NC State pulled out a wild 19-17 victory over Florida State on Saturday night at Carter-Finley Stadium, but it lost starting quarterback Devin Leary in the process.

Leary took a massive hit from Joshua Farmer, and the ACC Preseason Player of the Year immediately exited the game and never returned. Leary’s X-rays came back negative Saturday night, but his availability moving forward is unknown.

Enter backup Jack Chambers, a graduate transfer from Charleston Southern who came to NC State for this very reason; to serve as an insurance policy for the Pack in case of an injury to Leary.

For NC State, there’s a luxury in having a veteran guy with a wealth of starting experience to fill in for Leary if needed. Chambers offers a different dynamic than Leary with his feet, and he played a role in Saturday’s win.

So, let’s get to know Chambers:

Charleston Southern career

After playing in spurts for the Buccaneers in 2018, Chambers took over as the full-time starter for Charleston Southern in 2019.

That year he threw for more than 2,000 yards, with 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, finishing with a 57.4% completion percentage and 114.6 passer rating. He also contributed heavily on the ground with 553 yards and 5 touchdowns while averaging 5.6 yards per carry that season.

Chambers was named a captain ahead of the 2020 season, which was shortened to just 4 games because of COVID-19. He had a really productive 4 games. though, bumping his passing yards per game from 169.1 in 2019 to 249.5 in 2020-21. He tossed 7 touchdown passes and ran for 2 more that season.

Chambers really broke out during his final season with the Bucs, as his 2021 campaign was the strongest of his collegiate career. He threw for 2,490 yards and 17 touchdowns, adding 477 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground.

Chambers earned 2nd-team All-Big South honors, and he finished 13th in the Football Championship Subdivision in passing yards per game with 249.5.

He also had a huge game against a Football Bowl Subdivision FBS opponent early in 2021, as he passed for 405 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 3-point loss against East Carolina.

While at Charleston Southern, Chambers established himself as an above-average FCS quarterback who could do damage through the air and on the ground. He completed a high percentage of passes and was part of a steady passing attack for his final season and a half.

This season

Chambers made brief appearances for the Wolfpack in blowout wins against his former team and UConn, and he performed well. He had 45 passing yards and a touchdown to Jalen Coit against Charleston Southern. Against UConn, he played just a couple series and went 1-for-2 passing.

But during the 2nd half against Florida State, Chambers had to lead the offense and he did some good things. While he didn’t get much involved in throwing the ball, he was able to move the ball on the ground and set up some field goals.

He attempted just 1 pass against the Seminoles, a well-thrown incompletion downfield, but he ran the ball 7 times for 39 yards.

Chambers had runs of 8 and 11 yards on the drive that Leary got hurt, helping to march the Wolfpack 30 yards to set up a 40-yard field goal from Chris Dunn.

After another field goal for the Pack that began with great starting field position, Chambers helped lead a 47-yard drive that set up the winning field goal for Dunn. Chambers also had an early 19-yard run on that drive.

All in all, the Wolfpack got points on Chambers’ first 3 drives. It wasn’t perfect, but he showed poise to make good reads and move the ball. He didn’t do anything passing, but his Charleston Southern career shows he isn’t a 1-dimensional player.

“I had to step up and do my job, do what I came here to do,” Chambers said. “I just knew that my team had my back. My O-line, my running backs and my defense, I knew they were going to do what they needed to do. We just had to step up and do our jobs.”

If Leary is out long term, the Wolfpack can at least feel good about the experience at quarterback in Chambers. His ability to run adds a wrinkle to the offense that Leary didn’t have, which also could help to quell some of the issues of having to switch quarterbacks.