O’Brien plays for overtime, risks losing his job

I’m not even going to complain about the two different holding calls on the return that would’ve negated the run.

We deserve to lose when we called such an AWFUL game after getting up ten points in the second half.

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159 Responses to O’Brien plays for overtime, risks losing his job

  1. heavy 10/27/2012 at 6:35 PM #

    Sorry, all I can think of: new car, caviar, 4 star day dream, think I’ll buy me a football team. Enjoy the win gio and you other douche bags.

  2. old13 10/27/2012 at 6:36 PM #

    Next year, just for perspective:

    DB – gone

    QB – gone

    OL – gone

    And I see no equivalent replacements as units.

    This year is TOB’s peak. Need I say more! Except, how in the hell did we beat FSU! Fisher having a brain fart is the only explanation.

  3. Wulfpack 10/27/2012 at 6:56 PM #

    Just a few comments.

    We played hard today. Battled back from a terrible start and took control in the third. Most certainly should have won. Just way too conservative down the stretch for my liking. It was vintage TOB. Good coach, but not near great. We all know that. It is old news.

    As for UNC, Gio Bernard is a maniac. He will be in the Heisman discussion. He is by far the best running back in the ACC. Oh, unlike our guys, he can actually catch a pass out of the backfield.. In fact, we learned he can catch quite a few.

    I do not know yet what to make of Fedora. Some of you seem to despise the man. What I saw today was a team that played for their guy, despite the fact they know they aren’t going anywhere. Perhaps that is part of it. I guess what I am saying is – there is a lot of energy on that UNC sideline. A lot of want to. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for us.

  4. Wulfpack 10/27/2012 at 7:13 PM #

    I just saw a an earlier about Phil Fulmer, and being careful for what we wish for. While I agree with the premise (we know things can be A LOT worse without TOB judging by our history), there is one giant distinction. Phil Fulmer won championships. One national championship. Two SEC Championships. And six eastern division titles. It is just not the same, not even close.

    And Charlie Strong will be filling an SEC vacancy. You can take that to the bank. Got to be a bit more creative than that.

  5. WolftownVA81 10/27/2012 at 7:37 PM #

    I for one am tired of watching our team as coached by Status QuoBrian. We need a change at the end of this season. Guess those still on the TOB band wagon won’t be able to use “but he beats UNC” anymore. I trust in DY and hope she’s making her list and checking it twice. If not, we will be a very divided fan base next year.

  6. wirelessdoc 10/27/2012 at 7:47 PM #

    A loss to this UNC team is………….embarrassing.

  7. tuckerdorm1983 10/27/2012 at 7:48 PM #

    Recipe for “Mediocrity Cake with special icing”

    1.take a double big helping of 2 and 3 star recruits year in and year out.
    2.Add one coach that is marginally motivated and soon to retire
    3.mix in playing calling that is way to conservative
    4.blend in a bunch of cupcake teams played during the season
    5.add just a pinch of indifference and dash of lack of motivation

    Stir all the ingredients thoroughly and bake for 6 years at 325 degrees. When it finally turns brown on top it is done. You now have a nice cake of Mediocrity.

    For the icing on the cake lose to the tarheels in a game where you blow a 10 point lead late in the 4th quarter by playing way to conservative and then for the love of pete kick the ball to their best player instead of kicking it out of bounds and lose in the last 30 seconds.

  8. mak4dpak 10/27/2012 at 7:54 PM #

    Many things factored in this loss from start to finish, but the coaches philosophy of play not to lose, instead of playing to win, cost us this one. Bible will never change. Glennon was picking the holes apart, then we decide we are up by 10, so lets go in our conservative mode. WTF????? If TOB stays, he should be required to replace Archer/Bible, or he should retire. Hopefully as I heard someone mention, we will return the favor in basketball.

  9. UpstateSCWolfpack 10/27/2012 at 7:58 PM #

    Playing for OT was disappointing to see at the end of the game. TOB knew that the holes had all three TOs as did we, we should have called a TO got a good play setup, and let the ball fly. Shit, Glennon had TD passes of 83 and 55 yards, for gosh sakes. Let’s live a little dangerous for once, and put it all on the line. If he is fired, then we need to break the bank on Charlie Strong before the old ball coach retires, and he takes over at the fake carolina.

  10. charger17 10/27/2012 at 8:03 PM #

    Okay, I for one am past the conversation of whether he goes or not. The question is who? I am very worried about vacancies at better schools. But does this really matter? Can DY actually upgrade this offseason?

    I think TN, Auburn, Arkansas are all looking for new coaches in the offseason. Who else?

  11. Wulfpack 10/27/2012 at 8:23 PM #

    Texas and Mizzou could be looking as well.

  12. highstick 10/27/2012 at 8:24 PM #

    “And Charlie Strong will be filling an SEC vacancy. You can take that to the bank. Got to be a bit more creative than that.”

    You can take that one to the bank, the credit union, and any other financial institution you want to..

    Charlie is very likely to be at Arky or Tennessee next year! Danged good coach!

  13. john of sparta 10/27/2012 at 8:25 PM #

    imagine Skip.
    it’s easy if you try.

  14. ryebread 10/27/2012 at 8:39 PM #

    Quick thoughts on the game:
    – UNC wanted it more. They came out fired up. We came out flat.
    – We sat on the ball most of the 4th quarter. That’s where we lost the game. It was over before the punt return. Even if it had gone to overtime, we’d have lost.
    – We had some bad breaks.
    – Bernard was the best player on the field, by a long margin. UNC put the game in the hands of the best player on the field during the fourth quarter and he delivered. Good coaching.
    – The time management was atrocious.
    – It was obvious from the first quarter that whomever had the ball last was going to win. Nobody really played any defense — even when the offenses weren’t scoring.
    – You don’t play for overtime on the road when the home team has been coming back.

    Now, onto the bigger picture:
    – I had this game circled as a loss before the beginning of the season. I predicted we’d go 8-4 and 5-3 in the league and go to a bowl in Charlotte. I didn’t understand those predicting higher, particularly with the schedule and what we had at LBs and on the OL.
    – We’re going to finish 8-4. We’ll lose to Clemson and win the others.
    – TOB is the HWSNBN of college football. He was at BC and he is at NC State. I don’t know why so many people are surprised now. We knew exactly what we were getting when we hired him.
    – TOB has always stunk at time management. He did when we beat him at CF with the Evans/Dunlap miracle play. He’s done it countless times here.
    – We’ve played four straight games down to virtually the last play. We’re 2-2, which is right at what you’d expect. We don’t have the depth to turn every game into a 12 round slugfest.
    – TOB isn’t firing any coordinators. He’s “all in” with them. At this point in his career, personal relationships mean more than potentially eking out one more win a season.
    – If TOB gets to 8-4 and wins his bowl, he’ll get to coach next year if he wants to. Like it or not, I think 8-4 is a lifetime contract at NC State in football.

  15. Tuffy2 10/27/2012 at 8:50 PM #

    From the very beginning of the game when unc ran that trick play camera goes to a shot of TOB and he has this look of what just happened! I really would love to know what TOB was thinking when unc went for 2 on their second TD.

    I remember 6 years ago when we got him from BC I wrote why are we hiring a guy with all this experience and it would be a latteral move on his behalf. RED FLAG…

    Of course we must remember who did the hiring. I have always felt this place was a pit stop for him on his way to the beach and still do.

    How does it make any sense his reason for not needing to recruit 4 or 5 star players is because as long as they leave at this level everything will be fine in Raleigh. Would that mean that we would benefit from this player right around their final year?

    For all the stress this guy has put me through over 6 years I have no problem if he doesn’t finish the year out if he loses this team before we get to the Clemson game.

  16. Lumpy 10/27/2012 at 8:50 PM #

    He ain’t going anywhere. Look, we are about even-talent wise-with UNC. But I knew, JUST KNEW, that when we had the INT after the Creecy drop (wide open) and after the Sade miss we were going to lose that game. TOB has no skills when it comes to clock management or he and Bible with smart play calling at games end. The problem is two fold:
    1) He has the Sendek “Safety Zone” going for him. He wins enough for outsiders and disinterested alum to be able to say “Not bad”. His players don’t get into trouble in class or off the field. And, he sneaks into a bowl, so you have that “What do they expect?” thing going from people who don’t watch every snap like us. We are exactly on the fence of an “OK” program to being a top 25 program. which is the most frustrating place for anyone who is a real fan to be. Outsiders and disinterested insiders will look at the record and think “Not bad” but the rest of us see missed chances for ACC titles.
    2) Who can we get? This is where it gets tricky. There are only two types of good college coaches. Proven commodities and up and comers. Now if you’re a program stumbling in at 3-9 or 5-7, you can take a chance on a coach who plays outside a BCS conference in a heartbeat. But if you are where we are, you have to get a proven commodity who you know can improve form 7 or 8 wins to 9 or 10 wins. That coach costs a LOT of money. Are our boosters ready to pony up for someone like Leach or Rich Rod, or maybe a high profile assistant from Oregon or Oklahoma? I don’t know, but thats who you have to shoot for if you are where we are.
    I hate that the game has passed TOB by, but it has. He’s going to be here as long as the bottom doesn’t drop out. I only hope that DY is on top of a search the minute that O’Brien calls it a career,

  17. Cabin Creek Wolf 10/27/2012 at 8:54 PM #

    sparta, there are a lot of people in the Tampa area who are ready to kick Skip down a well.

  18. Lumpy 10/27/2012 at 8:57 PM #

    Ryebread,
    There is no way you are a fan of NC State.
    “- We’re going to finish 8-4. We’ll lose to Clemson and win the others.”
    If you were, you would know that we are going to beat Clemson and lose one at either WF, BC, or Virginia.
    You should know by now how this movie ends.

  19. Iremember87 10/27/2012 at 9:02 PM #

    As I posted on another thread, Where the hell is Bill Cowher? He’s gotta be getting bored whatever he’s doing…TOB actually said the wind carried the punt too far. How many times has he blamed the wind this year? He needs to coach in a dome….If he did he’d probably blame the air conditioner. I’m done with his lame excuses.

  20. Prowling Woofie 10/27/2012 at 9:03 PM #

    Bible’s conservative play-calling was the back-breaker. Again. He will never change; doesn’t comprehend the concept of “going for the jugular”. He will always play to get a lead, then play not to lose. Absolutely takes his foot off the gas when he has the best QB in the ACC playing his best game of the year. Unbelievable.

    And TOB is too loyal to his assistants to can him. If we want a new, more aggressive OC, then TOB has to go, too.

  21. Cabin Creek Wolf 10/27/2012 at 9:03 PM #

    Precisely what I’m thinking, Lumpy. If I had to put money on it, I’d say it’s going to be WF.

  22. Tuffy2 10/27/2012 at 9:08 PM #

    ryebread, I have to disagree with you on the fact neither team played any defense. I felt we played very good D for a team who was on the field a long time. You have to remember when we scored they were not long drives and by the 4th qtr you can see they were very tired. they made some very big stops and held unc to a fg when Cato-Bishop sacked their qb. They held Gio to 72 yards rushing with over 1 min to go in the game. I grant you he did his damage in receiving.

    It was not obvious who ever had the ball last was going to win the game with all the chances we had to cushion the lead throughout the game. I thought we had this game running away if we wanted it.
    I would not be so sure we will only lose to Clemson because not only will we need to let this game go because for every loss they accumulate the motivation becomes less and less. I forgot about our emotional coach who is such a leader.

  23. mak4dpak 10/27/2012 at 9:19 PM #

    I wander if the offensive coordinator at Oregon would like a head coaching job? No more conservative, and boring football we have come to accept as a way of life for pack fans.

  24. ADVENTUROO 10/27/2012 at 9:19 PM #

    I did not, due to where we are (southern AL) hear the coach’s comments. If it is indeed the wind, then the NCSU Meterology Department needs to be tarred and feathered. They really almost messed up last week on the crosswind that rattled the ball off the upright.

    And today, they really did blow it (pun….) by guiding it right in Bernard’s hands.

    We need new wind pilots….maybe we can recruit some drone pilots and re-train them.

    NOW, I know WHOM to blame….

    Wonder if anyone has told Dr. Woodson or AD Yow about how the science guys are letting up down with their sophisticated toys….

  25. Wulfpack 10/27/2012 at 9:20 PM #

    The football Gods always find a way to even things out. Lucky win at Maryland a week ago. And then we drop a game we should have won today. Just the way it goes.

    I do not dislike TOB. I think he is a good football coach. I also think his years are numbered, and we should not expect different results from a guy that has been so consistent at being slightly better than average for some time now.

    While I am sure that DY has a short list in her pocket, she is also looking for certain qualities in the next guy. Not sure what those are, but you would have to imagine some of them stray from what TOB is.

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