A 19th century politician once quipped “to the victors belong the spoils,” and in the case of area college football, NC State is the clear victor: in 2015, they soundly whipped their arch rival to end the regular season, they returned to bowl eligibility, they are the only local team to win their post-season game, and the only one with clear momentum heading into next season.
The spoils of all of that? Dave Doeren has definitely solidified his tenure and his program here, something that can only boost recruiting, and his team has the peace of mind that it can get the job done and that next year, they can even do a better one. That’s a marked contrast from what another local school is feeling right now, and for State’s football program and its fans, those are sweet spoils indeed.
2014 Marks A Turnaround For The Pack
Admittedly, 2014 was not a high water mark for NC State football, but considering where they were going into the season, this team accomplished some great things. They were an afterthought at best in the summer, but they turned around a three win season with no conference victories in 2013 to a winning record and with good players returning next year.
In short, with all things said and done, NC State exceeded expectations and shut down and made foolish comments like those from USA Today’s Paul Myerberg, who stated last June that “N.C. State isn’t good – no, not good – but don’t be surprised if the Wolfpack sneak into bowl eligibility. … N.C. State should win five games with this schedule, but this team has no discernible strengths whatsoever.”
They did that, and more, having settled bowl eligibility before going to Chapel Hill, taking the brash Heels to class, and then winning its bowl game with a solid performance on both sides of the ball — after being labeled as the underdog heading into the game. NC State also showed exceptional improvement at quarterback, in the defensive secondary, along both lines and even along the sidelines, where coaches also made improvements in their play-calling and game management.
Not bad for a team with “no discernible strengths.” That’s not to say that NC State is poised to burst onto the national scene as a ready-made replacement for FSU or Oregon, but they are making strides, and they were a better team than expected in 2014.
2015 looks good on paper right now, despite some losses to graduation and an unexpected transfer, the Wolfpack program has players in their system to replace those that are leaving, and by NC State standards, recruiting to fill other gaps is going well. All that said, State is an an upward trajectory, and the program has restored itself quite nicely and has a clear path forward into next year that may lead to even better things.
On the other side of the Triangle: “Videri Magis Quam Esse.”
Meanwhile, things fell apart miserably in 2014 for Larry Fedora and his UNC Tar Heels. With a preseason ranking and listed as one of the favorites to win the ACC Coastal Division, Carolina crash-landed yesterday to finish 6-7 and far behind Duke, NC State and even East Carolina in terms of their position in the state of North Carolina. That’s a far-cry from being a dark-horse contender to get into the national title playoff, something that some pundits were claiming as a possibility for the perennially “sleeping giant” of college football.
In other words, videri magis quam esse: to seem, rather than to be.
Yesterday, UNC showed what it is really is. In their smoldering aftermath of what-could have-been yesterday, Carolina players can’t turn on each other fast enough: “”You can tell from the looks on a lot of guys’ faces, a lot of guys don’t care,” said [UNC] quarterback Marquise Williams.
Given the advantages of being a Carolina athlete, namely the education and all of the perqs that go with it, that’s just sad.
Maybe that’s Williams’ leadership filtering through his team. On November 29th, in the second half and on the short end of what was to end as a 35-7 loss, Williams looked shell-shocked and more than a bit apathetic himself. Nor did he look the picture of pep and energy against Rutgers, and he hardly gave the fans the image of the unfazed leader gamely leading his charges back into battle.
Tar Heel receiver Ryan Switzer added “we’ve got some soul-searching to do. A lot of guys need to really figure out whether they really want to be here or not.”
When the best players of your team are saying that, trouble can’t be far behind. When you point your finger at a large group and claim superiority in public, discontent in that group usually follows. Switzer may discover that he will get exactly the opposite effect he intended: if you think they don’t care now, just wait. The best thing he could have done was to say what he did in a private team meeting and not to reporters.
For his part, Larry Fedora may think the future is bright — he said so after the Quick Lane Bowl defeat — but the truth is that he’s probably going to be coaching for his job next year. If things end up this time next year as they stand today, he’ll probably join the list of folks looking for a new sideline to patrol on game day.
Thing is, it’s not really all that difficult: if they are serious about turning their fortunes around, they could start by emulating their nearest rivals: by rolling their sleeves, doing the hard unpleasant work that it takes to build a good team and by not talking about how good they are in the meantime. They could start that process by having their leadership stop airing their dirty laundry in the press about how they care but other anonymous players don’t. That doesn’t build morale, it destroys it. It doesn’t salve the feelings of disappointed supporters but it does provide high comedy for rival fans.
Meanwhile, NC State needs to keep doing what it did this season: working hard, believing in itself quietly, and continuing to grow. Dave Doeren has done a Herculean job in resurrecting a program left for dead in the aftermath of Tom O’Brien’s departure, and considering everything, he’s done a great job of developing solid players and recruiting to his system. All signs point to exactly that happening, and unlike UNC, those signs have an even brighter future for NC State football than this turn-around year that saw them finish 8-5.
Feeling Satisfied As A Fan
Speaking strictly as an NC State fan, I am glad we’re not in UNC’s position right now, and I am not talking about their never-ending academic, err, athletics department scandal. Instead, I am talking about the disarray in their football program. For them, it looks like a bad thing is about to get worse.
And for us, the future looks pretty bright. See you next spring, Pack football. You did us proud on many fronts. Above all, you did it the right way and you did it with class. You hit the books and you didn’t hit the police blotter. When there was a discipline problem here or there, the coaches handled it swiftly and appropriately. The hard work in the weight room , in the film room and on the practice field became more and more apparent as the year went on, and it was clear you were learning your lessons and applying them well. That’s the NC State Way, something also known as “the right way to go about it.”
