Key Stat of the Day

'08 Football Stat of the Day86

Number of bad decisions by Russell Wilson – zero.

About BJD95

1995 NC State graduate, sufferer of Les and MOC during my entire student tenure. An equal-opportunity objective critic and analyst of Wolfpack sports.

'08 Football Stat of the Day

86 Responses to Key Stat of the Day

  1. Greywolf 09/14/2008 at 8:02 PM #

    RabidWolf
    Sep 14th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
    “idk what Pierson’s issue is (besides the fact he can’t punt) 17 yards ain’t gonna cut it.”

    Pierson was a walk-on last year and replace a scolly punter with a bad case of nerves — dropped a perfectly good snap. Pierson has served us pretty well and is on scholarship now I believe. His kick-offs or deep end-zone. If distance were all there was to it, he would be kicking PATs and FGs.

    Let’s not indict and diss a young man for one bad kick that was likely not his fault. And has anyone given any thought to the fact that the line blocking for PATs and FGs is the same line that we lambast for lack of pass protection?

  2. graywolf 09/14/2008 at 8:24 PM #

    From a talent standpoint of view we are a few years away from a good season. Currently we don’t have a good OL, QB, wideout ….I could go on.
    Wilson will get better.

    Defensively we are Ok.
    Keep all the red shirts in place and build.
    Look at Wake today. They are the product of red shirts and producing good football players by recruiting good people.
    This philosophy will produce the winner we all want at NC State.

  3. choppack1 09/14/2008 at 8:53 PM #

    Went to the game Saturday – and it kind of reminded of 2 drink folks hooking up. Each person is wondering just how good looking is the other…

    If someone had told us before the year started that we’d be in the game vs. Clemson midway through the 4th quarter – I’m sure we would have all been thrilled. Clemson would probably take an 18 point win over an in-conference opponent too.

    Overall, I was thrilled w/ the way Russell managed the game. He has shown -both times out in incredibly tough venues why the coaches chose him. He’s only played 5 quarters, but his game management is the best we’ve seen since #17. Granted, this isn’t saying much – but it’s nice to see a guy who doesn’t put our D in a hole. I do wonder if he’s not too worried about making a mistake sometimes.

    I was also impressed w/ how Beck played. He should have had a TD pass late in the 4th quarter.

    Someone made an excellent point about special teams play. Clearly it cost us.

    Overall, though, I see this game as a huge step in the direction of NC State playing the kind of football TOB wants to play. Hopefully, we’ll have more points in the future, because there’s no way to get around our sad offensive performance totals so far.

  4. howlie 09/14/2008 at 8:58 PM #

    Eliminate mistakes, and the other team will find a way to beat themselves.
    That’s our only hope for the year ahead, and RW understands the essential. We won’t ‘out-talent’ anyone THIS year.

  5. Wolf Dog 09/15/2008 at 7:17 AM #

    Wilson has yet to prove himself an effective passer until then defenses will continue to rush in their lanes and a linebacker will be shadowing him. I am looking forward to the game with ECU. They do not overmatch us with personnel. Opening the schedule with two games on the road at Clemson and at SC for our first 2 real games could have left most schools 0-2 for those games. As a young team, we seem to be growing and getting better each week, lets hope that can continue and turn it into a W this weekend.

  6. RAWFS 09/15/2008 at 7:34 AM #

    I am far more worried about finding a quality place-kicker and a quality punter than I am abouyt the quarterbacking situation.

    For once, we seem to be okay under center. Wilson is young but effective and will learn. Beck is a decent backup. Next year, Glennon is definitely in the mix.

    Kicking, well, I find it hard to believe that a school the size of NC State doesn’t have anyone that can kick the ball farther than 40 yards in the air. I would draft a soccer player were I Tom O’Brien, if for nothing else than kickoffs. Saturdays kicks were unacceptable, and I am sure the coaches are thinking the same thing.

    Folks, this is going to a team-building year. Expect the Wolfpack to take their lumps, especially early, but improve as the season progresses. Next year will show a good team as a result.

  7. partialqualifier 09/15/2008 at 7:47 AM #

    KEY STAT OF THE DAY:

    NUMBER OF TOUCHDOWNS IN 6 QUARTERS WITH WILSON IN THE GAME: NONE!

    I like Wilson…I really do. I am even willing to say that he is probably best suited for this team right now…BUT…facts are facts guys. What if he plays 4 quarters against ECU w/o a TD? At what point do we say that sooner or later he’s gotta show us some points? As TOB said…”this is a performance based business”…in this business that means a QB should not be judged by how many throw aways he has…but by how many damn points we score. PERIOD.

  8. Ismael 09/15/2008 at 8:02 AM #

    what’s really weird in all of this…i don’t know about you guys, but reading what GREYWOLF said and watching how we’ve struggled, i think alot of the simpler aspects of football ive taken for granted over the years, namely the kicking game (other areas too of course). It seems like such an easy thing to kick a football but as others have mentioned you have to do it with foaming-at-the-mouth guys running at you, who are generally anywhere from 100 to 150lbs heavier than a kicker.

    did anyone see that nice open field tackle that Pierson came out of nowhwere to make on that kickoff, kids got wheelz, and he doesn’t look too afraid.

  9. yannes 09/15/2008 at 8:22 AM #

    What are the options, PQ?
    Evans and Beck are turnover prone, Glennon hasn’t taken a snap and is as thin as a rail.

    The fact is that Wilson has played only 6 quarters in his college career. All 6 coming against stout defenses on the road in VERY hostile settings. What were you expecting?

    And you can’t put all of this on Wilson’s shoulders, either. The team was hurt greatly by penalties and a shaky kicking game. Also, the WRs haven’t been exactly on fire even with Beck behind center. This team is just a real work in progress.

  10. Mike 09/15/2008 at 8:30 AM #

    Ismael said – Can one of the admins mark walmart-fan comments with a walmart-fan icon so that no one responds or at least we can identify the walmart fan and offer him a choice of another hat on the shelf where they “throw it down the field” every play. I’d also submit that we somehow disable their PS3 and Xbox football games since obviously being a quaterback is THAT simple.

    If someone can’t see the 1000% improvement between what we’ve seen the last 4 years from the QB position and what we saw today, then you are a WALMART-FAN and you are not needed.

    Ismael, you owe me a new laptop, hilarious!

    It’s funny, some of the names that have been here a long time know what they are talking about. I also see a bunch of new names that appear completely clueless except for the fact that they have played the X Box.

    Anyone remember Rob Deer? Why is he no longer playing ML Baseball? He oculd hit it a country mile……when he hit it. The majority of the time he walked back to the dugout wiht the lumber on his shoulder after another K. He cost them more runs than he produced.

    Probably the most demoralizing play in football is an INT, especially a pick 6. Ball control keeps the D off the field and quiets 80,000 Tigger fans. Int’s bring the crowd back into the game. Wilson keeps us in the game. Over time, he will learn, but please dont expect results overnight. Ask the #1 QB recruit in the country, Pryor at Ohio St about instant results.

    Finally, the OL woes are pretty simple. OL is one of the toughest positions to play, and requires them to be one UNIT. This also takes time. They are learning. They are getting bigger and stronger. The recruits are coming. OL takes time to gel, getting to know the guys on both sides, and working together as one group. Of course, with the patchwork, we are not there yet. Patience is a virtue.

    I hate it that we have to be patient, but that is what we have to be. Skippy Holtz looks like a genius right about now, but he has had continuity with his kids and they are starting to show it. TOB’s teams at BC had experience on the line, and they won ball games as a result. The man knows what he is doing, and unfortunately, sometimes you need to go down to get back up. We will be back, but we must suffer through the growing pains in the process.

    I am not one to accept mediocrity or futility. I am not (not even close) a HWSNBN supporter. I just think we are building the foundation now, but many of us want walls and a roof right away. Dig the footings, pour the foundation – it takes time, but do it right and you will be solid for years to come.

  11. mtblanke 09/15/2008 at 8:35 AM #

    Just wanted to comment on the Russel Wilson / Vs Beck thing. A buddy of mine is a walk on o-line for state. I’ve asked him about Beck a few times because the kid really has the arm/potential to be pretty good.

    His response… Beck is really just a goofball. He doesn’t seem to care in the slightest bit and when they run the practice squad together. Beck makes up obscene names for plays and such. Long story short Beck just doesn’t care enough to get better. Hence the bombs/prayers.

    While Wilson has a great work ethic and listens to the coaches. He’ll get better and soon be good enough to get us a few wins this year.

    Anyway my first post. Been reading for a while just never bothered to post.

  12. Mike 09/15/2008 at 8:48 AM #

    Welcome mtblanke – excellent post for a first timer. You can disregard my comment about “new posters” above. Your comment also fits exactly what many of us here think. IF Beck were the best man for the job, he would be in there.

    One last comment I will make about Wal Mart fans – Chad Ocho Cinco Johnson, or whatever his self glorifying name is today – said he knows lots of boys back home who could whip Phelps in the pool, except they never had the opportunity. The Wal Mart posters on here can outcoach TOB and Bible because they have seen a guy throw it 75 yards so he should be the QB.

  13. Par Shooter 09/15/2008 at 8:50 AM #

    Stop and think about the youth and inexperience at the skill positions right now. Of the guys touching the ball on offense, only Andre Brown and Harrison Beck are upperclassman, with Beck clearly being 2nd string and getting limited time. Is it any wonder that our most reliable and productive player right now is Brown?

    Of course, it should not have been this way. The guys getting most of the touches should have been Hill, Bowens, Brown and Eugene. Having this experience around would have made it much easier for RW to succeed with older guys to lean on. Instead Russell and the WR’s and Bryan and Underwood are all in there trying to figure this out together against jr’s and sr’s on the other side of the ball. I give Brown credit for stepping up and maybe playing a bit banged up because having a sr in the huddle has to be good for everyone.

    Our only choice at this point is to try to turn this into a positive. We have to hope that all of these young guys can stay healthy so that they keep getting lots of reps in practice and against tough opponents. If they’ll keep their heads up and allow themselves to be coached this could yield a group of experienced soph and jr next year that could start to rebuild the offense. By year 4 we would hope to have several experienced guys at the skill positions who could help bring along the younger skill players in the next 2 classes without a lot of early expectations.

    For this team to do anything this year we really need Eugene and Hill at 100%, and soon. In retrospect the injury to Bowens was just huge in terms of where it left us at WR. Adding him back to this group next year and the year after would be great but I don’t know what the odds are for him ever coming back.

  14. BoKnowsNCS71 09/15/2008 at 8:54 AM #

    i think we all need to accept that we lost a lot of people last year. We have a young team. Our OL cannot protect any QB well enough. We just played two of the toughest teams in our area. South Carolina almost beat Georgia in a close game and many think Georgia has a chance to win the BCS. Clemson was picked to win the ACC and was the highest ranked team in the ACC. And to all of you pointing out RW’s quarters with no score — Had TOB opted to play RW in the gimme game with W&M — you’d have no argument.

    It comes down to this. Either you accept that we are rebuilding AND things will get better in the next two year or you continue to whine and moan and tear down your team in the interim (and then come back as fans in two years when things get better). Sure it hurts to be in this situation but booing our own team and its coaches and whining after every game is just not healthy for our team.

  15. Classof89 09/15/2008 at 8:58 AM #

    Is the scholarship punter (who, IIRC looked pretty impressive on paper before turning out to have a bad case of the yips) who Pierson replaced last year still with the program? Or is Pierson all we’ve got?

  16. wufpup76 09/15/2008 at 9:25 AM #

    ^What Mike said …

    Though, I am happy to have any State fan I can find – even if they think Beck should be the QB 🙂 (everyone’s entitled to an opinion, wrong or not 😉 )

    Along those lines, I am very supportive and appreciative of all Wolfpack athletes – including our kickers – but the kicking game will have to get better in future years … I don’t believe in booing or trashing kids who are trying their best for us, but I’m with RAWFS in that our kicking game needs a lot of improvement (this means the special teams units as a whole, not just singling out the kickers)

  17. Greywolf 09/15/2008 at 9:56 AM #

    Franklin quit shortly after he was replaced by Pierson. Juco transfer Jeff Ruiz was recruited to be our punter but didn’t turn out as advertised.

    Pierson is a walk on with guts, character and determination. I’m pretty sure he’s a punter, not a kicker (kick-offs and long FGs) and he has worked hard to fill that void.

    Some of us are dissing the punter when the line blocking may be the culprit. The drop (hold), steps and rhythm are as important to a good punt or kick as a strong leg. Rhythm can be interupted by a hard rush.

    Pro punters sometimes shank or otherwise botch kicks but in the eyes of PS3 and Xbox football experts there is no excuse for a 5-9, 163 lb college punter or kicker to be concerned with a torrid rush. I fully expect TOB to address the punt and kick issue but I don’t think it will be to hold tryouts with the student body or soccer team. He can and should get those guys enough time to execute their task.

    I sense that the question, “is Pierson all we’ve got?” to be authentic based on what was said before the question. While Classof89 wasn’t dissing Pierson, I want to emphasize that a walk-on who is doing everything he can to help his team, for sure doesn’t deserve to be dissed by us casual fans, IMHSHO.

  18. partialqualifier 09/15/2008 at 10:04 AM #

    Ok…

    I can completely understand the reasons for playing Wilson…I mean the kid is a saint and works his ass off on and off the field. If that’s the criteria for starting QB at NCSU…then so be it. I can accept that and move on.

    BUT…

    please do not suggest that he has played good football to this point. Has he played piss poor terrible? No. But neither has he played good football. I know the kid is A RS Frosh…so I never expected much. Freshman make poor starting QB’s 9 out of 10 times. But here’s the thing…so do Sophomores…which is exactly what Beck was a year ago. Contrary to what some would you to believe…sometimes players improve! Sometimes not. All of the stuff we are debating about Beck came from what we saw last year…or maybe in the Spring game. My point is this:

    1-we aren’t exactly setting the world on fire offensively
    2- In actual game time this season…Beck has significantly outperformed his teammates at that position (even if it was against a weaker opponent)
    3- Shouldn’t we at least give the guy who is playing better the opportunity to show us what he can do? If he plays poorly then so be it. But as of now…we are 0-2 and unless we figure out a way to score points we are staring at 2-3 wins MAX.

  19. stormin norman 09/15/2008 at 10:10 AM #

    13 quarters with no touchdowns against Division I team. THE KEY STAT OF THE YEAR+

  20. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 09/15/2008 at 10:18 AM #

    No doubt that ‘State didn’t turn the corner’ (favorite Herbert and Lester phrase) on Saturday but to be in the game at Clemson, at the beginning of 4th quarter was a refreshing change.

  21. sf59 09/15/2008 at 10:27 AM #

    very insightful post mtblanke.

    there is more into the decison of the QBS than what we see on Saturday afternoon.

  22. ChuckAllYall 09/15/2008 at 10:45 AM #

    I was at the game Saturday and left feeling pretty good about where we are. We moved the ball fairly well throughout the game. Good run blocking for our backs and Underwood is really coming into his own as a tough runner. No one around us (Clemson fans) could believe he is our “fourth string”. Wilson made good decisions in the pocket. He has great poise back there and does not panic when the pressure comes. He was able to hit our backs in stride several times and convert some crucial third downs. We rarely took shots downfield with Wilson and maybe this was due to good coverage by Clemson or our inexperienced receivers (likely both). The balls that Wilson threw away were all excellent decisions in my opinion. He IS our quarterback this year. He is a leader on the field and while Beck may be a strong-armed gunslinger, he does not have the decision making and patience to succeed against first team defenses. We have got to get better at converting in the RED ZONE. Hopefully this will improve when/if Hill and Eugene can get healthy. We left way too many points on the board

    As far as the defense goes, we held right there with them for three quarters and then our lack of depth/fatigue began to show. Our guys were in the right spots the majority of the time, but you could also easily see the difference in the speed and quickness when we tried to close on Spiller and Ford. Rieskamp sniffed two plays out but could not even get a hand on their guys. Overall, our defense is greatly improved from last year. The turnovers are extremely encouraging, but we didn;t get much of a rush against a supposedly inexperienced Clemson line. Nate Irving had a clear lane to take that one dropped interception to the house. That would have made Clemson fans a little nervous.

    Other Observations:

    -Wilson provides us with a scrambler that can make something happen on pressure and busted plays that the other two qb’s cannot. He’s also got uncanny poise for a freshman.

    -I now know why they call it death valley. It was the hottest game I’ve ever been to.

    -They have free water coolers stationed at the Red Cross Booth to fill up water bottles. Our athletic Dept. should take note.

    -Clemson should be better than they are. They have incredible speed on offense and can get around the edge on anyone in this league. It amazes me that Bowden has not done more with this talent.

    -Awesome Game Day experience. Great fans, campus stadium, college atmosphere and “scenery”. Easy to get cheap and good tickets for this game. Definitely check out a game there if you ever get a chance. You can really tell that they (administration) value their fans and treat them accordingly.

  23. Scooter 09/15/2008 at 10:56 AM #

    Before we talk about the punter or anything else, we need to talk about scoring points and that starts with the passing game. Our running game appears to work well, but until we can consistently complete passes far enough downfield to stretch a defense, we will not score. The teams we play are too athletic for us to keep the ball on the ground the entire game without keeping them honest through the air. Its time for these “talented” wide receivers to step up to the plate. Russell Wilson can make good decisions, but its time Dana Bible called in a play where he takes a three-step drop, throws it on the pattern, and prays that the receiver can make the catch. That’s just the nature of the vertical passing game in college football.

  24. JeremyH 09/15/2008 at 11:11 AM #

    i know this is a football thread, but how is johnny thomas rehab going? is he going to play this year? is John Wall not using an official visit to visit NC state a bad sign?

  25. Trip 09/15/2008 at 11:31 AM #

    Johnny Thomas is still on track to play this year, I’ve seen him a few times and he has a slight hobble from the knee injury but it looks like he hasn’t taken any time off in the weight room for sure, he easily LOOKS more conditioned than anyone on the team was last year.

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