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NCAA Football Preview - NC State Wolfpack

Mon 18th, August 2008

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - 2007 SEASON IN REVIEW: Another first-year head coach that struggled in his debut in the ACC was Tom O'Brien at NC State. The Wolfpack got off to a horrific start, winning just once in the first six games. However, to O'Brien's credit, the team was able to turn things around in the second half, finishing the year 5-7 overall and 3-5 in the Atlantic Division.

The season opened up with a much-improved UCF program and O'Brien's team dropped a 25-23 decision to the Knights. Losses at Boston College (37-17), against Clemson (42-20) and at Florida State (27-10) put the team in an 0-3 hole in ACC action. The Wolfpack started to come together after that, with big wins in the second half of the campaign, including a 29-24 win over a top-25 program in Virginia and a three-point overtime decision at Miami (19-16) as part of a four-game win streak. However, the team didn't close out well, with back-to-back defeats at the hands of Wake Forest (38-18) and Maryland (37-0), leaving the Wolfpack home for the holidays.

2008 ANALYSIS:

OFFENSE: The Wolfpack return six starters from last year's offense and that seemed to be a plus heading into the summer. However much like last year, NC State has been ravaged by injuries in the preseason, leaving O'Brien with some uncertainty as the season approaches. Tailback Toney Baker (knee) and wide receiver Donald Bowens (back) are significant injuries. Bowens is a season- ending injury and will be felt throughout the year.

"Losing Donald is a tough loss for the football team. When you lose your most experienced and best receiver coming back it certainly hurts you, especially when you are trying to find a quarterback," says O'Brien.

Now the team is extremely raw in the receiving corps, with sophomore Owen Spencer (five receptions, for 73 yards) as the most experienced wideout.

"They're about as green as the quarterbacks, with the exception of senior Daniel Evans," OBrien said. "Its a situation that is a work in progress. Some of those kids have to step up and make some plays."

The quarterback situation is an obvious area of concern, with Evans, redshirt freshman Russell Wilson and true freshman Mike Glennon battling it out for the starting job. Evans played to mixed reviews last season, completing 57.2 percent of his passes, for 2,030 yards, with 12 TDs and 13 INTs, but by no means has the job locked down heading into mid-August.

Although Toney Brown is banged up in the backfield, the outlook there is a little better, with returning tailbacks Jameele Eugene (667 yards and five TDs) and Andre Brown (447 yards, five TDs) ready for action.

The offensive line returns three starters, but O'Brien would like some depth up front and nothing is set in stone.

"We are still trying to find the best five guys and also find some guys who can go in and spell them so they won't have to play 82 plays or 75 plays a game. We'll be better in the long run for that," says 'O'Brien.

DEFENSE: Defensively, the Wolfpack struggled in 2007, ranking 11th in the conference in total defense (393.9 ypg) and scoring defense (28.2 ppg). The real problem came in stopping the run, something NC State did very little of last season (last in the conference at 186.4 ypg).

The team returns just four starters on the defensive side of the ball and to make matters worse, depth in the secondary has taken a hit, with Clem Johnson suffering a broken jaw, leaving him out indefinitely. Senior cornerback Jeremy Gray is the top returning tackler on the squad after posting 62 tackles and three INTs a year ago.

The linebacking corps is in need of a complete overhaul, but the hope is that sophomore Nate Irving (52 tackles, six TFLs, one sack) can build off a solid freshman season.

Up front, the team must replace Martrel Brown and DeMario Pressley, but there is a couple of playmaking juniors that can fill the void with the return of tackle Alan-Michael Cash (50 tackles, 3.5 sacks) and rush end Willie Young (48 tackles, 10 TFLs, six sacks).

SPECIAL TEAMS: The kicking game is a bit of an unknown right now as well. The punting job is secured with the return of senior Bradley Pierson, although his average of 37.2 yards per punt could use some improvement. The placekicking job however, needs new blood with the loss of Steven Hauschka, who hit 16- of-18 field-goal attempts, including a long of 49 yards last year. His replacement is sophomore Josh Czajkowski, who has been chomping at the bit to get his opportunity.

"Stephen Hauschka was a great kicker and I loved watching him kick. Just being around him and John Deraney was huge for me, because they were both so successful. It puts the idea in your head: I was waiting behind two NFL guys. I am eager to fill their shoes and get my shot."

The return game is the biggest concern on special teams. Not only did the team lose Darrell Blackman, whose career is now over in Raleigh, but the injury to Bowens leaves the team with no reliable return man.

2008 OUTLOOK: O'Brien had the luxury of a stacked team almost every year at Boston College and it will take some time for him to fill in the necessary depth at NC State. The injury bug has once again hit this team hard before the season has even started, so to get a true gauge of the Wolfpack is difficult.

The team opens up at South Carolina and that will not be an easy task. The rest of the non-conference slate includes William & Mary, East Carolina and South Florida. The Wolfpack would be lucky to split those games. The team avoids Virginia Tech altogether and gets Boston College, Florida State, Wake Forest and Miami all in Raleigh. The road games at Clemson, Maryland and North Carolina are crucial in determining if the Wolfpack can improve on their five win total from last year.

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