State of the Program: Boston College

It’s officially college football preview time. After some much-needed nudging by Tomahawk Nation, my first series of blog posts concerning the upcoming season will be to go over each program in the ACC with a fine-toothed comb.

Among criteria in reviewe:

• Financial situation
• Recruiting
  • Location
  • Facilities
  • Tradition
  • Rational postseason expectations
  • Coaching staff stability
  • Fan base

Those are not by-the-book rules, but will serve as basic guidelines as I try to set the record straight for all 12 schools. Hopefully this will give everyone a better idea of what a realistic expectation is for everyone going forward.

We’ll go in alphabetical order, starting with our friends up north…

Boston College

Somehow, the Eagles have been able to produce a consistently competitive football team despite severe recruiting restrictions and academic requirements. Boston College is a private school, making it much more difficult to recruit athletes with poor grades. Public institutions do not have nearly as much trouble doing so. Look at other private schools in BCS conferences. Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Baylor, Duke, and Stanford have all struggled to consistently sustain success – some more than others. It also severely limits the volume of alumni that can donate to the program. Being a private school immediately puts you behind the 8-ball.

Boston College’s location is another factor that should keep them from being competitive. First of all, Chesnut Hill, Mass. is 430 miles from the next closest school in the ACC. A major factor in recruiting (when you are not elite) is being able to play as many games within close proximity to home as possible, so friends and family have a chance to watch them play.

The Eagles rose as high as No. 2 in the polls during Matt Ryan's senior season in 2007

The other detractor about the Eagles’ location is having to compete in a pro sports market. Boston has won more professional sports championships this decade than any other city. It’s not hard to pack Gillette Stadium or TD Garden, but Alumni Stadium is another story. The game day environment at Alumni Stadium just can’t stack up with those at Clemson, Virginia Tech, and much of the ACC. They have Miami beat, but the Eagles and Hurricanes aren’t exactly going toe-to-toe for prospects.

So how did the Eagles win eight straight bowl games from 2000-2007 and play in two ACC Championship Games in 2007-08? First off, Tom O’Brien did  marvelous job of saving the program from the depths of obscurity after a gambling scandal ravaged the program in 1996. Also, the coaching staff is full of spectacular recruiters. From 2006-2011, the Eagles reeled in 14 four-star recruits, according to Rivals.com. Jeff Jagodzinski, who infamously left the program after interviewing for the New York Jets’ head coaching job, was a spectacular recruiter and Frank Spaziani has kept up the pace.

Hiring Spaziani to replace Jagodzinski was a brilliant one by Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo. Spaziani had been the defensive coordinator from 1999-2008 before his promotion. Coaching staff stability is the most underrated factor in maintaining a successful football program, just ask Virginia Tech. When Jagodzinski left, the Eagles’ looked to be taking on water, but Spaziani has kept them afloat.

Should Eagles’ fans expect more ACC Championship Game appearances in the near future? Probably not. The biggest obstacle in their path is Florida State, who appears on the verge of taking a stranglehold on the mediocre conference for years to come. It’s hard to imagine the Eagles keeping up with the Seminoles in the Atlantic Division, but that’s anything but an indictment on Spaziani and company.

Boston College has proven it can make noise on the national stage from time to time. All it takes is another Matt Ryan for the Eagles to make a good run. I say all it takes like all-pro quarterbacks grow on trees…it’s not that simple, obviously. That said, the Eagles should always have a solid foundation to build upon, and if the right kind of star makes his way through the program it can take them to the next level for a year or two.

For now, the Eagles should be content with perennial 8-4 seasons, with a 10-win season sprinkled in every now and then.

Russell Wilson chooses Wisconsin

ESPN reports that former N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson will transfer to Wisconsin for the 2011 season. Thank goodness this is over.

If Brett Favre and LeBron James birthed a college football player, it would be Wilson. The theatrics over a quarterback with a career completion percentage of 58 and a 19-17 record as a starter was baffling.

When Wilson visited Auburn last month to meet with the coaching staff for a day, Twitter nearly exploded trying to follow his every move. Bloggers across the country have used Wilson as their ace in the hole when they’ve run out of ideas this spring.

That said, he is a massive upgrade for the Badgers, who lost the always reliable Scott Tolzien to graduation this spring. With James White and Montee Ball forming the best running back tandem in the B1g 10 and maybe the country, having the veteran Wilson obviously improves their hopes at a conference championship.

For NC State, hopefully it can permanently remove itself from this saga and move forward. Tom O’Brien named Mike Glennon the starter because he didn’t want to put up with the Wilson distractions, leading to his exit. Even still, until today, he was known as “Former NC State quarterback.” From now on, he’s “Wisconsin quarterback.” That’s a win for the Wolfpack.

NC State looks to sustain success under O’Brien

Tom O’Brien’s career has been defined by a tremendous level of consistency.

In 10 seasons at Boston College, O’Brien won at least eight games seven times.

Naturally, when NC State plucked him away in 2007, it expected O’Brien to produce a winning team year in and year out.

Entering 2010, that had yet to happen once. In three seasons, O’Brien was 16-21 with the Wolfpack and was starting to feel the heat. A change of athletic directors didn’t help matters, with former Maryland AD Debbie Yow coming aboard.

But last season brought hope to the program. Thanks to a much-improved defense, the ‘Pack finished 9-4, including a Champs Sports Bowl victory over West Virginia.

Drama ensued when quarterback Russell Wilson played minor league baseball this spring and waffled on whether or not he would return to football this fall.

To his credit, O’Brien wasn’t going to let Wilson leave the program on the edge of its seat waiting for his decision. The veteran coach cut ties with the three-year starter, releasing him from his scholarship with a year of eligibility remaining.

It was a gutsy move, but a respectable one. Just as O’Brien seems to have built some momentum within the program, he has to rely on an untested quarterback to keep the ball rolling.

Of course, it’s not just any backup quarterback. Mike Glennon is a former high school All-American who was brought to NC State to be the quarterback of the future until Wilson played too well to be benched in 2008.

Glennon is a tremendous talent whose drawn comparisons to Matt Ryan, who played for O’Brien at Boston College.

While Glennon provides a different skill set than the more mobile, free-wheeling Wilson, he’s more than ready to take control of the team.

The outlook for 2011 is a positive one. Running back Mustafa Greene looks to build on a 600-yard, four-touchdown freshman season. Senior receiver TJ Graham is one of the fastest players in all of college football, and he’s got one last chance to make good on his big potential.

There’s not a tremendous wealth of offensive playmakers, but there’s enough to make a push in the Atlantic Division.

With seven starters back on defense, it shouldn’t be as big of a liability as it was from 2007-09. The Wolfpack were sixth in the ACC, allowing 21.3 points per game in 2010.

After stringing together a few respectable recruiting classes, the bottom fell out this past winter. The ‘Pack’s class of 2011 was ranked dead last in the ACC by Rivals.com. That means Duke and Wake Forest were ranked higher.

With the turmoil in Chapel Hill, the Wolfpack should be the number one benefactor in the Tar Heel state. The upcoming recruiting season is pivotal.

There’s enough young talent in the program today to keep it afloat for the next couple of years, but the recruiting efforts have to kick up a notch to sustain long-term success.

They have the momentum of 2010 behind them now, but it can vanish in an instant with a drop back in 2011. This is a make-or-break season, all things considered, for the long-term health of the Wolfpack under Tom O’Brien.

Wolfpack need one more win to cap surprising 2010 campaign

It’s hard to believe that only four short months ago, I scribbled of NC State:

“(Coach Tom) O’Brien needs to win now. He made a name for himself at Boston College for consistently winning at least 8 games every year. His teams were rarely in the front of the conference race, but they were never far behind. He came to NC State with the idea that he would have more resources in place to build an even better program.”

Finally, the Wolfpack are within 60 minutes of their first-ever appearance in the ACC Championship Game.

After a 4-0 start had the Raleigh campus overly optimistic, Virginia Tech silenced the Wolfpack with a 41-30 win at Carter-Finley Stadium. After a 44-17 win against a struggling Boston College team, the Wolfpack played their worst game of the season in a 33-27 loss to East Carolina.

Prior to the Hokies’ loss, the school started a mid-season Heisman Trophy campaign for quarterback Rusell Wilson. He was intercepted three times against Tech and three more against East Carolina.

At that point, it seemed the ‘Pack were headed for another disappointing season under O’Brien.

To their credit, however, they recovered with wins over Florida State, Wake Forest and North Carolina. Only an ugly road loss to Clemson marred the late-season surge.

Still, all O’Brien has to do to finally legitimize his tenure is beat Maryland on the road this Saturday.

If they hope to do so, it’s going to require a great effort from the defense. In their three losses, ‘Pack opponents completed 60% of their passes. Maryland quarterback Danny O’Brien is a lock for ACC Rookie of the Year. He’s completing just 54% of his passes, but he’s thrown 17 touchdowns with only six interceptions.

Nate Irving has been a resurgent presence on the Wolfpack defense this season. After missing all of 2009, Irving is a strong candidate for Defensive Player of the Year with 85 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss and five sacks. He’ll be a key in pressuring O’Brien into making mistakes.

O’Brien was last seen throwing a costly last-minute interception last week against Florida State. Trailing by seven points with a minute to go, O’Brien was intercepted by Nick Moody, who returned it 94 yards for a touchdown.

Until that moment, the Terps were still alive for the Atlantic Division title. The question is, now that they are eliminated, with how much emotion will they play on Saturday?

A win would likely put the Terps in the Music City Bowl, which is hardly a motivational factor compared to a division title.

This has the chance to be a dream season for NC State, which hasn’t won the ACC in more than three decades.

Going into Byrd Stadium and coming away victorious won’t be easy. Should the ‘Pack make it out alive, they’ll have earned their ticket to Charlotte fair and square.

Even if no one saw it coming.

ACC Coach of the Year: Who Should It Be?

With three games left to play, there is much to be decided in the ACC. Virginia Tech has the Coastal Division within its grasp, while the Atlantic Division is a bunch of underwhelming excuses for football teams at this point.

It’s hard to believe but literally all but two teams in the ACC this season has failed to live up to preseason expectations. Two. Out of 12.

To start the year, five ACC teams were ranked in the top 25. How many are there today? One.

It’s been one completely and utterly forgettable year for a league that keeps digging its hole deeper in deeper in its quest for national respect.

I would beg to argue that at least half, if not more than half of the coaches in the ACC do not deserve their jobs beyond this season. Now, a mass exodus of head coaches is surely not to happen, but the schools that hold on to their undeserving leaders any longer are simply digging their own graves.

Let’s take the list of “candidates” for coach of the year and dissect them, shall we?

We’ll start with who has zero chance of the honor.

David Cutcliffe – Duke was supposed to be on the cusp of bowl eligibility. Instead, they look like the same hapless Blue Devils of the last 87 years.

Jim Grobe – Known for doing more with less; Grobe has done less with least in 2010.

Dabo Swinney – Clemson fired Tommy Bowden to put an end to being stuck in the middle of the pack. So much for that.

Paul Johnson – Looks like that triple option isn’t so unstoppable, eh? Demaryius Thomas was too big of a loss, and the defense has an identity crisis on its hands.

Frank Spaziani – He should have kicked Dave Shinskie to the curb from the get-go. Instead he had to open up the quarterback competition mid-season, and that’s a big coaching no-no.

Jimbo Fisher – He was looking good after the beatdown of Miami, but back-to-back losses and the surprising regression of Christian Ponder have Jimbo’s stock on the decline.

Randy Shannon – I wrote a few weeks ago of how tough it would be to get rid of Shannon, who despite his struggles to get Miami back on top has cleaned up the program. I’m starting to think there is someone out there somewhere who can do both.

Mike London – The win against Miami was really cute, but you can’t be seriously considered for this award when half your wins are against FCS teams. If UVA miraculously wins out and finishes 7-5, he’s got a case.

Now, onto the four coaches who have an argument.

Butch Davis has somehow kept North Carolina’s ship afloat despite the tsunami that was the NCAA investigation that came through Chapel Hill.

As impressive as North Carolina’s success has been this year, the ACC would be heavily criticized for awarding its’ coach of the year honor to a man who very well could have his program on NCAA probation within the next year.

Frank Beamer has the Hokies’ atop the ACC, per usual, but let’s be honest. This was the year the Hokies were circling to make a national title run. The loss to Boise State cost them that chance, and the James Madison shocker took a huge chink out of their armor.

For Beamer to have resurrected this team from that disastrous start is nothing short of legendary. Still, the Hokies should have been better from start to finish.

Basically, the award we’re talking about is a two-man race between Ralph Friedgen and Tom O’Brien.

Friedgen had many people calling for his head after last season’s 2-10 debacle. He absorbed the criticism and shoved his freshman quarterback in your face. It was a gutsy call to switch to Danny O’Brien under center early in the season, but it’s worked. The Terps are 6-3 and tied in the loss column for the Atlantic Division lead.

O’Brien, meanwhile, wasn’t on a seat quite as hot as Friedgen’s. However, it had befuddled the experts as to why the Wolfpack were not winning games under a coach known for winning, a lot.

Finally, the Wolfpack are in a position to win the Atlantic Division with a strong finish. Russell Wilson is the only player besides Tyrod Taylor with a hope of ACC Offensive Player of the Year.

Maryland still has to play Florida State, in addition to the showdown with NC State.

The winner of that game should have the upper hand in the race for coach of the year honors.

I’d go with Friedgen right now, because nobody expected Maryland to be in the hunt entering the second week of November. O’Brien has simply arrived at the party a few years later than we thought.

It’s virtually a dead-heat right now, though. Barring a major collapse from both teams, it will be either Friedgen or O’Brien bringing home the hardware next month.

ESPN’s Bruce Feldman Talks ACC Football

The landscape of sports journalism is littered with, more or less, nerds and geeks who have a lifelong passion for whatever sport they cover.

Not so for one distinguished character in the college football sector. Bruce Feldman was an art major in college, before a part-time job covering high school sports at the Miami Herald turned him onto journalism.

Fast-forward to 2010, and Feldman is a senior college football writer for ESPN the magazine and also has a daily blog on ESPN.com Insider.

He’s the author of two books, Cane Mutiny and Meat Market: Inside the Smashmouth World of College Football Recruiting. Over the course a week earlier this summer, I read Meat Market, which Feldman wrote after spending one year with all-inclusive access to the Ole Miss coaching staff in 2006 under recruiting guru Ed Orgeron.

Feldman basically took the Hubble Telescope and pointed it at the Rebels’ program, specifically the aspect of recruiting. What it showed was a coach who gave up an addiction to alcohol for an addiction to recruiting (and Red Bull Energy Drink), while also depicting just how time-consuming, complicated, and out-of-this-world stressful recruiting in the Deep South can be.

Feldman was kind enough to speak with ACC Mania one evening last week, and he had plenty to opine about the current environment within the conference.

ACC Maniac: Between Jacory Harris, Ryan Williams, Christian Ponder and Joshua Nesbitt, who has the best shot at the Heisman Trophy?

Feldman: I’d say it’s probably Ponder over Harris. I think Ponder is more consistent. Quarterbacks always have the best shot, especially when they can put up good passing numbers. I think Nesbitt is as tough a guy as there is in college football, but I’m not a guy on that bandwagon.

I’ve seen Miami this spring, and I was really impressed by how they look. I think Ponder has been more consistent, but at this point I’d say him, but it wouldn’t shock me if Harris were in the Heisman hunt.

ACC: Do you place any value in Heisman campaigns at places like Florida State?

Feldman: Those programs are so big. I think it would help if you were the Maryland quarterback, or another school that feels like more of a mid-major level.

I’ll use Carson Palmer as an example. Palmer had been a pretty inconsistent quarterback for most of his career. People knew his name, but until his senior year, he really didn’t get cranked up. He really didn’t get mentioned as a Heisman guy until really about Halloween (in 2002). It helped that guys said he had NFL size and an NFL arm. Having the NFL Draft guru approval certainly doesn’t hurt.

I have a feeling if Boise State beats Virginia Tech and Oregon State, people may talk about Kellen Moore. But there is going to be another side that’s going to ask “how good can this guy be?” He’ll be a free agent in the NFL one day, and whatever. I don’t think that helps a Heisman candidacy, but you can spend all the money you want on posters and pins and whatever, but if your guy doesn’t win big games it’s not going to matter.

If Ponder’s team wins the ACC and plays for the BCS title, people are going to find out about his story; they’ll know. He’ll be in enough big games where he’ll be talked about on College Gameday all the time and featured in magazines. People will constantly be talking about him, and why FSU – a program that had dropped – all of a sudden is back up and look who is the reason why.

There is no elaborate Heisman campaign that got everyone fired up about Mark Ingram. It was just about playing well in big games on national TV that does it.

You don’t beat out a guy because your Heisman campaign was better orchestrated than his. It might help you win a Butkus…it’s too scrutinized

ACC: You wrote a book on recruiting; who do you think is the best recruiter in the ACC?

Feldman: I’m tempted to say Eddie Gran, The running back coach at Florida State. He pulled a lot of kids out of south Florida when he was at Auburn and Tennessee and definitely did the same when he got to FSU. I think he is a really, really good recruiter. He’s a fairly low-key guy.

(UNC defensive line coach) John Blake has a big reputation as a recruiter, too, but I just don’t know. I think Graham might be a bit of an upset, but I’ll say him.

ACC: Virginia Tech just lost two huge recruits to UNC in Landon Turner and Marquise Williams. Tech needed Williams a lot more than UNC. Also, with Mike London raising UVA’s profile in-state, Tech is losing some ground in the state quickly. Williams was from North Carolina, but Turner was from Harrisonburg. Butch Davis is doing a good job.

Feldman: He’s a good evaluator. Let’s see how this NCAA probe may impact them. One of the little side cushions of the USC hit is that I wonder how much recruits will be gunshy when they hear “NCAA probe” than they were a while back.

ACC: What is the best stadium you’ve been to in the conference?

Feldman: I’m going to sound like I’m pandering, but I’m going to say Lane Stadium. I‘ve been there for a lot of games. I don’t like heavy metal or anything like that, but even when you just start hearing Enter Sandman that whole place rocks.

Every year, ESPN has a preseason seminar where everyone that works with college football comes in. One year they were playing the open to Virginia Tech-Miami in 2005. I remember just sitting there getting goosebumps. I remember being at that game. There is something there that is great.

It’s a really scenic part of the country. I’m kind of partial to that place. I have not been to Clemson for a game and I’ve heard great things about there. Otherwise I’ve been to pretty much every place in the ACC.

There is just something at Virginia Tech that I am in to.

ACC: Are you surprised that Tom O’Brien has not had more success at NC State?

Feldman: A little, given his track record. For as much as people take shots at the league, it’s not that easy to all of a sudden (improve). He has a good quarterback. Chuck Amato recruited pretty well, and he didn’t really win either. I’m not saying NC State is as tough as Duke to win at.

In a way, at Boston College you’re little more on an island and it has its charms to it. NC State is a little trickier spot. I’m not saying you can’t win there. I didn’t go in thinking oh he’s going to turn that place into the next Virginia Tech seasons. I expected 7-5 and the occasional 8-4 season. But I thought he’d be more along the lines of what Al Groh was able to do at Virginia.

I think people underestimate BC a little bit. They always have good offensive linemen. They also recruit New Jersey very well. New Jersey football is actually very good, and that is the Eagles’ lifeblood. As long as you have a really good line and mix in some other good players, you’re going to be good. It’s always been a well-coached program. They’ve never been bad. I don’t think you all of a sudden go to a different league and just fall apart.

ACC: Who is the best coach in the ACC?

Feldman: I think a lot of people would say Jim Grobe (at Wake Forest). Paul Johnson has done a lot at Georgia Tech. Beamer has obviously elevated Virginia Tech to an unthinkable level. I’d say it’s one of those three. I feel like Grobe probably gets the most out of the least, and Beamer takes it to another level. He’s had guys on his staff for a long time, there’s a lot of loyalty there.

ACC: Not a lot of people expected Paul Johnson’s offense to succeed in the ACC. I think a lot of his success predicates on how unique it is and how different it is to prepare for. When facing it, you have to completely change everything. Do you think Tech can maintain this, and do you think the triple option could show up at more schools in the future?

Feldman: I think they can maintain it. I don’t think it’s going to show up at so many other places, because coaches coach what they know. That is such a radical departure from places like the Big 12 where there are all these variations of the spread, but are pass-happy offenses.

Johnson is a good coach. Whatever system you run, it’s about how well you execute it. I just don’t think you’re all of a sudden going to see Norm Chow say, “I’m going to become an option guy,” or Mark Whipple or Jimbo Fisher either.

I think watching what Navy has done over the few years, what they’ve done is good. I just don’t think it’s going to be widespread, it’s not a part of other coaches’ DNA right now, offensively.

ACC: Who wins the ACC this year?

Feldman: There are four schools in the mix: Virginia Tech, Miami, North Carolina and Florida State. The more this investigation talk starts to bubble up, it doesn’t help UNC. You worry about chemistry.

I think Virginia Tech is a proven commodity, which definitely helps them.

FSU and Miami are both similar to me. Both programs have been really good, and now are trying to get rebuilt under new leadership. They have a lot of firepower. I think Miami has more talent on defense.

I feel like it comes down to Virginia Tech having to go to Miami this year. I think that game is going to determine the best team in the league.

NC State Schedule Breakdown/Final Analysis

Schedule Breakdown/Final Analysis

Sept. 4 – Western Carolina – W

Sept. 11 – at UCF – W

Sept. 16 – Cincinnati (Thurs.) – L

Sept. 25 – at Georgia Tech – L

Oct. 2 – Virginia Tech – L

Oct. 9 – Boston College – W

Oct. 16 – at East Carolina – W

Oct. 28 – Florida State – L

Nov. 6 – at Clemson – L

Nov. 13 – Wake Forest – W

Nov. 20 – at UNC – L

Nov. 27 – at Maryland – W

Projected record: 6-6 (3-5 ACC)

As much hype there is surrounding Russell Wilson, with his interceptionless streak and touchdown passes by the dozen, he’s yet to prove to be a winner.

In two seasons as a starter, Wilson has led the ‘Pack to an 11-14 record. Obviously, there is plenty of blame to go around, and Wilson can’t do everything himself.

The Wolfpack did finish last season on a very positive note when they beat North Carolina at home 28-27. They also beat Pittsburgh earlier in the season, giving them two wins over teams that played in a bowl game.

Still, Wilson needs help, mainly in the form of a running game and a pass defense. There is not a single proven rusher on the roster, and the secondary is comprised entirely of sophomores.

The worst part of it all for NC State is the schedule. They play neither Duke nor Virginia from the Coastal Division, instead getting Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and North Carolina. Good luck finding a win among those three games.

The two biggest games on the schedule are the home game against Cincinnati and the trip to Clemson. If Kyle Parker is not under center for the Tigers, that game on the first Saturday in November gets a lot more interesting. It could be that NC State will be trying to keep their postseason hopes in sight.

Cincinnati is another game that will be very interesting. Both teams have firepower on offense and so-so defenses. There will be no shortage of points in that contest. First team to 40 points wins.

O’Brien needs to win now. He made a name for himself at Boston College for consistently winning at least 8 games every year. His teams were rarely in the front of the conference race, but they were never far behind. He came to NC State with the idea that he would have more resources in place to build an even better program.

Instead, Boston College has almost taken a step forward since his departure, while the Wolfpack have meddled in mediocrity for the last three years. This is far from a complete football team, but if everything falls into place, an eight-win season is not out of the question. They could easily shock one or two of the league’s contenders along the way.

NC State has more top-notch QB’s than it can handle

Quarterbacks

Projected depth chart (returning starter in bold):

QB – #16 Russell Wilson, Jr., #8 Mike Glennon, So.

Wolfpack fans should be more concerned about an earthquake destroying the city than not having a great passer under center this year.

Russell Wilson is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in ACC history, and last year he led the league with 31 touchdown passes.

His backup is Mike Glennon, whose older brother Sean endured a tumultuous career at Virginia Tech. All signs point to the younger brother as the better of the two.

While Wilson missed spring practice to play baseball, Glennon shined, throwing for nearly 500 yards in the spring game.

Coach O’Brien noted during fall practice last season he wasn’t going to keep Glennon off the field, and promised to rotate his two star quarterbacks early in the season at the very least. O’Brien didn’t come through on his pledge, and Glennon only attempted 39 passes last season.

Meanwhile, Wilson followed up a stunning freshman campaign with an even better sophomore season. He set an NCAA record with 379 consecutive passes without an interception. He’s mobile – something Glennon is not – which will be pivotal behind a suspect offensive line.

Wilson is the playmaker on the offense. With no running game to speak of, the pressure of scoring falls squarely on Wilson’s shoulders.

Unlike most teams that rely heavily on their quarterback for production, the Wolfpack could survive a significant injury to their main man. Glennon is more than capable of picking up the slack. It’s a wonder that he hasn’t decided to transfer, because he would start for more than half the teams across the country the minute he set foot on campus.

NC State’s rushing offense might be worst in the ACC

Running backs

Projected depth chart:

RB – #3 Curtis Underwood, Jr. #24 James Washington, So.

FB – #47 Taylor Gentry, Jr., #37 Donovan Counts, Sr.

The question Tom O'Brien is asking... can anyone on my team run the ball?

If NC State ever decides to actually hand the ball off in the backfield, it will be to Underwood, who redshirted last season behind Toney Baker and Jamelle Eugene. Baker was granted an extra year of eligibility, but elected not to return.

That leaves Underwood, who has 51 carries and one touchdown in his career, to carry the load. Brandon Barnes and James Washington will spell Underwood. Barnes sustained an ankle injury in the spring that kept him out of practices. He’ll need to regain his form quickly in the fall if he wants to compete for serious action.

The ‘Pack finished 9^th in the ACC in rushing offense a year ago, and they probably have the worst running game in the league this year, at least on paper (Virginia might give them a run for their money, though).

The fact of the matter is, the passing attack is so dangerous that teams will have to overly respect it, meaning this group of rushers may overachieve. Now, overachieving could mean another 9^th-best rushing total, but it’s better than nothing.

If somebody miraculously emerges as even close to a 1,000-yard rusher, there might be no stopping this offense. It’s not exactly the most likely of scenarios.

#8 NC State Preview begins with bland O-Line/D-Line

The honeymoon phase of Tom O’Brien’s tenure at NC State is officially over. To be honest, it was probably over last year.  Nevertheless, the coach who made a name for himself by consistently winning at a program like Boston College, where it’s not easy to do so, is struggling to break through in Raleigh.

O’Brien has a powerful offense at his disposal, led by one of the most productive quarterbacks in school history, who’s only a junior. The defense has plenty of question marks; the back seven is extremely young and untested.

There’s enough talent for the Wolfpack to at least make a bowl game. They likely won’t seriously threaten to win the Atlantic Division, but after Florida State, the competition is wide open and you can make a case that NC State is the second best team besides the ‘Noles.

Either way, it’s about time O’Brien channeled his inner Boston College days.

Offensive Line

Projected starters (returning starters in bold):

LT – #70 Jake Vermiglio, Sr.

LG – #64 Andrew Wallace, So.

C – #53 Cameron Wentz, So.

RG – #72 Zach Allen, So.

RT – #79 R.J. Mattes, So.

Jake Vermiglio is the lone senior offensive lineman on the Wolfpack's two-deep roster

As you see, there are four sophomores in the starting lineup, meaning that Russell Wilson will rely on an unproven unit of protection when he tries to duplicate his 2009 success.

Vermiglio was arrested in April along with tight end George Bryan, but he’ll be in the lineup when the Wolfpack open the season against Western Carolina.

There’s very little to be excited about wit this group. It’s clearly the weakest part of the offense, which is a bad sign. With a questionable running game, teams are likely going to bull rush Wilson, blitzing furiously to make him get rid of the ball quickly.

A name to watch is true freshman tackle Robert Crisp. He was generally regarded as the No. 2 prospect in the state of North Carolina this past year, and with little depth plus health concerns with Mattes at right tackle, don’t be surprised if O’Brien sends in the young stud to patch up the line.

If the line does in fact hold up, the ‘Pack will have little trouble scoring points. If not, it could get ugly in Raleigh. Point blank, this group has to emerge and surpass expectations.

Defensive Line

Projected starters (returning starters in bold):

DE – #94 Michael Lemon, Sr.

DT – #55 Brian Slay, So.

DT – #91 Markus Kuhn, Jr.

DE – #97 David Akinniyi, Sr.

Michael Lemon transferred from Georgia, and leads a deep group of defensive ends.

The ‘Pack lost all four starters from a year ago, but there is still talent among the replacements. Lemon, a Georgia transfer, got rave reviews from coaches following spring practice, and he did start a game late in the 2009 season.

Akinniyi is battling Audi Augustin for the other starting spot at end. According to Athlon magazine, he beat out Augustin at least until fall practice resumes. Augustin is a senior who has appeared in 36 games. Also, freshman A.J. Ferguson had a good spring and expects to see the field on a regular basis. There’s good depth at end for O’Brien and Co.

Kuhn and Slay are capable tackles, but you won’t confuse them for Marvin Austin or Ndamukong Suh anytime soon. It seems that J.R. Sweezy, a junior who is the ‘Pack’s most talented tackle, may be back this fall after O’Brien suspended him indefinitely following his arrest for beating up a 64-year old bus driver.* The charges against him have been dropped, and it sounds like he’s being reinstated. That will give the interior line a huge boost as well as some much-needed depth on the inside.

Despite making a full-scale overhaul of personnel, it might be a good thing for a front four that wasn’t great at rushing the quarterback. This group isn’t anything special, but the gap between the three or four best defensive lines in the league and the other eight is huge. There isn’t much disparity between that bottom group.

*Which makes him the early front-runner for Asshole of the Year