Friday Farrago

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September 2, 2011

NC STATE FOOTBALL

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: 1 DAY!!!

J.P. GIGLIO (N&O)
Pack’s Glennon will let his play do the talking

Mike Glennon gets it.

You want to compare him to Russell Wilson, that’s fine. N.C. State’s new quarterback understands it’s unavoidable, given the success Wilson enjoyed with the Wolfpack and the way he left program, landing at a Top-10 program in Wisconsin after a public split with coach Tom O’Brien.

Just don’t expect Glennon to get caught up in any of the hype or in comparisons to Wilson.

“Mike’s really smart,” Wolfpack senior tight end George Bryan said. “He knows that fans are going to compare them, but he hasn’t worried about that. He has just gone about being Mike and doing what he needs to do to lead this team.”

Glennon had an amicable relationship with Wilson, but the two have talked only once since Wilson left. He admits he’ll follow Wilson’s progress with the Badgers.

“Of course, I’ll look to see how he does,” said Glennon, a fourth-year junior. “But, really, it’s about what I can control.”

Matt Carter (TheWolfpacker.com)
Mike Glennon is ready for the opportunity

GoPack.com
Glennon, Pack Open with Liberty

When he arrived on the NC State campus as a highly-touted quarterback in 2008, Mike Glennon had every reason to believe that he’d be the Wolfpack’s starter early in his career. Not only were upperclassmen Daniel Evans and Harrison Beck about to move on, a fellow Virginian by the name of Russell Wilson was, in many circles, considered more of a sure thing in baseball than football.

As it turns out, however, Glennon had to wait a little longer than expected to take over the NC State offense. On Saturday night his patience will finally be rewarded when he takes his first snaps as a starter against Liberty. Kickoff time at Carter-Finley Stadium is slated for 6 p.m. The Wolfpack Sports Network begins its coverage at 5 p.m.

Now a fourth-year junior, Glennon is chomping at the bit to get started.

“As much as I didn’t want to be patient, I knew I had to,” Glennon said. “I have two years to do what I’ve wanted to do and I’m excited about these two years.”

CAULTON TUDOR (N&O)
Big test here for O’Brien

The December day that N.C. State announced the hiring of Tom O’Brien as football coach five years ago, former athletics director Lee Fowler must have used the words “program builder” a dozen times.

“What he’ll do is build us a totally solid program from the ground up, and he’ll do it right,” Fowler said.

Those words were echoed by former Virginia coach George Welsh, the man who taught O’Brien the art of head coaching.

“Tom’s solid – no shortcuts, no hocus-pocus or stuff like that,” Welsh said.

The Sports Xchange
Finding The Groove

KEYS TO THE GAME: The Wolfpack has the right kind of opener in terms of grooming some young players. The offense will want to establish a strong rushing attack, while the defense will want to prove it deserves its impressive preseason buildup. N.C. State will want to get off to a strong start in this game so it can progress through its game plan and make the most of its opportunity to prepare for the ACC because it starts conference play a week later at Wake Forest.

Matt Carter (TheWolfpacker.com)
James Washington ready to carry his load

Washington admits that he had a little extra bounce in his step at the start of camp. The Pack is breaking in new faces in its passing offense, and while redshirt junior quarterback Mike Glennon and his receivers get on the same page, Washington and the running backs understand that they will have to carry more of the load.

“We have to step up and help lead the team until we have a steady passing attack,” Washington stated. “I feel like this year we knew we have to run the ball more so Mike can be successful with the pass, so we have to come in and work hard and keep improving so when the game time comes we should be able to run for days.”

The Wolfpacker
Tom O’Brien holds final practice before opener

What impressed you about Rashard Smith moving him to offense?

“Some guys are offensive players, and that’s what he was coming in here. We had to put him on defense because we didn’t have any corners to play with in those days. He has a great feel for the game. He understands the game. He’s picked up things awfully quick. He really studies the game. That’s the thing that has impressed Coach [Dana] Bible the most, it’s the effort and work he’s put in because it’s not an easy offense to figure out. It’s pretty complicated with all the positions you got to line up and all the spots and reads you have to do in a relatively short time. He’s done a great job which makes you think that’s more where he’s suited to play.

Bret Strelow (FayObserver.com)
Gifts give Brett Bowden look of college, pro football player

He’s never attended a college football game before, but he’ll be able to watch Saturday’s action from the Carter-Finley Stadium stands with family members and close friend Charles Chestnutt.

“I think it’s so classy for them to step up, right there from Raleigh, (close to) where the North Carolina High School Athletic Association is from,” said Pat Bowden, Brett’s mother. “It’s just an eye-opener to give him that opportunity to go toss the coin. Brett is going to be so excited to be out there around all those football guys.”

Bowden, who has Down syndrome, is not eligible to officially play football for Hobbton this season because he is too old according to state rules. He is allowed to wear most of his uniform at games and remain part of the team.

GoPack.com
NC State to Host All-America Day

Saturday’s football season opener against Liberty will also be State’s inaugural “All-America Day,” as the Department of Athletics will honor all Wolfpack student-athletes (past and present) who have won All-America honors during their careers. The attendees will be recognized at halftime and at a reception on Friday evening.

MULTIMEDIA/PODCAST

GoPack.com
Inside Wolfpack Sports

In today’s episode, Don Shea visits with Assistant Athletic Director of Facilities Ray Brincefield.

WOLFPACK PAST/FUTURE

Matt Carter (TheWolfpacker.com)
Wolfpack commitments in action

The 2011 high school football season has started for many Wolfpack recruits, and for some they have already played a couple of games. Here’s an update on how the future Wolfpackers have done so far.

Ryan Tice (TheWolfpacker.com)
Pack pros: NFL Update

WILSON WATCH

KEN TYSIAC (N&O)
Russell Wilson shines in debut at Wisconsin

Steve Megargee
Rivals.com
Winners and losers: Wilson wows in debut

In the two months since he announced he was transferring to Wisconsin, Russell Wilson arguably garnered more national publicity than he ever received while starring for three seasons at North Carolina State.

ACC FOOTBALL

RICK BONNELL (N&O)
Deacons fall in overtime

Wake Forest lost its football opener in overtime Thursday night, and possibly its starting quarterback, too.

The Demon Deacons blew a 15-point lead early in the fourth quarter, then were beaten on a four-yard touchdown pass in overtime for a 36-29 loss to Syracuse at the Carrier Dome.

Ryan Nassib threw the game-winner for Syracuse, finding wide receiver Van Chew on a roll-out. Wake’s ensuing possession ended when backup quarterback Ted Stachitas’ end zone pass didn’t connect with Chris Givens.

Wake Forest Observations

Associated Press
Smith, Hill Lead Georgia Tech To 63-21 Victory

Orwin Smith scored two of Georgia Tech’s four first-quarter touchdowns, Stephen Hill caught two touchdown passes from Tevin Washington and Georgia Tech beat Western Carolina 63-21 on Thursday night in the opener for both teams.

The Yellow Jackets piled up 662 yards of total offense – their most productive game since 2000 – but they struggled throughout the night to hold on to the football, losing two of six fumbles and allowing a second-quarter punt to get blocked and recovered for a touchdown.

Brett Friedlander
What the other guys are saying

Three FCS teams from Virginia will be traveling South on Saturday to take on ACC teams from North Carolina, and all of them – Liberty, James Madison and Richmond – stand a puncher’s chance of spoiling the opening day festivities.

Of the group, the Flames might pose the biggest threat when they come to Carter-Finley Stadium to take on N.C.State. Liberty has won four straight and the Wolfpack will be breaking in a new quarterback in Mike Glennon.

Here’s a sampling of what’s being said and written by the opposition about this weekend’s games involving the ACC’s Big Four …

Associated Press
ACC’s Season Could Be Shaped By New QBs

Only four returning starting quarterbacks are available for their teams’ openers. Five more are making their first career starts. None of this weekend’s projected starters are seniors. Both of the divisional favorites, Florida State and Virginia Tech, have new faces under center.

The league-wide transition is the result of graduation, a transfer, another QB changed sports and an NCAA investigation. Now, how the replacements for those signal-callers perform has led to plenty of uncertainty.

Jim Young (ACCSports.com)
Bag O’ Tweets, Sept. 1

UNC FALLOUT

DAN KANE (N&O)
UNC professor resigns academic chairman post

A UNC-Chapel Hill department chairman at the center of questions regarding academic integrity within the university’s football program has resigned from the position, university officials said Thursday.

UNC-CH Chancellor Holden Thorp said in a statement that Julius Nyang’oro, who headed the Department of African and Afro-American Studies, has resigned as the university looks at “possible irregularities with courses that included undergraduate students.”
“Because academic integrity is paramount, we have every obligation to get to the bottom of these issues,” Thorp said.

UNC officials said the irregularities involved student-athletes and other students. They declined to provide further details.
Nyang’oro will continue to teach at the university. His salary will be reduced $12,000 to $159,000.

NCAA BASKETBALL

BETH RUCKER (AP Sports Writer)
Pearl: NCAA made him example to other coaches

Pearl also said Thursday there are a number of things he feels should be changed about the NCAA process. He said the investigation process is too long and the NCAA rulebook too big. He was also disappointed that he did not appear to get enough credit for admitting his mistakes.

“In my case I believe I should have been given more credit for coming forward and telling the truth,” he said. “I think I was given little credit for doing that. I would like to see the ability for coaches to be able to come forward in these situations and get the record straight, but obviously the damage that was done was too great.”

BETH RUCKER (AP Sports Writer)
Pearl takes job as marketing VP in Knoxville

Former Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl accepted a job as vice president of marketing with a Knoxville-based wholesale grocery company, bypassing the chance to coach the Texas Legends of the NBA’s developmental league.

He will begin working at H.T. Hackney on Thursday. The company is led by Chairman and CEO Bill Sansom, a former University of Tennessee trustee.

“It’s really an answer to prayer,” Pearl told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “This is where my family is. This is where I want to be. Everybody looks at me as a coach, but I’m a father and a husband, and I’ve got to provide for my family.”

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."

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12 Responses to Friday Farrago

  1. GAWolf 09/02/2011 at 8:09 AM #

    Nice work as always Jiga.

  2. 1.21 Jigawatts 09/02/2011 at 8:43 AM #

    Thanks, just wish I had more time so I could find stuff that’s off the beaten path.

  3. logarithm 09/02/2011 at 8:46 AM #

    Friedlander may be right about the Flames having the best chance to upset on Saturday (though I think VT would tell people to look out for James Madison), but half of the reason quoted here is bull. “Liberty has won four straight?” Really? Because I thought there was this months-long off-season thing since their last win and they’ve only been practicing for a few weeks like everyone else and some players do this thing call graduating at some point in there. By the same token, we should be an unstoppable juggernaut coming off of a dominant win over a ranked West Virginia team.

  4. Greywolf 09/02/2011 at 9:00 AM #

    This is a terrific service for Pack fans everywhere. Thank you for all of us who depend on SFN for up-to-date news in one location.

  5. packhammer 09/02/2011 at 9:30 AM #

    “Tom’s solid – no shortcuts, no hocus-pocus or stuff like that,” Welsh said.

    Says it all and explains a lot. I saw a certain amount of hocus-pocus last night.

    Nevertheless, as a serious and long time Pack graduate amd fan, I am very happy to have TOB at the helm.

    Thanks for the roundup. It is great.

  6. sundropdrinker13 09/02/2011 at 10:23 AM #

    JMU over UNC. I also can’t believe that GT had all this trouble against WCU at the beginning of the 2nd quarter. WCU was one of the worst teams in the FCS.

  7. PackerInRussia 09/02/2011 at 11:05 AM #

    The Flames won 4 straight and Mike Glennon’s a new QB. All the makings of an upset right there.
    Am I the only one who gets the feeling that Mike Glennon’s the only new QB in the ACC?

  8. sundropdrinker13 09/02/2011 at 12:12 PM #

    When the media is portraying it that way, it is easy to come to that conclusion. The media has already basically anointed Renner at UNC as the best QB to ever play there. Just my feeling from the media.

  9. Gowolves 09/02/2011 at 12:38 PM #

    Is it me or did WF get hosed last night. That OT catch was caught out of bounds. Granted they didn’t score when thay had the ball but they could have kicked a feild goal to tie or win the game.

  10. JSRy2k 09/02/2011 at 1:17 PM #

    Mike Glennon: Not worried at all. TOB & Dana Bible have a strong reputation w/ QB’s, and breaking in a new starter who’s a 4th-yr Jr is THE ideal situation. Show me how the OL is, because that’s the position of greatest offensive inconsistency from last year.

    Russell Wilson: It was bittersweet watching. I had a sick feeling in my gut seeing him play in a uniform other than NC State last night, even though I’m happy for his good start and will root for the Badgers. A couple big positives are that NC State gets mentioned more on national TV and our staff deserves credit for coaching Wilson up from a 2-star HS recruit to a 5-star collegiate transfer. Wilson’s success at UW could actually help NCSU recruiting.

  11. Wolfacct 09/02/2011 at 2:30 PM #

    Kicking game will be key for us this year. If respectable, we could have a special season. I think the OL will be fine: maybe not dominating, but adequate. Glennon will be a pleasant surprise for all. While not having the ability to extend plays like RW, he will command the offense. My thinking is the offense will be deliberate, methodical, and utilize lot’s of clock. Not as exciting as with RW, but more predictable. Defense will be nasty.

    As for watching RW, bittersweet is the perfect term. Couldn’t help but think how he should be in a Wolfpack uniform, but we did get mentioned quite a bit and the staff does deserve credit. Nice analysis JSRy2k.

  12. Hungwolf 09/02/2011 at 2:57 PM #

    UNC Professor story was on front page of Charlotte Observer. Amazing that it took over a year since the NCAA first appeared on Campus for UNC-CHeat to notify the NCAA of wrong doing in the classroom by its athletes, as they notified the NCAA that the professor had stepped down and of improper conduct reagrding its football players. Funny how the local media and UNX makes sure to always say football program. Can they be any more transparent that they are protecting the basketball program. Hard to imagine only football players were given special treatment, considering bball players were frequent students in these same classes.

    I predict Bible has one of his greatest years in calling the offense this year. I don’t think Glennon will struggle, I worry about our receivers holding onto the ball. I predict the RBs catch lots of passes this year.

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