Athletic Directors: Short Lists

August 28th, 2010 by George Cox

College and University athletic directors worth their weight and gold have a secret list buried in their files, drawers or minds.

They are commonly called “short lists” and they contain the names of potential coaches whom they might possibly contact in the event openings occur in the various sports which they oversee.

North Carolina State athletic director Deborah Yow certainly has a “short list” somewhere in her office. One never knows what might happen as was the case when Wake Forest basketball coach Skip Prosser suddenly dropped dead one summer.

However, Demon Deacon athletic director Ron Wellman — one of if not the best ADs in the Atlantic Coast Conference — couldn’t use his “short list” because of the timing.  Coaches don’t move to new pastures during the summer months when they are already in the planning stages for the next season. So Wellman appointed assistant coach Dino Gaudio the head coach.  Wellman gave Gaudio a couple of years before deciding to make another change.  He then got to use  his short list when he fired Gaudio after the season.

N.C. State football coach Dick Sheridan’s sudden resignation during late summer prevented athletic director Les Robinson from using his “short list”.  Assistant coach  Mike O’Cain inherited the Wolfpack job before a major search could ensue.

North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith purposely resigned during the summer months in order that his long-time assistant Bill Guthridge could inherit the job instead of a major search being conducted.  The Tar Heels fired football coach John Bunting before the season was over, appointed an interim coach while conducting search for his replacement (Butch Davis).

So, the circumstances dictate whether the “short list” can be used to procure a new coach.

And it’s necessary for  athletic directors to constantly change their “short lists” as conditions and circumstances change with coaches.  For example, if a coach on a “short list” leaves for another school, that usually takes them off others lists.

For example, when UNC-Wilmington coach Brad Brownell (now at Clemson) resigned to take the Wright State job, then NC State athletic director Lee Fowler, who may have wanted to pursue Brownell, felt compelled to write him off.  Fowler said it wouldn’t have been appropriate to go after Brownell before he went to work at Wright State. Of course, that came after Fowler had completely botched up the Rick Barnes hire.

However, the fact remains that if the timing is right, a “short list” is a necessary item for an athletic director to have on hand.  It doesn’t mean that other names could crop up in the event of an opening, but it certainly can produce a nice beginning to a job search.

And in some cases, a “short list” isn’t required as coaches themselves put their names on athletic directors desks. When Chuck Amato was fired, Tom O’Brien made it known he wanted the Wolfpack job as did Paul Johnson.  Fowler chose not to call Johnson after interviewing O’Brien.

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Tom O’Brien: This team has a chip on its shoulder – George Cox of NC State Football

August 28th, 2010 by George Cox

Tom O’Brien says this current Wolfpack football team is more like his previous  Boston College editions.

He also says his players  have a big chip on their shoulders  going into the 2010 campaign with a lot to prove.

The Wolfpack mentor, who expects his fourth team at N.C. State to contend for the Atlantic Division title after three consecutive losing seasons, has changed the culture in Raleigh from a “me” oriented squad when he arrived to a “we” oriented football team. And believe me, when he arrived, it was an every-man- for- himself atmosphere  after former coach Chuck Amato’s loose-run organization.  It’s taken three years to get the entire football program turned in the opposite direction.

According to O’Brien, every game in college football should be a championship affair — even when the bigger teams play the so-called patsys.  That was his answer when he was asked how the coaching staff was going to get the team to concentrate on Western Carolina in the opener instead of the University of Central Florida  – a road contest in the second game of the season.

The priority, according to O’Brien, is to be able to put your best players on the field. That’s been a problem during the first three seasons with the devastating injuries which have occurred on the practice field.  O’Brien was hoping Friday that the final practice of the season on Saturday would be conducted with everyone coming off the gridiron healthy.  He said his program was due some good luck after three consecutive seasons of injury devastation.

The Wolfpack organizational chart won’t be announced until Sunday as O’Brien and his staff have to make last minute evaluations. He said the chart could undergo changes during the first two or three games of the season as the staff evaluates game performances.

In addition, there will be one significant coaching change as the opener beacons.  Defensive coordinator Mike Archer will operate from the sidelines whereas new linebacker coach Jon Tenuta will be in the press box to evaluate what’s happening on the field.  Tenuta has always operated from upstairs as defensive coordinator at North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Notre Dame.  Archer, according to O’Brien, has worked both upstairs and sidelines.  TOB says Archer can make changes easier while roaming the sidelines.

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Notes & Musings….O’Brien Close-to-the-Vest

August 27th, 2010 by George Cox

Tom O’Brien is like former Washington Redskins coach — the late George Allen.

He likes to keep everything associated with his football program close to the vest.  There’s not a whole lot of information coming out of preseason camp.  That system not only works to keep future opponents guessing, it also keeps his own fans and players guessing.  The intrigue makes excellent drama among the Wolfpack faithful.

However, there are tidbits of data coming out of the scrimmages and we’ll reveal some of them below:

*  Friday afternoon, O’Brien will likely release the depth chart. Preseason camp doesn’t end until Saturday and the chart could be altered by Monday — depending what occurs on Saturday.

*  One of the pleasant surprises of camp has been the play of true freshman Mustafa Greene, who could conceivably get the starting call against Western Carolina a week from Saturday in the season opener at Carter-Finley Stadium.  Usually only a handful of incoming freshmen aren’t redshirted and Greene is on route to become one of these.  He could turn out to be one of the big surprises of the entire ACC?

*  Charlotte’s Mario Carter is living up to expectations after redshirting his freshman season due to a knee injury.  He looked like a four or five-star recruit in the spring game of a year ago before being injured.  NC State’s basic offense includes a two tight-end set and this will help the Wolfpack to play that way if he pushes Asa Watson, who is attempting to improve his ball-catching ability. George Bryan, a junior, is a future NFL player.  The tight-end set is one of Tom O’Brien’s trademarks and if he develops an offensive line like he did at Boston College, the tight ends will play a huge role in the offense.

*  The Pack defensive line and secondary are the best kept secrets of preseason camp.  Info coming from reliable sources places Justin Byers and C.J. Wilson in the defensive  backfield with a surprise true freshman – Dean Hayes performing well.  Defensive coodinator Mike Archer is on the hotseat to get that side of the ball en route to significant improvement.  One of the big questions is whether linebacker coach Jon Tenuta is having a big influence on the entire philosophy and defensive scheme.  Tenuta, of course, is a veteran defensive coordinator with lots of knowledge.  He and Archer have known each other for years and could form a tremendous tandem in the future.

* R.J. Mattes — hopefully a future NFL offensive lineman — won’t play in the opener but looks to be back at right tackle in September. True freshman Robert Crisp is also likely to play from the get-go.  Two defensive backfield candidates  and true freshmen D.J Green and David Amerson — are likely to see action. There is likely to be plenty of switching on defense in the early-going.

*  One of the surprises of the preseason has been a redshirt freshman – Quintin Payton, a receiver, along with safety Dontae Johnson.  Those guys could have the opportunity to play early.

The coaching staff reportedly is also going after a second quarterback from next year’s class after Harnett Central High’s Brian Taylor from Angier, N.C., committed to the Wolfpack last week.  TOB and company seek to recruit at least one signal-caller every season and sometimes two.

It will be interesting to see how solid the commitments for the February signing date are from UNC in the wake of the current NCAA investigation and academic scandal.  In addition, the question arises whether any of their freshmen and sophomores decide to transfer.  Of course, a lot will be decided by the NCAA.  At least one of the Southern California transfers were permitted to play right away instead of sitting out a year.

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Will Butch Davis Move Past Fridge on Coaches Hot Seat?

August 27th, 2010 by George Cox

One of our three burning questions for ACC football in an earlier post concerned itself with ACC coaches on the hotseat.

Maryland’s Ralph Friedgen has been the media’s consensus coach on the proverbial electric chair. The question “what have have you done for me lately” has been continually asked of the Maryland mentor by concerned friends of the Terps football program.  He survived last season when former athletic director Debbie Yow (now at NC State) couldn’t engineer an expensive buyout.

UNC’s Butch Davis was also mentioned and was last on our list  behind Tom O’Brien and Randy Shannon — coaches not now on the hotseat but could possibly be  if things go south this season.  Davis was listed because of the current and on-going  NCAA investigation of UNC concerning agents and other activities. In our blog, it was pointed out that Davis might well vacate his slot at the end of the season if  sanctions were levied.

Davis’ pic was posted on the front page of the Charlotte Observer Friday morning with the question, “Will Butch Davis survive the UNC football probe.”  An addition to the NCAA probe — an academic scandal — prompted Raleigh News and Observer writer Luke DeCock to start connecting dots of the NCAA investigation and the academic fraud.

And the dots connect to Davis, whose  former employee and a tutor to football players is supposedly  involved in the academic infractions.  Davis also hired assistant John Blake, who is at the center of the NCAA investigation.

UNC officials, including the Chancellor, Athletic Director and Davis called a press conference Thursday night to “self-report” information in the on-going saga. Chancellor Thorp looked worried but his words went along with the company line.

Some media outlets, including CBS Sports,  reported that a number of players, especially on the defensive side of the ball, were in trouble and some players had already been kicked off the team. ESPN’s Heather Dinich reported that the murky cloud over the Tar Heel football program might very well “implode”.

The big question now is whether the two-pronged investigation will expand to other sports like the Florida State scandal.

And an even bigger question is whether Davis will be terminated before the season is over.

Not a pleasant situation for any school – much less UNC — which has prided itself on a squeaky clean image in college athletics.

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Stuck in the Media’s Hell, Football Wolfpack has a lot to Play for in 2010 – George Cox of NC State Football

August 25th, 2010 by George Cox

The football Wolfpack has learned a hard lesson during the Tom O’Brien era: respect is earned.

Four losing seasons in succession — one in the Chuck Amato era and three in the current regime — have taken State football to the depths of media’s hell.  Nobody hardly mentions the football Wolfpack in season reviews.  The Pack didn’t even get a team segment on ESPN’s ACC College Football Preview.

If Russell Wilson wasn’t the quarterback, nobody would know that the Pack even played football anymore.

There’s a couple of exceptions: Charlotte’s Mark Packer and one of his colleagues — John Kilgo.  Packer has a sports radio talk show around the Carolinas everyday from 3-7 p.m. Packer gives the Wolfpack a chance to go 9-3 or 8-4 or, yes, 4-8.  He acknowledges that the inconsistent Pack has the potential to have a great season or go in the tank again. Packer, son of famed ACC and NCAA basketball broadcaster Billy Packer, is a college football junkie and his Southern Fried Football Tour broadcasts from North and South Carolina colleges most Saturdays during the football season.

The tour is slated to be in Raleigh after a two-year hiatus when the Pack hosts Boston College in October.  It’s not ESPN’s famed College Game Day, but it’s the next best thing and no matter if the tour is in the ACC or at small college schools, the on-site broadcast  adds a special flavor to the game.

Kilgo, a UNC alum and a former prolific sports journalist, likes the way Tom O’Brien runs his program and hopes that the former Boston College coach turns things around this season. Both Kilgo and Packer thought by now that O’Brien would have established an offensive line like he created as head coach of the Eagles when his teams consistently won eight or nine games every season.

Kilgo, a spot guest on Packer’s show, now helps do Davidson basketball broadcasts and is an astute student of the college game. A former host on the Carolina Coaches Shows, Kilgo also wrote excellent note columns for years and his tidbits about the ACC were always ahead of other media sources. He and former Charlotte Observer columnist Bob Quincy had the same styles of writing.

The Atlantic Division of the ACC has been downplayed during the preseason and most media buffs have given Florida State a free pass to the ACC championship game. However, remember those buffs have only accurately predicted that game once since 2005.  In 2004, Wake Forest won the ACC title and the media had them in the basement in preseason forecasts.

Let’s hope that Packer and Kilgo’s belief that the Pack has the potential to achieve great things in 2010 comes to pass.

The only way the NC State football program will get any respect in the future will be to start winning consistently. TOB and athletic director Deborah Yow are optimistic the worm will turn in 2010.

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Carter-Finley one of College Football’s Best Venues

August 22nd, 2010 by George Cox

For the fan in the stands, North Carolina State’s Carter-Finley Stadium takes its place as one America’s best college football venues.

Once known for its ugly “trailor in the sky” (press box), renovated Carter-Finley now stands as one beautiful football facility with the four-story Richard C. Vaughn Towers (suites and the press facility) stretching across the stadium’s west side and a portion of the infamous Murphy Football Center embedded inside one endzone.  Outside the  Center is a pack of sculpted Wolves and a waterfall that sparkles at night amid glaring lights.

The seats at Carter-Finley are much  closer to the playing field than most comparable venues of 60,000.  The overly passionate Wolfpack fans take complete advantage of that closeness to create a noise level much higher than yesteryear when  the ends of  the stadium were open — a grassy bank at one end and the original A.E. Finley Field House on the other.

With that noise level rivaling stadiums of much larger seating capacities, the fans in the stands become the Pack’s additional man on the field.  ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit and other TV broadcasters have acknowledged that advantage while working  games there in both the Chuck Amato and Tom O’Brien eras. In fact, it was that atmosphere which attracted O’Brien to Raleigh after his Boston College Eagles got beat in the last seconds of a game in 2006.

When Carter-Finley was renovated at the expense of $100 million after a capital campaign by the Wolfpack Club  instituted LifeTime Rights seats, both endzones were bowled in and the A. E. Finley Field House was moved under the north endzone seats. The old “Trailer in the Sky” was replaced by Vaughn Towers and the Murphy Center was constructed — a four-story facility housing everything related to football — museum pieces, physical training, coaching and meeting rooms, and beautiful pro-like locker rooms.

An elevator drops to ground level where the players congregate prior to running out of a tunnel filled with smoke on game days.  They touch a Wolf on the way out to the stadium turf which is loaded with fireworks and the prolific North Carolina State Marching Band.

The West side of Carter-Finley is gorgeous at the base of Vaughn Towers with red railings and another statue of a giant Wolf.  The East side is scheduled to have a face lift to complete the renovation.

The North end also has raised aluminum seats which someday will be replaced with permanent ones when a second tier of the endzone is raised. The beautiful scoreboard on that end will be jacked higher with its elevator legs.  The scoreboard has a large video board which is complimented on the opposite corners of the stadium with mini-video boards.

Entering Carter-Finley from the adjacent RBC Center is a brief reminder of years past. Fans fly by brick posts of former Pack football greats en route to an entrance with a beautifully-constructed sign: Carter-Finley Stadium, Home of the Wolfpack, and Wayne Day Field. Fans walk on individual bricks donated by Wolfpack fans. There are also bricks with inscriptions of donors at the front of the Murphy Center on the other end of the stadium.

In essence, Carter-Finley is one fan-friendly facility and new restrooms and concession stands are additional amenities.

Carter-Finley’s stadium turf is new along with a modern pro-style drainage system which can support virtual downpours which can clear water out in minutes.

In conclusion, bigger is not always better. With the seats so close to the field, there’s not a bad view in the house. And with the tremendous atmosphere at a football game, no wonder life time rights seats have been sold out for nine consecutive seasons.

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Pack Won First Nine Games in 2002

August 19th, 2010 by George Cox

It’s always fun to examine the history of previous seasons and explore trends.  Sometimes it’s easy to forget triumphs and failures of football campaigns.

One of the burning questions of 2010 concerns itself with the tough ACC schedule of the Wolfpack.   The media always points out how tough schedules influence preseason forecasts. The University of Miami, as an example, has consistently played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country during the Randy Shannon era.  Supposedly, the Hurricanes’ overall record would have been better and the school would have been ranked higher if the schedule has contained some non BCS teams.

But could it be that a tougher schedule might well have a positive effect on some teams in certain years?  If a school has a history of inconsistency, perhaps a tougher schedule might well help them alleviate take-for-granted games in which they might be upset or not play well.  In some of those cases, they might not be properly prepared for stronger competition after playing weaker clubs.

Certainly, the case can be made for over-scheduling. But there can be a fine line in scheduling with a program wanting to significantly improve.  For example, Virginia Tech plays a powerhouse in Boise State to open the campaign. They wouldn’t want to play an SEC school afterward.  Or would they?

With Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and North Carolina on the Pack schedule from the Coastal Division, that is a heavy chunk to bear along with Florida State, Clemson and Boston College from the Atlantic.  However, if the team is physical enough to withstand the onslaught from those talented squads, could that make the Pack a better football team?

The Pack has been an inconsistent program in both the Tom O’Brien and Chuck Amato eras.

With Philip Rivers at the offensive controls and Amato building a strong defense, the Wolfpack went 8-4 and 7-5 in 2000 and 2001 before winning its first nine games in 2002. That nine-game win streak included victories over New Mexico, East Tennessee State, Navy, Wake Forest, Texas Tech, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Duke and Clemson.  However three successive conference losses to Georgia Tech, Maryland and Virginia took the luster off the blazing start.  That team finished at 11-3 with a victory over Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl.

After going 8-4 in 2003, Rivers final season, the Pack lost four games in a row in 2004 to Miami, Clemson, Georgia Tech and Florida State.  Inconsistency reared its ugly head in 2004 with a 5-6 final record. In 2005, the Pack lost one of the toughest games in the Amato era in the opener at Carter-Finley Stadium before a national audience. Frank Beamer’s Virginia Tech club beat the Wolfpack 20-16 to take the edge off what was anticipated to be a potential banner season which ended with a disappointing 7-5.

Then Amato’s club lost the final seven games of the 2006 season to Wake Forest, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Clemson, North Carolina and East Carolina. There was just a thin line, however, between victory and defeat in each game with scores of 23-25, 20-26, 7-14, 23-31, 14-20, 9-23 and 16-21. And those losses came after exciting victories over Boston College and Florida State on Thursday night ESPN encounters.

The Tom O’Brien era in seasons 2007-2009 has been marked with inconsistent play.

The 2007 edition lost three in succession to Clemson, Louisville and Florida State, but won four in a row against East Carolina, Virginia, Miami and North Carolina.

The 2008 edition produced four wins in a row (Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina and Miami) and four losses in succession to South Florida, Boston College, Florida State and Maryland.

Last season in 2009, TOB’s crew again lost four in succession (Wake Forest, Duke, Boston College, and Florida State). The Pack then beat Maryland, lost to Virginia Tech, and beat North Carolina in the season finale.

The Pack offense scored 30 points per game and expect to equal or better those points in 2010. State  scored 364 points but yielded 10 more — 374 points with a leaky defense and an atrocious kicking game.

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ACC Football: Three Burning Questions for 2010 – George Cox of NC State Football

August 13th, 2010 by George Cox

We’ve already addressed some “burning questions” for the 2010 edition of the football Wolfpack. Now it’s time to ask some questions concerning the entire conference. It ought to be just as much fun.

Burning Question #1:  Who will emerge as the ACC’s top quarterback?

Of course, most media buffs have established  Florida State’s prolific signal-caller Christian Ponder as the top dog going into the 2010 season. And with the talent Jimbo Fisher has built around the multi-talented Ponder, it’s conceivable that the graduate school student could indeed be a Heisman Trophy candidate if the Seminoles win in the Atlantic Division and play in the ACC championship game. Ponder’s leadership cannot be questioned as well as his running and passing skills.

However, don’t count NC State quarterback Russell Wilson out. Only three ACC quarterbacks have thrown more touchdown passes than Wilson — Philip Rivers, Chris Weinke and Danny Kannell.  Wilson, who threw for over 3,000 yards last season and 31 aerial strikes, also has a brilliant cast of offensive firepower at his disposal and is on the verge of challenging several of Rivers’ passing records. He also established an NCAA record of the number of passes thrown without an interception.

Even though they don’t  have the numbers, Georgia Tech’s Joshua Nesbitt and Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor should also be under the microscope as the 2010 season unfolds. Miami’s Jacory Harris exhibits the potential to become a prolific signal caller and could have a breakout season under coach Randy Shannon.

Burning Question #2: How many ACC schools will change head coaches after the 2010 season?

This question seems extremely interesting as the start of the 2010 campaign beckons. In years past, virtually all of the coaches have seemingly had job security. Of course, this question is always just speculative.

As of this writing, Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen is on the hottest seat in his 10th season at the helm — despite a bundle of success, especially in his early years. That’s the trouble, recent successful seasons have been few and far between. Six of his teams have gone bowling, but the last three have been to lower tier bowls (Champs, Emerald and Humanitatian).  However, it must be said that Friedgen’s two of the last three squads have been in the running for the Atlantic Division title. And he’s 4-2 in bowl games at the Maryland school and 10-5 overall in his coaching history. Former athletic director Deborah Yow (now at NC State) wanted to make a change at the end of last season, but the 63-year-old veteran held on. This will be his last season if he doesn’t win and show significant progress.

NC State coach Tom O’Brien is also on the hot seat after three consecutive losing seasons in Raleigh after a great 10-year run at Boston College. O’Brien’s win total is the same as his first three years at Boston College, but unless he has a winning season and goes to a bowl game, his seat will be scorching hot at season’s end and nobody can safely predict new athletic director Deborah Yow’s direction. O’Brien’s program well may turn — and just in time.

If Miami falls short of expectations in 2010, Miami coach Randy Shannon is rumored to suddenly be on a hot seat. How hot, nobody really knows. Most observers don’t  expect the Hurricanes to go into a free fall with the great talent Shannon has recruited. And to his credit, the Miami program has been cleaned up and readied for continued success.  Miami has a tough schedule, but they’ve got the players to compete for a national title.  At this writing, Shannon is on solid ground with the administration.

North Carolina coach Butch Davis might well vacate his coaching seat at season’s end  if the current NCAA investigation produces some significant sanctions.  The image of  the University has already been tainted through negative media reports. And the employment of  controversial assistant John  Blake will no doubt have lingering effects which could reverberate to the academic ivory towers. UNC has chosen to hire a former NCAA attorney to advise athletic director Dick Baddour and his staff as the investigation progresses.

In a bit of speculative irony, O’Brien and Davis arrived at their respective schools at the same time. Is it possible they might leave at the same time?  And will Baddour follow former Pack athletic director Lee Fowler on to greener pastures?

Burning Question #3:  Can Georgia Tech repeat it’s ACC championship?

When Paul Johnson took the Georgia Tech job, there was lots of speculation that his triple option offense couldn’t succeed in Division I play.  On every level of play in which the North Carolina native has coached, though, his offense has been picture perfect — at Georgia Southern, Navy and now at Georgia Tech.

His ACC title hasn’t surprised those who have followed the confident coach. And even now there are those who say that the other schools in the ACC will finally figure it out and stop it.  Hogwash!

Remember the Green Bay Packers under Vince Lombardi?  The Packers only ran seven or eight major plays and every opponent knew what they were going to face. But they couldn’t stop the perennial champions. Execution was the key and Lombardi knew how to motivate his players to precisely execute.  Former Washington Redskin hall of fame quarterback Sonny Jurgensen said Lombardi’s slight blocking adjustments to his limited number of plays made all the difference.

Put Johnson in Lombardi’s class. Nobody knows the extent of his adjustments. He doesn’t wear headphones and calls the plays from the field.

The Yellow Jackets are viable ACC contenders and don’t count them out.  They have the capacity to repeat with quarterback Joshua Nesbitt at the controls.

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The State of Tom O’Brien’s Football Program

August 12th, 2010 by George Cox

One Man’s Opinion — The football Wolfpack has the capacity to overachieve in 2010 and make the forecasters do a double-take.  TOB’s 2010 edition can legitimately make a run at the Atlantic Division title if a lot of things go its way. But that’s a lot of  “IFS”.  Realistically, the same could be said for a majority of teams.

For example, what kind of season would the Oklahoma Sooners have had in 2009 if Sam Bradford had not been injured?  What would the Pack’s season record have been  in 2009 if premier linebacker Nate Irving had not been injured in the car wreck? Or if his injured compatriots had been playing instead of sitting on the sidelines?

Beware Pack Nation,  this should be a  make or break year for TOB’s football program.

Put yourself in new athletic director Deborah Yow’s shoes.  She’s an outsider coming into this situation.  Realizing the predicament O’Brien was in when he arrived (lack of discipline, leadership and across-the-board recruiting), the new AD will certainly take into consideration the steps which had to be taken to get the ship back on course.  In addition, she will certainly take a look at the unfortunate rash of injuries which have occurred.  In retrospect, O’Brien never had such occurrences at Boston College.

There is one glaring weakness which is beginning to rear its ugly head — the quality of recruiting.  Yow will also recognize that O’Brien was extremely successful at Boston College by bringing in two and three star recruits and developing their upside. However, when he arrived in Raleigh, the new state mentor and his staff envisioned a much larger ceiling on recruiting players with much more talent and speed. That’s the only way to compete against Florida State and Clemson — two schools who have no trouble in bringing in super talent.

O’Brien has been quoted as saying that when the program turns, it will be in great shape for the long run.  The big question is when will the winning light start flashing.  For Pack Nation — recognized as one of the most loyal fan bases in America , its patience is running out.

First, there was the visions of national prominence under Chuck Amato.  The former Wolfpack standout came to Raleigh riding a while horse of promise and purpose after being Bobby Bowden’s top assistant for many years.  He was fortunate that former assistant Joe Pate had done his homework in recruiting Philip Rivers.  The presence of Rivers most likely gave Amato, who was learning on the job of how to be a head coach, a false sense of his skills during his years in Raleigh.

Rivers and Amato were most fortunate to have Norm Chow on board for one season as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Chow’s the best in America at performing those duties and Rivers got a complete four-year education in one season before Chow departed the scene.  Amato had extreme difficulty in keeping assistants and had Chow stayed along with recruiting ace Doc Holiday, he may have still been in Raleigh today.

Rivers was a coach on the field and almost single-handedly carried the Pack during his stint in Raleigh — giving Pack Nation lots of hope for the future. However, when Rivers graduated, the football program fell apart and one disappointing season after another followed.

Enter Tom O’Brien in 2007 after his successful stint at Boston College.

Pack Nation kept wishing and hoping.  The losing seasons have continued.

Will the program turn in 2010?

By the season’s midpoint, everyone should know whether TOB’s regime will be ready to rock and roll or if change be in the air for 2011.

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2010 College Football Predictions: Will N.C. State’s Rushing Duo Be Successful? – Allen Lopp of Bleacher Report

August 12th, 2010 by Allen Lopp

This upcoming college football season will be an important one for Tom O’Brien and the Wolfpack, as Tom O’Brien is on the hot seat for not producing at N.C. State.

N.C. State will be heavily reliant on their offense to score and win games for them, because they have one of the worst defensive backfields in the ACC.

The Wolfpack offense was mainly centered around Russell Wilson and the passing attack last season, and their rushing attack was mostly non-existence.

The top rushers from last season(Toney Baker and Jamelle Eugene), graduated and left early to seek a career in the NFL and left the Wolfpack with no proven running backs.

The offense this year will need help from it’s running attack to keep opponents on their toes and take pressure off the passing attack.

The projected running back tandem will be junior tailback Curtis Underwood Jr. and Sophomore tailback James Washington.

James Washington saw some playing time in blowout victories early in the season, before suffering a season ending knee injury, Washington had a total of 21 carries for 76 yards, and two touchdowns.

Curtis Underwood was red-shirted last season, and before that was mainly a reserve running back but did see some playing time.

Curtis Underwood and James Washington will both be relied upon to carry the load at running back and take pressure off Russell Wilson.

What can be realistically expected out of Washington and Underwood, I expect the two tailbacks to provide a nice change of pace to each other with Underwood being the speedster and Underwood the power back.

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