the road.

For an offensive coordinator, there’s little that can chill the heart quicker than seeing his starting quarterback go down with an injury. So it was Saturday for Beck when Leary injured his right shoulder, flattened as he attempted a pass against Florida State.

Beck could only look on as Leary failed to immediately get up, then as the quarterback gently rubbed his shoulder with his left arm and grimaced while being helped off the field.

“You never like to see anybody hurt,” Beck said. “To see him down is certainly hard. He’s invested a lot. But you have to transition. The team’s counting on you and you’ve got to move on. You’ve got to get the next guy ready and you’ve got to talk to him and get his mind right.”

Chambers, a graduate student, became the No. 1 quarterback and freshman M.J. Morris the backup. The Pack moved on, fighting back for a 19-17 victory at increasingly loud Carter-Finley after trailing 17-3 at the half.

Doeren on Monday said no surgery was needed for Leary but also said there was no timetable for his return.

Beck, asked this week about revising a game plan to fit Chambers’ strengths as a quarterback, said not much would change.

“All the quarterbacks, all of them, can do what we do,” Beck said. “You trust them to go in there and run the offense and execute. That’s always the expectation. I’m very, very hard on the quarterbacks about that because they’re always one play away from playing. … And holding them accountable. That’s why Jack was able to go in and do what he needed to do.”

What to watch for

▪ Chambers, naturally, if he’s the starter. Does he come out winging a few passes to loosen up the Syracuse defense and keep them guessing or will the Pack more conservatively look to mostly run the ball?

“I believe in Jack so much,” Pack running back Jordan Houston said this week. “I really feel like he’s going to shock a lot of people.

▪ Sean Tucker. The Syracuse back is a bruising runner and one of the ACC’s best.

▪ Special teams. On a day when both defenses might be dominant, a punt return, bad snap or missed kick or blocked kick could be decisive. Pack kicker Christopher Dunn and Syracuse’s Andre Szmyt both have been reliable.

▪ Taking the lead. Given how good both defenses have been, the team that jumps ahead — say, 7-0 or 10-0 — could make it exceedingly tough on the other team’s offense.

Injury update

Doeren said Thursday that nickel defensive back Tyler Baker-Williams would be able to return this week. Baker-Williams suffered a foot injury against Texas Tech on Sept. 17.

“That’s a happy addition, getting him back,” Doeren said of the senior.

Latest Vegas odds

Many of the oddmakers have Syracuse a 3.5-point pick. ESPN’s Football Power Index gives Syracuse a 58.7% chance of winning.

How to watch

The game will be televised by the ACC Network. Mike Monaco will handle the play by play, Tim Hasselbeck is commentator and Kelsey Riggs is the sideline reporter.

ACC Network is available on fuboTV, Sling, Hulu + Live TV and YouTubeTV.

Pregame reading

• NC State faces another undefeated ACC team on road. What Pack’s up against at Syracuse

• NC State football fans may learn more about QB Jack Chambers on Saturday at Syracuse

• No timeline yet for NC State quarterback Devin Leary to return. Latest on his injury

• NC State vs Syracuse football first look: Odds, Pack’s plan against a top ACC defense

• NC State quarterback Devin Leary leaves game against FSU, status remains unclear

NC State at Syracuse football game and TV Info

Who: N.C. State (5-1, 1-1) at Syracuse (5-0, 2-0)

Where: JMV Wireless Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.

When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

TV: ACC Network

Stream: ESPN+