After his stint in Wisconsin with their three future NFL starting running backs and strong offensive line, Matt Canada moved on to North Carolina State, where he again took over an offense that lost a quarterback to the NFL draft. This time Mike Glennon had just left the Wolfpack for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Matt Canada took over.
The Wolfpack gained a transfer quarterback from Florida State in Jacoby Brissett, but Brissett was required to sit out one season and was unavailable in 2013. Quarterbacks Brandon Mitchell and Pete Thomas would split time and pass for 240 yards per game, while the Wolfpack ran for 160 yards a game, behind an offensive line that was not at all a match for the Wisconsin line Canada had in 2012.