It was a tough season for North Carolina State in Tom O’Brien’s first year as head coach. The Wolfpack did improve from their 2006 mark of 3-9 by going 5-7, but they wound up missing out on postseason play by getting shut out 37-0 by Maryland in their season finale.
O’Brien saw his team decimated by injuries in 2007. Starting tailback Toney Baker suffered a season-ending knee injury in the season opener against Central Florida, and that was just the beginning of the injury issues.
This season, O’Brien and the ‘Pack will look to put the injuries behind them and make a climb up the ACC Atlantic Division standings in 2008.
Coach: Tom O’Brien (2nd year at NC State, 5-7)
2007 Record: 5-7, 3-5 ACC
Starters Returning: 10 (6 offense, 4 defense)
Top Returnees: QB Daniel Evans, RB Jamelle Eugene, RB Andre Brown, WR Donald Bowens, DT Alan-Michael Cash, DE Willie Young, LB Nate Irving, CB Jeremy Gray, CB DeAndre Morgan
Key Losses: WR Darrell Blackman, WR Marcus Stone, DE Martrel Brown, DT DeMario Pressley, LB Ernest Jones, MLB James Martin, SS DaJuan Morgan, FS Miguel Scott
2008 Schedule
Aug. 28 @ South Carolina
Sept. 6 William & Mary
Sept. 13 @ Clemson
Sept. 20 East Carolina
Sept. 27 USF
Oct. 4 Boston College
Oct. 16 Florida State
Oct. 25 @ Maryland
Nov. 8 @ Duke
Nov. 15 Wake Forest
Nov. 22 @ North Carolina
Nov. 29 Miami, FL
Key Game: Nov. 22 @ North Carolina. Whether or not the Wolfpack are in the running for the postseason heading into their final couple of games, their matchup against rival North Carolina will be a biggie, especially if the Tar Heels are still in the hunt in the Coastal Division. UNC holds a commanding lead in the series (63-28-6), but North Carolina State won last year’s matchup in Raleigh in a 31-27 nail-biter.
2008 Outlook
Coach Tom O’Brien heads into his second season looking to make even more strides in the rebuilding process that started with last season‘s two-win improvement.
He stands to have a tough time in 2008, as the Wolfpack will have just ten starters returning and are among the top ten in the NCAA in lettermen lost (25 total, 47 %).
At the helm for the offense will be either Daniel Evans (2,030 passing yards, 12 TD, 13 INT), the returning starter or freshman Mike Glennon, one of the top QB recruits in the country and brother of Virginia Tech QB Sean Glennon (who‘s locked in a battle of his own in Blacksburg).
Evans battled inconsistency all season long while he competed for the starter’s role with Harrison Beck (903 passing yards, 2 TD, 9 INT), who started four games in 2007. Beck will also be in the mix with Evans, Glennon, and redshirt freshman Russell Wilson, who hit. 296 on the baseball diamond for N.C. State’s super regional squad this past season.
Meanwhile, the rushing attack stands to be strong. Baker returns, senior Andre Brown, junior Jamelle Eugene, and sophomore Curtis Underwood, Jr. will all vie for carries. Baker wasn’t the only one who had injury issues last season, as Brown also missed significant time due to a fractured foot. Even so, Brown still managed to run for 447 yards and five touchdowns in the eight games he played in.
With the injury issues hurting depth in the backfield, Eugene stepped up and started the last six games and led the team with 667 yards and 5 scores, and he had three 100-yard games, including a 159-yard, three-touchdown performance in the win over the Tar Heels. If all of their talented rushers can stay healthy, it’ll take a great deal of pressure off of the passing game.
There are some new starters in the receiving corps, but talent certainly isn’t lacking. WR Donald Bowens led the team in receiving yards last season with 598, was fourth in receptions (41), and tied for the team lead in touchdown receptions (3), and he‘ll be the go-to guy this season after starting only three games in 2007. Sophomores Jarvis Williams (8 catches, 55 yards) and Darrell Davis (12 catches, 137 yards, TD) will likely slot into the other starting slot at receiver, with Davis the one of the two with starting experience, as he started one game last season.
The passing game gets a big boost with the return of senior TE Anthony Hill. Hill missed all of last year with an injury, but he was a Second-Team All-ACC member in 2006, when he caught 45 passes for 478 yards. Like Baker, he was absent for spring practice, but he’ll be ready to go when the season starts.
The offensive line is among the biggest in the country and will see seven returning players that have started in their careers. The O-line does lose starting LG Kalani Heppe and C Luke Lathan, although RG Curtis Crouch and converted C Meares Green return.
On defense, only four starters will be returning, but that’s not always a bad thing when the defense allowed 28 points and 393.9 yards per game last season.
The defensive line suffers some big losses, but the unit stands to be solid. DT DeMario Pressley, DE Martel Brown and DE Littleton Wright are all gone, and John Bedics and Ted Larsen have been moved to the O-line. DT Alan-Michael Cash (48 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks) and DE Willie Young (38 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks) will be counted on to be big disrupters on the front line and help the D be much better against the run than they were last year (186.4 yards per game allowed).
They will be helped out by sophomore DE Markus Kuhn and senior DT Keith Willis, Jr., son of defensive line coach Keith Willis, Sr. Kuhn, a native of Germany, was thrust into the action as a true freshman. He saw time at tackle and end, and did well, registering 33 tackles (five for loss) and a sack. Willis moved from Boston College with his father, and sat out 2007 as a transfer, but he should make a big impact in his one year in Raleigh.
The linebacker unit will have a new look this season. Ernest Jones, James Martin and LaRue Rumph were among their leading tacklers in ’07, and they will be replaced by Nate Irving (52 tackles), Ray Michel (43 tackles) and redshirt freshman Audie Cole, who comes in at 6’5, 230 pounds.
The secondary also sees the loss of their star, as safety DaJuan Morgan departed early for the NFL Draft and was drafted in the third round by Kansas City. Along with Morgan’s departure, CB Jimmy Sutton and FS Miguel Scott are also gone. The unit will still have four players remaining with starting experience, including DaJuan‘s younger brother DeAndre, who should start at cornerback as a sophomore after starting seven games last season, CB Jeremy Gray, SS Javon Walker and FS J.C. Neal also saw time in the starting line-up in 2007.
North Carolina State has some pieces that will allow them to compete, but a tough schedule could prevent the Wolfpack from making their first bowl since 2005. However, if they can stay healthy, they should be in the mix for a postseason berth heading into the home stretch. At the least, O’Brien will have a lot to build on for what could be a big 2009 season.
