Enjoying 3-0

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The walk out of Carter-Finley back to the Trinity Lot is a lot more enjoyable after a win.

Sure, that seems obvious, but with all the pronged “reviews” going on over at The Flagship lately, it’s been easy for us tortured State fans to overlook the fact that TOB has this NC State football team playing well and at 3-0 for the first time since 2002.

And while 14 days ago I was cautiously optimistic, and seven days ago I was even more so, on that walk out last night I decided to just revel in the enjoyment that this team might just be better than the previous ones. Sure, Western was a slouch – certainly no James Madison – and Central Florida only needs to get past Houston or those pesky Pirates to play in the Liberty Bowl, and even last night we didn’t face Brian Kelly’s Bearcats. But that’s not a bad Cincinnati team at all – and they showed that with how quickly they scored their first touchdown.

I’m not saying we’re the class of the ACC – Clemson can sure make a strong case down at Auburn and Maryland can do the same at West Virginia this weekend – but I have been impressed so far with how much improvement we’ve seen in both the intensity and execution on defense, and how quickly our offense finds its rhythm. We kept pressure on Collaros all night long with various blitzes and an overpowering defensive line that led to five sacks and four hurries, and minus the two junk touchdowns late in the game, the defense was as stingy as it’s ever been under TOB. Our offense has rarely been the problem with Wilson at the helm, but now it looks like we’ve found a running back in Mustafa Greene to not only help balance out the slicing passing attack that utilizes five different threats, but also provide that safety valve for Wilson when he’s forced to unload in a hurry. When that offense is in rhythm, it’s a thing of beauty to watch.

How about we just not talk about the kicking game?

The past six months have been a whirlwind of optimism. We have a new Chancellor that appears fully capable of leading us forward. We replaced a woefully incompetent AD with a wholly capable one. We have the most talent on our basketball team in two decades. And we’re 3-0 in football, with a tough but very winnable game at Georgia Tech next weekend.

I could get used to this.

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About LRM

Charter member of the Lunatic Fringe and a fan, loyal to a fault.

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34 Responses to Enjoying 3-0

  1. old13 09/17/2010 at 4:47 PM #

    OK! If this is the dream I keep thinking it is, DO NOT wake me!

  2. ncsunacho 09/17/2010 at 4:52 PM #

    It was a great feeling indeed….

    Just to touch on the latter part of the article when you mention our AD… My wife and I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Yow yesterday aftenoon while tailgating before the game. I recognized her as she walked by and gave her a simple shout of… “Dr. Yow… thanks for all that you are doing”. She turned around approached our tailgate with her husband, introduced herself and thanked us for our support. She spent about 4-5 minutes of her time engaged in conversation with our group and even took a photo with us. What I took away from the conversation was that she “gets” the fan base and she generally cares about her legacy here at the school.

    In our conversation she revealed to us that on Wednesday night she took the ESPN on air crew out to dinner and “Sold NC State to them for 2 hours”. Now that’s what I am talking about.

    It’s a great time to be a member of the lunatic fringe! Go Pack!

  3. NCSU88 09/17/2010 at 4:55 PM #

    Watched the game on ESPN last night. At times it was electrifying (2nd and 3rd drives and much of the defense), while at other times we seemed to be asleep at the wheel (1st possession and others and the horrible coverage on Cinn’s scoring drives.) Kind of like a Jekyll and Hyde thing. Commentators noted the struggling aspect of our game on several occasions. There has to be someone on campus that can consistently punt the ball 40-50 yards with a decent hang time. At least rugby it out of bounds or something. I am encouraged by what I have seen the past 2 weeks.

  4. coach13 09/17/2010 at 5:00 PM #

    I agree…let’s enjoy it while it last. If my if’s get positve then’s, this could be a pretty impressive season. Right now I am optimistic at least 8 wins…assuming wins vs Md and Wake and we win 3 of the other 7 games.

    I think the hardest games will be Clemson and GT on the road. I give a 33% chance of victory in those, and at least 50% in the other 5.

    My 2 big ifs (call it my optimism) are as follows…

    1-Offense gets more consistent. They score and then go into lulls. It’s like there’s these spurts where the coaches and team say “lets score” and the rest of the time they kinda go through the motion. This is the most important and doable if. If they get more consistent and start scoring a little more, we get 8 or 9 wins. I was at the incy game, and it seemed after 1st quarter we should have hung 60 on that crowd. Just lulled for large parts of the game.

    2-Assuming if #1 plays out, if #2 could turn an impressive season (8-9 wins) into a very special season (magic# 10+ wins). Defense is doing a fantastic job compared to last year, evern looking awesome at points. IF we stop giving up the homerun plays, we compete for the Atlantic.

    Finally, can we get a punter please? ALSO, props to kickoff coverage. So-so kicks but awesome coverage, particularly first 3 quarters.

  5. imawolf 09/17/2010 at 5:36 PM #

    Early in the season, only 3 games in and this team has by far passed my expectations…… Tremendous Defensive line and Offensive line play.. The secondary is showing that they can play the game…….of course the defensive line and linebackers are a tremendous assets to the cause…and no doubt, coach Tenuta has made the difference. These men are playfully playing the game and enjoying every moment……..I am very proud of each and everyone on this team…..Trust me, the rest of the ACC has taken notice……..can’t hide the performance we displayed on national television……. Also, Did the rest of you notice the sportsmanship displayed at the end of the game. The Bearcats and the Wolfpack all inter-mingled together with no animosity……This people is NCAA FOOTBALL and the College experience….unlike the CRAP going on with the Hoods in Chapel Hell… No spitting. No Anger.. just pure college sportsmanship….the way it is supposed to be.

  6. tractor57 09/17/2010 at 5:38 PM #

    There is a change in attitude. The fanbase is no longer “fringe”, expectations of performance along with proper behavior by players and coaches is not considered the opposite of winning anymore by the administration.

    Against that backdrop the football team is performing much better than last year.

    With those changes alone one should be able to make that walk from the stadium to the parking lot after a game with head held high.

    I’m not ready to declare an undefeated season, an ACC championship or a NC but I think the team is on the right path.

  7. wolfonthehill 09/17/2010 at 6:04 PM #

    Makes me almost want to attend the “Walk of Champions” again… it’s no longer about hype and swagger, but about team/school unity. I can get into that…

  8. Defenestrate 09/17/2010 at 6:05 PM #

    I am remaining cautiously optimistic. From what I’ve seen I think we have a very good shot at making a bowl game. I’ll wait to jump on the 8-9 win bandwagon until we’ve achieved bowl eligibility.

    High Hopes. Low Expectations.

  9. highstick 09/17/2010 at 6:08 PM #

    Mustafa has looked pretty good~~ He caught the eye of a few Gamecock fans watching last night too since he’s a South Carolina boy…I think they were pretty high on him too until Lattimore came along…I got a lot of good comments from several of them last night saying that N C State was their favorite ACC team~~

    Funny, but their “ABC” is “Anybody but Clemson”~~

  10. 1.21 Jigawatts 09/17/2010 at 6:26 PM #

    If we can just keep Shankapotamus off the field I think we have a chance.

    I don’t let the outcome of a game dictate how my day or week goes anymore but man it sure makes the sun shine a little brighter when we win. 🙂

  11. ADVENTUROO 09/17/2010 at 6:35 PM #

    It was a great win. It was a great game. Got into our seats about 45 minutes before…..left home (in Raleigh) at 5:00 and got home at Midnight….enjoyed the whole thing.

    You can NOT say enough good things about the team. They played hard (had a few rough edges). Officiating SUCKED. Lots of blown calls.

    TOB and the team’s post game comrodary after the game was really moving.

    I thought that last night’s half time show was probably one of the best that I have ever seen at CF.

    Only bummer….tne N&O had a TOB gripe. I SUPPORT TOB and thought he was a good hire.

    I have always said he was no Jimmy V or Amato, but sometimes he needs notes (maybe Sarah Pallin can show him how to write notes on his hands).

    His criticism of the team last year AFTER BEATING Pittsburgh was a tactile blunder. I hoped he had learned.

    The stadium announcer kept asking folks to stay for the half-time show. We did and it was INSPIRING. But, you gotta go when you gotta go. We left our seats as soon as the jumpers cleared. Then hit the bathrooms and got a snack (that HELPS out FB Program, BTW). We were NOT in our seats CHEERING (even though I am hoarse this morning)….so we were called out by TOB.

    It never occurred to TOB that he had responsibilities for the Post Game show. He met with the Military and was late and brief. I overlooked that last night….then read the comment on the N&O and NOW I am a little miffed that he felt that my actions were out of line.

    George Patton he ain’t, but I would definitely go into Battle with him and he could be my Wingman any day….

    Just a comment….

    LRM: For the record, I don’t think he was calling you out, but rather the 20,000 folks that left at halftime and never came back.

  12. Clarksa 09/17/2010 at 7:17 PM #

    It is very nice to be 3-0 before UNC-CHeat even plays their 2nd game.

  13. hball57 09/17/2010 at 8:04 PM #

    Someone talked about TOB’s calling out the team last year after the Pittsburgh game as being a tactical blunder. i think it was right on. Archer said in an interview he thought last year’s defense was a little full of themselves; then the Wake Forest game came and they lost their confidence.

    I think we have something unique. We have two honest coaches. They tell you what they feel and they recruit players who can take it. They tell their player what they tell us. I think it’s refreshing. Just like this team. Let’s get 4-0!

  14. gtspack 09/17/2010 at 8:44 PM #

    WOW, our young team is as solid from top to bottom as I can remember(minus the kicking game). You can just see the trust the players have in each other. I see happy days again.

  15. AeroWolf 09/17/2010 at 8:52 PM #

    Hey folks, first time poster here though I have been following the blog for a little while. Enjoyed the game last night against Cincinnati, but was wandering if anybody could enlighten me regarding our running game.

    It appeared that in the second half, almost every running play was up the middle with little success (about 2 yards/play except when Russel scrambled). It appeared that we were running better (5+ yards/play) to the outside in the first half and I am puzzled why we did not run the ball to the outside more in the second half.

  16. Alpha Wolf 09/17/2010 at 9:54 PM #

    Is State playing near-perfect Top 10 caliber football? No, not yet, and it is debatable that they can reach that level this season given the depth and talent in some key spots.

    But is State playing better than they have in many years? You bet your ass they are, and this team is fun to watch. Sometimes they go through tough patches, but you know, they are learning AND winning at the same time.

    Three more wins to a bowl, five more to a pretty decent one and six to a damned nice one. I think we win 4-5 more times minimum.

  17. El Scrotcho 09/17/2010 at 9:55 PM #

    It’s nice to go into Saturday with a win already in the books. You can really sit back and enjoy the slate of games across the country.

  18. Mike 09/17/2010 at 9:56 PM #

    I am thrilled, especially since many of us were thinking 1-2 at this point. There are many positives to build on. We dont need to get overconfident, as we can easily throw up a stinkbomb out of nowhere, but we have the potential to challenge for the title game in Charlotte.

    Defense needs to stay on fire, and the O will be just fine. RW will work his magic when he needs to. We just need to score every time we get the ball or go for it on 4th down since we cant punt.

  19. bTHEredterror 09/17/2010 at 10:06 PM #

    It was a great day, the heat was a little less oppresive, the co-workers, every baby blue one of them, had to acknowledge the game in passing, and the feeling that our school was the best representative of our conference so far, both on and off the field.

    I also don’t believe TOB made a tactical blunder. He usually includes in his critcism of the team, criticsm for himself and his coaches.

    It’s an old school coaching tactic, part and parcel with the disciplinarian approach TOB exemplifies. When they win, he is on them publicly not to hold them back, but to push them further.

    If someone mentioned this on another thread forgive me, but I saw further proof of Yow’s impact in my opinion, specifically on SI. The broadcast crew mentioned how big ROTC is at State, and mentioned our historical contributions to this country’s military, and showed the fans and the wonderful “Thank you Troops” card routine, and Tuffy even got mentioned (they need to train HIM to howl on command BTW, that would be so cool), in an organized and germaine display of one of the many facets NC State has to offer, and the service of this great instituion to our great nation.

  20. LRM 09/17/2010 at 10:27 PM #

    Alpha makes a fine point. We’ve put ourselves in a position where now if we win the games we’re arguably supposed to win (VT, BC and WF at home, @ECU), we can have a winning season for the first time since 2005. Then, if we can somehow win a game or two we’re not supposed to win, then we could have a great season, and many of us will feel a lot better about supporting TOB.

  21. coach13 09/17/2010 at 11:16 PM #

    They need to train the Dog to go endzone to endzone right down the middle of the field. Crowd woulda loved that!!!

  22. McCallum 09/18/2010 at 7:32 AM #

    A few notes:

    1) there were different offensive linemen at every position throughout the game. The scoring drives consisted of the same line (the starters) and when backups were placed in there the line sputtered.

    This seems to be a recurring theme for O’Brien. I grasp what he is trying to do but get up by at least 21 points before you try this.

    2) Manning and Irving are excellent linebackers. Both read and react very well. Cole can not read a play and Dwayne Maddox should not be playing Division I level football. There is hope for Lucas but Maddox is completely lost.

    3) If the blitzing does not get to the passer then the d backs are on islands back there.

    4) I’ve got tickets to the Arkansas-UGA game but I’d rather rake gravel on the drive way other than to hear all the moaning in Athens about what their 5 stars aint doing.

    I tip my Miller Lite to you all.

    McCallum

  23. tractor57 09/18/2010 at 8:04 AM #

    “1) there were different offensive linemen at every position throughout the game. The scoring drives consisted of the same line (the starters) and when backups were placed in there the line sputtered.”

    Thinking back to the previous staff there was little effort to develop an O-line and that possibly has resulted in our current lack of depth at O-line. I submit a good O lineman is as hard (or harder) to develop as a good quarterback and for proper depth rather than 2 (like a OB) you need about 10. It isn’t surprising this has been a difficult task for the current staff.

    “3) If the blitzing does not get to the passer then the d backs are on islands back there.”

    No doubt and why a blitzing defense relies on making the quarterback react before the play develops. That said when you can’t cover a lightpost (like last year) the bend but don’t break doesn’t work either. I think the improvement in the defense year over year comes both from experience and from an adjustment in scheme.

  24. Alpha Wolf 09/18/2010 at 9:44 AM #

    Tractor, your Point #2 is spot on. Yes, our DBs were sometimes left on an island thanks to the Cincy O-line holding back the blitz long enough to allow Calaros to deliver the ball.

    That’s just how it works in football at every level. Watch the NFL and see if blitzing teams don’t get burned from time to time.

    We’re playing a high-risk high-reward pressure D this season and that’s going to be what happens when you roll craps.

  25. McCallum 09/18/2010 at 9:49 AM #

    Long ball Alpha.

    The long ball plays are what burned State. The rewards are large with Tenuta but the punishments are there as well. unc is a long ball team as will be Duke and Miami but I have no idea who we’ll be playing. Looks good for GT, VT, BC, and the lucky sperm club.

    They are mixing in plenty of zone which will help much better than that Herring man pressure rubbish.

    McCallum

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