North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony Haynes: Wolfpack, O?Brien Start Anew
8/31/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
BY TONY HAYNES
“It’s NC State or bust for me,”
Given O’Brien’s impressive track record, that’s good news for victory-starved NC State partisans.
Following a Murphy’s Law-type of 3-9 season that ended with a seven-game losing streak in 2006, NC State said goodbye to popular alum Chuck Amato, choosing instead to change directions. The chosen path couldn’t have been more different. The brash, personable, emotional Amato was replaced by a man who often lives up to the characterization of him as a no nonsense, straight-talking Marine.
Playing with the type of discipline and toughness normally associated with lesser talented military academy teams, O’Brien’s
The consistent success he experienced at B.C., however, didn’t prevent O’Brien from longing for something different.
He found it at NC State, a much larger state school with a more expansive alumni base than
A lot of credit goes to Amato for making the NC State job more attractive than it had ever been before. Daring to set higher standards for Wolfpack football, Amato energized the Wolfpack Nation, which responded with generous donations that ultimately led to the construction of sparkling new facilities.
O’Brien took note when his
And when O’Brien decided to fill the NC State opening, he became an historic hire. Never before in the history of Wolfpack football had the school been able to go out and land a coach who had already established himself as a winner at another major Division 1-A school. Earle Edwards, Bo Rein, Mike O’Cain and Amato were assistant coaches before coming to NC State. Lou Holtz was at William & Mary before arriving in
“The way NC State football is thought of around the nation started with coach Amato, who kind of put it back on the map,” said Daniel Evans, the Wolfpack’s starting quarterback. “They were ranked in the top eight or so a few years ago before I got here. Just the national respect came with him. Now that coach O’Brien and his staff are here, I really feel like if we can put together eight and nine win seasons and consecutive bowl games and things like that, we’ll definitely be a contender in the ACC. That’s all the fans here at NC State want, a team that competes for championships and bowl wins year after year.”
While O’Brien can be a man of few words at times, he’s not reserved in his belief that NC State is indeed a sleeping giant, a place where championship-level football can be achieved on a consistent basis. It’s why he came here in the first place. More than perhaps most, O’Brien can tolerate Monday morning quarterbacking because he has a steadfast faith in his football philosophy and in the veteran coaching staff he has assembled.
The players he has inherited already know that if they don’t buy into his philosophy, they simply won’t be playing football. The process officially begins against
“I have confidence in my coaching staff,” O’Brien said. “We can get this thing headed in the right direction and we can help these kids accomplish our goals. This team should be an angry football team. They should play with a chip on their shoulder. They were 3-9 last year and they didn’t like being 3-9. The only way to rectify that situation is to have a winning season and go to a bowl game. I think that would be great for the seniors and it would be great for our program. I think we can do it. As long as we’re blessed with good health and we play hard and we play smart, I think we can get to that point.”
It was a proclivity for self-destruction that ultimately sent last year’s team spiraling. O’Brien’s arrival should, based on the way his
O’Brien can handle it if the Wolfpack simply gets beat by a better team. What he won’t tolerate is NC State beating NC State.
And this Wolfpack squad will have a small margin for error. Depth-shy on the offensive and defensive lines and at linebacker, the Pack suffered a major blow before camp even began when second-team All-ACC tight end Anthony Hill was lost for the season after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery.
Listed as second string behind starting offensive tackles Julian Williams and Meares Green are true freshmen Jake Vermiglio and Desmond Roberts. Green has only three starts to his credit and Williams, a redshirt sophomore, none.
“I like what we have up there now but when you’re backing up with two freshmen and a walk-on, it’s a precarious situation,” O’Brien said. “Injuries will play a huge role in the success of this football team.”
Even on special teams, the Wolfpack is dealing with a pair of unknowns in placekicker Steven Hauschka and punter Nate Franklin. Neither has been on the field for a Division 1-A college game.
The week one opponent,
The Knights expect to compete.
“We’re trying to get better in a tough state,” said O’Leary. “You’ve got teams with legitimate traditions. We don’t have that yet. The only way you get that is to beat people you’re not supposed to beat. You’ve got to win these non-conference games; that’s how you get recognized. We play a lot of BCS teams, but we’ve got to start winning these games, not just play them.”
The last time O’Leary stood in Carter-Finley Stadium was on a memorable September night in 2000 when Amato’s first NC State team, led by a freshman quarterback named Philip Rivers, stunned Georgia Tech in overtime. When O’Leary returns on Saturday night, the opposing coach will be quite different and so will the stadium.
The Wolfpack is starting anew.
“It’s going to be an exciting time,” O’Brien responded when asked what it would be like to run through the tunnel and onto the field on Saturday. “These kids love playing in the home atmosphere. With four home games in our first five, hopefully that will help this team get off to a great start and get this season headed in the right direction. The crowd can be your 12th man. There’s no reason this crowd can’t be that.”
Change In The Air And On The Airwaves: The Tom O'Brien era begins on the same night that the Wolfpack Sports Network will mark a historic milestone as well. Saturday's game will be aired on Mix 101.5, WRAL FM, the network's new 100,000 watt flagship station. The broadcast begins with the 5:00 p.m. pregame show live from Carter-Finley Stadium.
Walk of Champions: The traditional Walk of Champions will continue at a new location, between the big scoreboard at the stadium's north end and the RBC Center. The Wolfpack is expected arrive at that location at approximately 3:45.
