NC STATE FOOTBALL
Brett Friedlander (starnewsonline.com)
No easing into the season for state college teams
Friday night at the Georgia Dome, the N.C. State football team will play Tennessee in an atmosphere that looks and feels like a postseason game. And not one of those lower-tier bowls named after a department store chain or fast food restaurant.
We’re talking Orange, Sugar Rose or Fiesta here – big-time stuff with a lot of people watching.
The nationally televised Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic is such a big deal for the ACC in general and the Wolfpack specifically that even the usually understated Tom O’Brien admitted it Monday during his first weekly press conference of the new season.
“The first game isn’t the end-all game you’re going to play, but there’s always special games whether it’s the month of September, October or November,†the State coach said. “This is certainly a special game because of the stage, because of the opponent and because of the conference affiliation.â€
JP Giglio (N&O)
Archer wary of Bray, Vols’ offense
Joedy McCreary (AP)
Concerns in the Secondary?
Tennessee coach Derek Dooley doesn’t view the game in terms of conferences, but says it’s a matchup of two teams on equal footing.
“I think NC State could blend right in in our league and be able to whip anybody in our league,†Dooley said. “I don’t see a difference in this team. We look at them and see great athletes on the perimeter, a lot of draft picks. We see a hard-nosed, physical, tough team. They could fit right in our league. I don’t view it as SEC-ACC. There’s no significant difference, in my opinion.â€
Ryan Tice (TheWolfpacker.com)
Wide receivers ready to step up
Smith also credited new receivers coach Troy Walters for helping the pass catchers make strides in the preseason. Walters is a former All-American wide receiver from Stanford who won the 1999 Biletnikoff Trophy, given annually to the nation’s top pass catcher, and went on to play in the NFL for eight years.
“Coach Walters oversees all of us,” Smith noted. “He makes sure we do things right and we lead the group the way we are supposed to. Working with Coach Walters is a big help. Most of our wide receivers are guys like him – small and quick receivers. He’s brought a lot of experience to the receiving corps – he played college football and he played in the NFL. He knows the things we need to do to get better, to become better men and to get better as receivers so we can get to the next level.
“He’s very hands-on. He’s out there demonstrating stuff. We watch film and study it, but after we watch film, he comes out here and makes sure we see it and actually do it.”
Jacey Zembal (TheWolfpacker.com)
Q&A: Tom O’Brien excited about playing UT
How does your defensive line stack up compared to ones in the past at NC State?
“It’s more experienced and deeper, which is what we’ve talked about since the end of last year. The depth comes for us at the defensive end position. We moved a couple of kids. Last year after we went through the injuries the first five games, we redid the whole defense. We ended up moving [Brian] Slay outside and [Darryl] Cato-Bishop played inside, and moved outside [for this year], and they’ve both dropped some pounds. Art Norman has played, [McKay] Frandsen has played and [Forrest] West is a transfer who started two years at Colorado that came back to the East Coast. There is good depth and good experience there.
“[T.Y.] McGill finished the year really strong for us last year [at defensive tackle]. [Thomas] Teal played a lot last year when we had all those injuries. The two guys [Carlos Gray, Deylan Buntyn] behind them are inexperienced, but they are the kind of guys we want to play with in the middle. They are both 6-3, 6-4 guys and 300-plus pound guys.
“There is some depth on that [defensive] line, with some experience and some guys that have played a lot of football. We believe in playing two lines and even more now that we have more guys who are able to play to be fresh when we get to the fourth quarter of the football game.”
How are the new starters at linebacker?
“I think they’ve progressed during camp. We’ve moved [Brandon] Pittman, who has been inside and been outside. To get the best three, he’s in the best three, so it’s better for us he’s outside. [Rickey] Dowdy is more of an inside guy. We get Sterling Lucas back after a year with a knee injury. Those are three guys who have progressed through camp.
“The first test will be Friday night when they get on the football field and everything changes, and the crowd is roaring. Those are three positions that we really have to pay attention to as the game starts and progresses Saturday night.”
Ryan Tice (TheWolfpacker.com)
Mike Archer: Defense will be challenged game one
Archer is most confident in his defensive backs and ends, but he admits that there are still question marks, including the linebackers. Middle linebacker Sterling Lucas is the most experienced, as a veteran of 36 games and two starts, but he hasn’t played at linebacker since the North Carolina game of the 2010 season and he’ll have two newcomers on either side in Brandon Pittman and Rickey Dowdy, who have combined for six defensive snaps in their careers.
“Sterling has played, there’s no question, but he’s probably a little bit nervous,” the coach said. “I’m nervous. If you’re not nervous, you’re in the wrong business, but that’s good. The beauty of college sport is that it’s not like the NFL – every year, you have to bring new guys along. I’m anxious to see what Pittman does, I’m anxious to see what Rickey does, I’m anxious to see what [backup linebacker] Ryan Cheek does, I’m anxious to see what [backup cornerback] Juston Burris does in his first chance. I’m anxious to see the new guys, and that’s what college is all about.
“I think [Pittman] has slowly learned what to do. He’s still a true sophomore, so he’s going to make mistakes. [Linebackers coach] Jon [Tenuta] has done a great job with him, he’s done a great job with Dowdy. I watched him in the spring and I watch him now – he still makes mistakes, but he makes less and less mistakes; and when he makes mistakes, he knows what he did wrong, he can tell you what he did wrong, and that’s part of it. He’s got great ability, he can run and he’s got great feet. We’ll just keep coaching him, and he’ll get better.”
Rocky Top
Derek Medlin (PackPride.com)
Dooley: “We Have Our Hands Full”
You talked about how NC State might feel like this is its best team in a while, how about you? You’ve had to rebuild the program, rebuild depth. How far away are you from having the depth that you want in your program and being able to compete in the SEC East?
Well, I think the answers to those questions are going to come over the next 12 weeks. We feel like we’re a bigger, stronger, more talented team than we’ve been the last two years, but whether we’re ready to beat a team like NC State and compete for the SEC East, only time will tell. We feel like we’ve made a lot of improvements on our roster and I hope that the experience these guys have gained over the last couple of years will pay dividends for us.
NC State has one of the best secondaries in the country with Amerson and Wolff. With Rogers being gone, are you concerned going into the game about your receivers against NC State’s secondary?
I’m very concerned because we have very little experience and they have an incredible amount of it. What those guys do best is they make you pay for any mistakes, whether it’s a poor route, an inaccurate football, whatever it is. There is nothing more important than turnovers in these types of games, so we have to be very careful with the ball and not get too ambitious pushing that ball down the field.
What are your thoughts on both teams wearing home jerseys?
I don’t really have any thoughts. It’ll probably look good on television, but I don’t think it has any impact on our perspective. I guess I’ll answer that question after the game. If our guys think red looks like orange we’ll be in trouble.”
Mike Strange (govolsxtra.com)
SEC powerhouse? Vols hope O’Brien is right
Tennessee is a slight favorite over State. But “SEC powerhouse” is generous under the circumstances.
The three SEC triumphs in this format came from teams that went on to average 11.3 wins (LSU 11 in 2010, Alabama 14 in 2009 and Alabama 12 in 2008).
The Vols averaged six wins during those three seasons. As for 2012, eight wins would be viewed as at least a moderate success.
The point being this Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game isn’t a clash of titans.
What it is, is a match of two pretty good clubs who are optimistic that 2012 will be their respective programs’ best season in a while.
“If training camp is any indication,” Dooley said, “I think we’ll be a team that’s fun to watch.
But, Dooley cautioned: “We’ve got our hands full.”
He’s right, if for no other reason that UT’s dismal record against the ACC in recent years — 1-4 since the 1998 Fiesta Bowl win over Florida State.
The Vols and Wolfpack haven’t met since 1939 but share a few similarities in 2012. Namely, they appear to be pass-first offenses.
Brendan F. Quinn (govolsxtra.com)
Offensive line coach Sam Pittman looks for atonement against N.C. State
Tennessee’s film sessions for Friday’s game against N.C. State have rolled out painful reruns for Vols offensive line coach Sam Pittman.
Working in the same role at North Carolina 2007-11, Pittman led his linemen against the Wolfpack each of the five years. The Tar Heels lost all five affairs, posting a rushing average of 44.6 yards per game. They broke the 100-yard mark once and rushed for a combined minus-4 yards in the 2010 and 2011 meetings.
“It’s a sore spot for us, obviously, if you play somebody five times and they whip you,†Pittman said Tuesday. “We’ve discussed that with our team here — we haven’t had a positive rusher the last two times against them.â€
Of course, when Pittman says “us†and “we,†he means “I†and “me.â€
“Anytime you rush for negative yards, that means they’re beating the crap out of you up front,†he lamented.
Asked how similar N.C. State’s rushing attack is to what he’s seen the past five years, Pittman quickly responded, “They’re identical.â€
NC STATE BASKETBALL
Bret Strelow (FayObserver.com)
Could Dez Wells be reunited with C.J. Leslie in Raleigh?
According to a story in The Commercial Appeal, former Xavier wing Dez Wells plans to visit Memphis, Louisville, Maryland and N.C. State.
Wells, a 6-foot-5 sophomore who attended Word of God in Raleigh as a high school player, was expelled from Xavier earlier this month for a violation of the university’s code of conduct. On Tuesday, a grand jury declined to indict Wells on sexual assault charges, but he remains expelled from Xavier.
MULTIMEDIA/PODCASTS
WRALSportsfan.com
The Audible: NC State opener could be launching pad
Mark and Mike conclude that a win over Tennessee Friday night in Atlanta could be a crucial one for the Wolfpack and the ACC. Plus, Russell Wilson is a starter and the NHL is getting closer to a lockout.
WRALSportsfan.com
Purcell: NCSU ready for big season
Wolfpack Club Executive Director Bobby Purcell talks with WRAL about NC State’s matchup with Tennessee and the inaugural NC State Hall of Fame class.
WRALSportsfan.com (Audio)
Wolfpack fans ready for Atlanta
GoPack.com (Video)
Pack Players Talk Tennessee Game
