North Carolina State University Athletics
PEELER: O'Brien Makes Some Defensive Changes
10/5/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State's streak of using the same starters in the secondary will likely end at two, as head coach Tom O'Brien has announced some lineup changes heading into Saturday's 4 p.m. game against Duke.
The Wolfpack used four different lineups in the secondary in its first four games. Last weekend against Wake Forest, O'Brien tried something different, using the same quartet that started against Pittsburgh the week before.
Following Saturday's 30-24 loss to the Demon Deacons - in which senior quarterback Riley Skinner threw three touchdown passes and completed 31 of 45 passes for 361 yards - O'Brien decided to make some significant changes on a defense that still ranks No. 1 in the ACC is ranked sixth in the nation in total yards allowed (239.2 per game).
"We've taken some blows back there the last two weeks that we can't afford," O'Brien said Monday at his weekly press conference. "Until someone steps up, grabs hold of the position and holds on to it, we'll keep trying until we find the right combination."
The biggest change is at boundary corner, where sophomore Justin Byers steps into the starting role after spending most of the season as a backup safety.
"That was the position he was recruited to play," O'Brien said. "But he was moved last year when we needed help at safety. With [senior] Clem Johnson healthy again, and the emergence of [true freshman] Brandan Bishop getting some experience and playing well, we can move him back outside.
"He played better at the boundary corner than he did at safety."
Byers came off the bench to make nine tackles against the Deacs, tying for the team high.
Either junior DeAndre Morgan, who recently returned after missing three games because of injury, or redshirt freshman C.J. Wilson will start at the field corner position. Wilson started there in the season opener, but was replaced by senior Koyal George in the second game.
True freshman Rashard Smith, who started twice at boundary corner, is still out of action with an injury.
At the safety positions, senior Bobby Floyd, a former walk-on, will make his first start of the season - and just the second of his career - at strong safety. Johnson, who missed the Pitt game because of a thigh injury, returns to the starting free safety position for the first time since the season-opener against South Carolina.
Bishop and Earl Wolff, after starting three straight games together, return to reserve roles.
"I think the freshmen were a little overwhelmed with the scope of the game," O'Brien said. "Even though they are still very good prospects for down the road, we are going to go with a little more experience this week."
The secondary will be under fire against this week, since Duke senior Thaddeus Lewis and the Blue Devils have the ACC's top-ranked passing offense at 285.6 yards per game.
"We played a pretty good quarterback last week and we have another one coming in here this week," O'Brien said. "Here we go again."
The coach also said that redshirt freshman Terrell Manning will make his first career start at weakside linebacker, joining senior Ray Michel and sophomore Audie Cole in the starting lineup.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
