North Carolina State University Athletics
Red & White Preview: Quarterbacks, Defensive Ends
8/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Editor’s note: Throughout the preseason, GoPack.com will present a Q&A with one player from each position on offense and defense to talk about the personalities and players within that group. Today, redshirt freshman Russell Wilson and sophomore Audi Augustin break down quarterback and defensive end, respectively. Look Friday for the next preview.
Sophomore defensive end Audi Augustin played in all 12 games last year, seven as a linebacker and defensive end and five on special teams. He switched positions midway through last season, but is now in the rotation at defensive end with junior Willie Young, sophomore Markus Kuhn and junior college transfer Shea McKeen.
Both Wilson and Augustin sat down with GoPack.com managing editor Tim Peeler to discuss their respective positions and give a little insight to their teammates.
| Russell Wilson | |||
| | Position: | Quarterback | |
| | No. 16 | ||
| Size: | 5-11, 191 pounds | ||
| Class: | Redshirt freshman | ||
| Hometown: | | ||
GoPack.com: How do you feel about camp?
Wilson: I feel like I am having a good camp right now. I am working hard everyday. I am trying to get better everyday. I have to help the team, whether I am the starter or not. I feel like one of my best qualities is trying to be a leader. As for the rest of the quarterbacks, they have that leadership quality as well. We all have skills as well. That’s a good thing, not a negative.
GoPack.com: What did you learn as a redshirt?
Wilson: I had to work on my fundamentals a little more. I had to work on getting my feet set. The main thing is keeping my head up. When things go bad, you have to make sure you help your huddle, you have to make sure they stay strong and stay focused on what is going on and not worry about the outside stuff. I have to focus on the current play and forget about the past and keep going forward, whether it is good or bad.
GoPack.com: How difficult was the spring for you and what did it teach you about yourself?
Wilson: It wasn’t too difficult, really. I had a lot of people who helped me. First of all, God helps me a lot. I try to stay strong through Him. My faith keeps me strong in everything I take on, school-wise, family-wise, sports-wise. My teachers and academic coordinators helped a lot. Coach [Tom] O’Brien and Coach [Elliott] Avent have been a tremendous help. They are great guys, they are great personalities and they are focused, organized men.
GoPack.com: Did it ever feel like it was too much?
Wilson: No, it never did. I had so much help, and so much confidence in myself and so much confidence in my teammates, and everyone else with the baseball team and football team. It was a great challenge. Skill-wise, I think I have the skills to play both sports. That wasn’t the most difficult part. The hard part was keeping my head on straight and trying to stay focused and pushing myself hard every day. When you are tired, you have to learn to push the limit. When it was hard, I thought about the people who are in Iraq, and how they are out there in 120-degree weather, fighting to keep us safe over here. What I am doing is nothing compared to that. I am playing sports, using the talents God gave me the talents to use and I trying to use them to the best of my abilities.
GoPack.com: Do you watch any baseball during football camp?
Wilson: Right now, I am trying to focus on being a leader in football. I will watch some ESPN, but the main thing is try to stay focused on my life, to keep God first, my family second and then football. Those are the main things in my life right now. All the other outside stuff doesn’t matter too much right now.
GoPack.com: What are your impressions of Daniel Evans he’s been the starting quarterback before, something you are all fighting for right now?
Wilson: Daniel Evans is a really good guy. He is a strong-willed person, who pushes himself a lot. He’s a good quarterback.
GoPack.com: Harrison Beck also has started some games. What qualities make him successful?
Wilson: He has a lot of talent. He is a good leader. He is a good quarterback overall.
GoPack.com: How do you describe Russell Wilson?
Wilson: Like I said, I think all the quarterbacks are good leaders. I feel like I have leadership qualities. I like to push other people a lot. I think that is one of my best qualities. It helps drive me. If you can push other people, you can push yourself.
GoPack.com: Would you have been able to thrive under all the scrutiny that Mike Glennon has gotten as a true freshman?
Wilson: He is a great quarterback. A talented guy. And he is from Virginia, so I like him even more. I think he is going to be a great quarterback one day. He already is, really. But I tell him all the time, he is just too tall.
GoPack.com: Given the competition for the starting job, does anyone try hard to keep things light?
Wilson: We don’t have a lot of jokesters among the quarterback. We are all kind of focused on the team. When we are all around each other, we are trying to push each other and help each other out. Each person is trying to win the job, obviously, but we are really just trying to help the team win some games by making each other better. We try not to play around too much, though. You never want to be too clownish, but you want to stay loose. It’s not the end of the world we are talking about here, but there is a lot at stake for us as players and as a team.
GoPack.com: I know you guys get so many questions about who the starter will be. Is that starting to wear thin on everybody?
Wilson: There are a lot of different questions and everything, but it hasn’t kept us from working hard. Because the thing people forget is that we aren’t just fighting to be the starter. We are all looking to improve our quarterback skills. You have to have good back-ups too, because you never know what might happen. So we are all trying to get better each day.
| Audi Augustin | |||
| | Position: | Defensive end | |
| | No. 11 | ||
| Size: | 6-2, 253 pounds | ||
| Class: | Sophomore | ||
| Hometown: | Oakland Park, Fla. | ||
GoPack.com: How are things going for you in preseason camp so far?
Augustin: With me, battling for a starting spot just like everybody during camp. It’s a great battle we have going in. Everybody is being very competitive. I am fighting with everybody, either side. Marcus Kuhn, Shea McKeen, Willie Young, Jeff Reiskamp, J.R. Sweezy, Jamaine Clemmons.
GoPack.com: You played in all 12 games last year, either on defense or on special teams. What did you learn?
Augustin: I finally realized what the speed of the game is now. It will definitely help me coming up this season. I learned in crucial situations that I have to stay focused and know my assignment. Every little thing helps.
GoPack.com: How hard was it for you to move from linebacker, which is what you played in high school, to defensive end?
Augustin: It wasn’t hard for me at all. I love it. I feel like I have an advantage over the offensive lineman. Being a defensive end, you have to be pretty physical. You have to have a little nasty streak behind you. It’s just fun getting after the quarterback.
GoPack.com: Have you seen anything yet that has left Willie Young speechless?
Augustin: I can’t say I have. He has a lot to say. But he backs it up. He is a phenomenal athlete. He gets his job done. He makes great plays, plays that I never thought I would see in my life. He has a high motor that doesn’t stop. He listens attentively in our positional meetings. He is just a great player.
GoPack.com: What do you bring to the table?
Augustin: I have a high motor. I really hustle to the play a lot. I don’t like to stop. I like to be in on any play, any time. I am very athletic. People tell me that as well. That’s about it.
GoPack.com: Talk a little bit about Markus Kuhn. He’s pretty impressive for someone who is still learning the game.
Augustin: He sure goes after it like he has played the game for a lot longer than he has. He is a great athlete as well. He is a gifted player as well. Things come naturally for him. He doesn’t stop. He is very strong and quick off the ball.
GoPack.com: Jeff Reiskamp redshirted last year, so not many people know much about him. How would you describe him?
Augustin: I can sum him up in just a few words: Freak of nature. For being as light as he is, he can bench the weight room, can fly like a wide receiver and does not stop for anything. He is crisp off the ball, great first step, a phenomenal athlete. He is ready to be unleashed.
GoPack.com: Like you, J.R. Sweezy made the switch from linebacker to defensive end. What’s he like?
Augustin: J.R. is also an incredible athlete. He is doing great with the switch. He’s a strong kid, real physical and he likes to get down and dirty.
GoPack.com: Shea McKeen brings a little more experience to the defensive line.
Augustin: He’s a junior college transfer who has only practiced with us for a little while now. But he is relentless off the ball. He has an amazing motor and he’s a great athlete. His arms are always flaring everywhere.
GoPack.com: Jamaine Clemmons sort of got thrown into action early last year, when he was still a walk-on. Is he better prepared to contribute this year?
Augustin: Jamaine is a smart athlete who knows his plays, knows his assignments. He gets after the ball. He handled getting thrown into the lineup at Boston College like a true veteran. He did what the coaches told him to do and did it well. There’s not much more you can ask for.
GoPack.com: Who keeps things light?
Augustin: Willie and [defensive tackle] Kyle Linney. They are the sunny day of the meeting room. Coach [Keith] Willis also has a good sense of humor. He will joke around with us, but when it is time to get to work, we get to work. In the meeting room, he is kind of laid back and talks to us like adults. But on the football field, he is an absolute madman. He has a higher motor than us. He is all over the field. He keeps us in tune, keeps us focused and keeps us hungry. He never wants us to be satisfied with what we have, he wants us to go for more.
GoPack.com: On the surface, it looks like depth shouldn’t be a problem along the defensive line.
Augustin: Whoever is in the game is going to bring that same mentality that Coach Willis teaches every day: making plays, getting to the ball, playing hard. I think we have really showcased our skills in every scrimmage we have had.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
