Tuesday Tidbits

'11 Football ACC Teams Big Four Rivals College Football Multimedia UNC Scandal14

August 30, 2011

NC STATE FOOTBALL

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: 4 DAYS!!!

JP Giglio (N&O)
Pack’s Christophe will start

Associated Press
N.C. State Names James Washington Starter At RB

It’s finally game week for North Carolina State. That means the Wolfpack offense can prove it has found the answers to some questions that have nagged it throughout a busy offseason.

How will Mike Glennon replace Russell Wilson? Who will emerge as his top target? Who will step forward at running back?

At least one answer was made public Monday, when coach Tom O’Brien named James Washington as his starting tailback for the opener against Liberty. O’Brien is looking forward to learning more about his team now that the games are about to begin.

“We’re tired of practicing against each other and certainly looking forward to getting into game week … and seeing what type of football team we have,” O’Brien said.

Pack Pride Staff
Weekly PC: Tom O’Brien

Talk about David Amerson. What type of camp has he had?

He started strong, but once again, he kind of lost his focus halfway through and that happens sometimes. He got it back at the end as we started pushing again. That’s a normal progression for a lot of guys, especially for a young guy like him. I like those two corners.
Both of them have played, they both have experience for. You are playing three juniors and sophomore in the secondary and you are talking about all their experience.
You look at how good they can be if they keep working as a unit.

GoPack.com
O’Brien, Pack Ready for Season Opener

Matt Carter (TheWolfpacker.com)
Tom O’Brien ready for season opener

Matt Carter (TheWolfpacker.com)
Defensive changes highlight depth chart

Matt Carter (TheWolfpacker.com)
DJ Green motivated to get it right

Sophomore D.J. Green almost expected to be moved from safety to linebacker in the spring. What may have surprised him however was the challenge involved in making the switch.

“In the spring I was just completely lost. It was just like a big transition. I was learning everything, and now starting to get the hang of it. There are still a lot of things I got to catch up on, but for the most part I am getting the hang of it.”

How does Green know that he is improving? For one reason: the coaches feedback.

“Cause in the spring all I was getting was yelled at, or coached a lot,” Green said. “Now it’s not as much yelling.”

Jacey Zembal (TheWolfpacker.com)
Darryl Cato-Bishop elevated to first string DE

Redshirt sophomore Darryl Cato-Bishop is versatile enough to play both defensive end and defensive tackle, but he has a preference if given the choice.

Cato-Bishop has been concentrating on the defensive end position and was rewarded for his efforts Monday by moving up to first string on the updated depth chart for the Liberty game Saturday.

“I like being at defensive end because there is more space,” Cato-Bishop said. “Playing inside, there isn’t as much space and you have to be real quick with your reads. I like defensive end more because it is my natural position.”

BILL COLE (Winston-Salem Journal)
Glennon told to relax in spotlight

O’Brien told Glennon about last season’s opener, when linebacker Nate Irving returned a year after suffering severe injuries and nearly dying in a car wreck.

O’Brien pointed out Irving was too excited at the start of the game, was out of position and didn’t make plays. That helped Western Carolina take the opening kickoff and drive for a touchdown.

“I just reminded him to relax,” O’Brien said. “I said, ‘It’s not about you.’ The last sign that the team sees as they walk out of the locker room is, ‘Individuals play the game, but teams win championships.’

“It’s still a team thing, and he has to operate within the concept of the offense. He can’t win it himself, and we’re not going to ask him to win it by himself. He’s going to be asked to execute the offense and make sure that we’re headed in the right direction.”

MULTIMEDIA/PODCAST

WRAL (Video)
Extended Interview: Tom O’Brien

N.C. State head football coach Tom O’Brien speaks to the media heading into the first week of the season.

WRAL (Video)
Extended Interview: Audie Cole

N.C. State linebacker Audie Cole talks about their season opener against Liberty.

ACC FOOTBALL

Andrew Skwara
2011 Preseason ACC Football Power Rankings

7. N.C. State
With Russell Wilson set to start for Wisconsin, it’s imperative that his replacement, Mike Glennon, gets off to a good start. Otherwise, Tom O’Brien and his players will face a barrage of questions about why the Wolfpack didn’t hold on to Wilson. Even though Glennon has little experience, O’Brien has a lot of confidence in his new signal caller. But Glennon lacks a supporting cast of proven playmakers. The defense showed improvement this spring, but losing Sweezy for six weeks really hurts. Moreover, the Wolfpack will also be breaking in true freshmen at kicker and at punter. With so many question marks, it’s hard to envision anything better than a middle-of-the-pack finish.

Returning Starters: 12 (5 offense/7 defense/0 specialists)
2010 Record: 9-4, 5-3 ACC, tied for second in Atlantic
Post-Spring Ranking: No. 8

Tom Dienhart (Rivals.com)
Ten hottest seats in coaching

7. Dabo Swinney, Clemson. After Tommy Bowden was fired five games into the 2008 season, Swinney got the job by posting a 4-3 mark the rest of the way. He then delivered Clemson’s first trip to the ACC title game in 2009, but he removed any goodwill he had built with a 6-7 flop last season. South Carolina’s rise puts additional scrutiny on Swinney, who is banking on a revamped offense to return Clemson to the ACC elite. Hmm – wonder if Clemson A.D. Terry Don Phillips has Rich Rodriguez, a former Clemson assistant, on speed dial?

ESPN (Video)
Sport Science: Jayron Hosley

Sport Science examines Jayron Hosley’s speed and range that make him a feared cornerback

NCAA FOOTBALL

Pat Forde (ESPN.com)
Dash through freaks, schedules, more

The Dash usually comes out of the offseason with a book recommendation or two, and this one is geared more for the female readership. “Gridiron Belles: A Guide to Saturdays in Dixie,” written by Christie Leigh Mueller (38), is part football primer, part tailgate etiquette textbook, part SEC travelogue and all in good fun.

Her target audience?

“The Yankee transplant crossing the Mason-Dixon Line for the first time and trying to figure out football in the South,” she said. “The sorority girl whose daddy never played football or taught her about the game. The recent grads looking for ideas for their tailgates. The women who host those massive, immaculate tailgates every home Saturday. Basically, for all the belles of the SEC.”

Mueller earned her belle card without attending an SEC school. She played field hockey and got a political science degree at Rhodes College in Memphis, but grew up an Auburn fan and has tailgated and spectated at every stadium in the SEC. After working in politics in Washington, D.C., for a few years, she currently is a business etiquette consultant in Austin, Texas. But she’ll be spending every Saturday but one in the 2011 season at an SEC game.

Her tentative schedule: Oregon vs. LSU in Dallas, Sept. 3; Mississippi State at Auburn, Sept. 10; Tennessee at Florida, Sept. 17; Florida at Kentucky, Sept. 24; Auburn at South Carolina, Oct. 1; Georgia at Tennessee, Oct. 8; Auburn at LSU, Oct. 22; Arkansas at Vanderbilt, Oct. 29; LSU at Alabama, Nov. 5; Auburn at Georgia, Nov. 12; LSU at Ole Miss, Nov. 19; Alabama at Auburn, Nov. 26; SEC Championship in Atlanta, Dec. 3.

The book is packed with tailgating and spectating do’s and don’ts, but Mueller puts one piece of advice above all else: “If you show up at a tailgate empty-handed, you might as well cheer for the other team.”

UNC FALLOUT

Joe Ovies (WRALSportsFan.com)
The curious case of Julius Nyang’oro

Back in July, when McAdoo’s plagiarized paper had gone viral, Thorp wanted the focus to be on the honor court’s handling of the situation. In an interview with the N&O, Thorp said he was not going to dig into Nyang’oro’s handling of the paper. “It’s very unfortunate what happened here, but I don’t get into grading for faculty members,” he said.

What about now?

It’s easy to fire a football coach. They can be villainized for putting wins ahead of “doing it the right way” and everyone can wring their hands over fixing college sports. But now North Carolina is faced with even more questions about academic integrity despite cutting ties with the most visible face of the NCAA investigation. Not because of big bad football, which a few academic types have called for the dismantling of, but from an actual academic.

THE U-NIVERSE

Mandy Mitchell
Miami story from a Floridian’s perspective

Growing up I knew many guys, who if they would’ve had Shapiro’s money, would’ve done the same thing. They were all short, unathletic types who wanted so badly to be part of “The U” culture. Many could not have told you where the campus was located. The correct answer is Coral Gables for those wondering.

They were all “jersey guys.” They never wore anything but jerseys from the Marlins, which was the hot team at the time, to Hurricanes jerseys with the name “Dorsey” on the back.

Yahoo Sports (Video)
How will Miami move forward?

About 1.21 Jigawatts

Class of '98, Mechanical Engineer, State fan since arriving on campus and it's been a painful ride ever since. I live by the Law of NC State Fandom, "For every Elation there is an equal and opposite Frustration."

'11 Football ACC Teams Big Four Rivals College Football Multimedia UNC Scandal

14 Responses to Tuesday Tidbits

  1. BJD95 08/30/2011 at 7:16 AM #

    Every local and national writer pens exactly the same tripe about Wilson v. Glennon. But the WRs will make or break this offense – and it would be the same with either QB. Lazy-assed journalism, for sure.

  2. GAWolf 08/30/2011 at 8:34 AM #

    Its been a long time since I have entered a season reading stories where I repeatedly nod my head that the discussion is about known and relatively proven commodities even at backup positions. This team has loads of potential to for once beat expectations. However, given our few unknown positions, namely QB and WR and special teams, my expectations are tempered.

    More importantly, you have to love our off-season nagging questions when compared to those belonging to others.

  3. JVM4PACK 08/30/2011 at 9:03 AM #

    Ga…I don’t always agree with the term cautiously optimistic, but I am approaching this season with that in mind. I agree we have the potential to beat expectations if the unknowns fall into place. I come from a family that is predominately UNCheaters fans…I’m just glad I had some sense to pull away for the true flagship school

  4. ryebread 08/30/2011 at 9:15 AM #

    BJD: I think the line is the key to the season. Yes, the WR need to catch the ball, but the OL needs to open up holes for the running game and protect our first year QB. A good OL will lead to an advantage in TOP and allow the defense to attack when they’re in. If the OL can’t control the line of scrimmage, then the WR issues will admittedly be exacerbated, but also really not matter because we’ll have so many problems on both sides of the ball.

  5. VaWolf82 08/30/2011 at 9:33 AM #

    I think the line is the key to the season.

    I hope not. Last year’s O-line was not good and I don’t see any reason to think that this year’s will be dramatically improved. I’m just hoping for “good enough”.

  6. Vegaswolf 08/30/2011 at 10:53 AM #

    I think, as in any balanced offense, the running game will have a lot to do with the passing game. If we can establish the trenches, we’ll find our receivers less pressured and more opportunistic. I remember a catch Jay Smith made last year at GA Tech in the back of the end zone that gave me plenty of reason to have confidence in our wideouts. I also believe Graham will be much more effective this season, as his status on the team has done a lot for his confidence.

    State is going to surprise this year.

  7. Lunatic Fringe 08/30/2011 at 10:54 AM #

    It is fascinating to me that NCSU is considtently picked behind UNC, Boston C, and Clemson. The reason is always Glennon replacing Wilson.

    The only returning starter in the Top 7 is on Maryland.FSU has a sometime starter Manuel.

    Does Skwara even know who is starting QB for BC? Rettig averaged 138 yards, 6 TD and 9 INT.

    It just seems no one knows what else to say, but no Wilson well clearly they will drop down without looking at the rest of league. The ACC is pretty green as a whole at QB so who really knows what will happen.

  8. Ashman87 08/30/2011 at 11:01 AM #

    Yeah. This is great that football is starting on Saturday. Too bad our schedule is terrible for September. On the other hand, a lot people think that State has a strong possibility of being undefeated and ranked in the Top 25 heading into the showdown in Doak Campbell Stadium.

  9. graywolf 08/30/2011 at 11:17 AM #

    As a state alumnus and fan for over 40 years, I am never pesimistic but never optimistic either so I guess I too am very causiously optimistic. Remember, being a State fans builds character.

    At least we didn’t cheat.

  10. Plz2BStateFan 08/30/2011 at 11:25 AM #

    TOB: “We could be pretty good”

    DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS COMING FROM HIM?!?!?!?!?!

  11. NCStatePride 08/30/2011 at 11:43 AM #

    I don’t feel like that says anything more than what he’s been saying recently. We’ve heard a lot about the team working together, Glennon feeling comfortable, and the defense stepping up. Even coming from O’Brien, I’m not sure “we could be pretty good” means anything besides “pretty good”.

    Still, it’s nice to see O’Brien is feeling more confident in the quality of the team he’s fielding.

  12. PackerInRussia 08/30/2011 at 12:11 PM #

    Amen BJD. I have my normal reasons for wanting to see success (as in, I’m a fan, so obviously I want them to win), but I have added incentive this year: I don’t want to read articles all year about O’Brien’s bad move to let Wilson go (note: I don’t think it was a bad move). And I have a feeling that at the first sign of struggle, that will be the first (and maybe last) conclusion because it’s the easy (or as BJD said, lazy) thing to say.

  13. MP 08/30/2011 at 12:25 PM #

    As a side rant…

    I hate the current trend from interviewers to command rather than ask a question: e.g. “Talk about David Amerson”.

    It’s almost as irritating as “Pardon my reach”.

  14. JSRy2k 08/30/2011 at 2:49 PM #

    I can’t believe how many comments are directed at WR being a key to success. I agree the position is a question mark, but aside from QB it’s the OL that will be the real key.

    ryebread, I’m with you. Games are won and lost in the trenches. And even though our OL personnel isn’t much different from last year, at some point the TOB-effect (eg. development of strong OL’s) has to kick in. Why not this year? Please God, this year!

Leave a Reply