North Carolina State University Athletics
Strength Meets Strength in Champs Sports Bowl
12/27/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 27, 2010
ORLANDO, Fla. - While it may not get as much attention as some of the BCS bowl games, the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando features a match-up made for intrigue: NC State's high-powered offense led by quarterback Russell Wilson against West Virginia's dominant defense.
The Wolfpack (8-4) and Mountaineers (9-3) will pit their respective strengths against each other Tuesday at the Florida Citrus Bowl Tuesday starting at 6:30. The Wolfpack Sports Network will begin radio coverage shortly after the Pack's basketball game against Alabama A&M ends, roughly around 6 p.m.
West Virginia's defensive statistics during the regular season were nothing short of staggering. Allowing just over 12 points per game, the Mountaineers ranked second in the nation in scoring defense. They also rank in the top five nationally in total defense (251.3), rushing defense (85.1) and sacks (3.33 pg.).
For all the discussion about West Virginia's unique 3-3-5 defensive alignment, a scheme that employs three down linemen, three linebackers and five defensive backs, the success of the scheme still requires talented, experienced players who can execute. And in that regard, the Mountaineers feature several defensive starters who have been familiarizing themselves with the system four years or more.
"Their defense is everything their ranking says they are," said NC State head coach Tom O'Brien, who is leading the Wolfpack to its second bowl appearance in his four-year tenure. "They've got nine starters back from a year ago. Eight of them are fourth or fifth year guys. That's how you get really good on defense when you have nine starters back and have all the experience they do. They have powerful guys up front and with all the moving parts behind them, you've got to figure out who's going where."
The biggest burden may indeed be on the NC State offensive line to figure out how many extra defenders West Virginia will be sending at Wilson and where the overloads will occur.
The Mountaineers could rush as many as eight on a given play or as few as three. And because West Virginia does such a good job of disguising its blitzes and coverages, it will be a challenge for Wilson and his blockers to make reliable pre-snap reads.
Still, NC State's redshirt junior quarterback is more impressed with the athletes in the defense than the quirky scheme itself.
"I think more than anything it's their athletic ability," said Wilson, who led the ACC with 26 touchdown passes. "They're coached very well, but their athletic ability takes them a long way and gives them an opportunity to make plays and get turnovers. They do a great job in every phase of the defense."
An asset for Wolfpack offensive coordinator Dana Bible should be the experienced players he will field at both the quarterback position and wide receiver spots. Between them, Wilson and wideouts Owen Spencer, Jarvis Williams and Darrell Davis, along with tight-end George Bryan, have seen a little of everything in their three years together.
Their ability to read West Virginia's changing, mutating defense and then adjust accordingly will be a huge factor on Tuesday.
"It's not only the experience of our players, but also one of the great strengths of our conference," said Bible, who'll be coaching in a bowl game alongside O'Brien for the 10th time in 12 years. "In our conference, you go anywhere from seeing three down guys, two down guys to everyone being a down guy to nobody being on the line. You see all the extremes to everything in between in this conference, so your system has to be able to handle it and your players have to be able to deal with all the variables that happen. Our conference prepares us for those defenses."
While Clemson's Da'Quan Bowers is recognized by many as perhaps the top defensive end in college football, West Virginia's Bruce Irvin will present a difficult challenge for the Pack's tackles, tight ends and running backs. Undersized at 235 pounds, the speedy Irvin usually enters the game on obvious pass rushing downs, yet despite not being a full time player, he ranks third in the nation with 12 sacks.
Of course with NC State this year, just about every down is a passing down, so it will be interesting to see how many plays Irvin will be on the field.
O'Brien, Bible and company faced off against West Virginia's 3-3-5 defense a handful of times when their former school, Boston College, was in the Big East.
"There's no question that the scheme is a factor," Bible said. "They've played this defense for many, many years and they're very proficient at it, they recruit to it and they absolutely know what they're doing. But.....in all of football, it's the players. They have terrific players who fit the scheme."
Wilson's mobility will certainly come in handy on Tuesday, as will his uncanny ability to spread the football around to all of his eligible receivers. Nineteen different players have caught at least one pass this year and 10 have reception totals reaching double-digits.
If Wilson can diagnose the West Virginia defense, he'll be one of the few quarterbacks to do so this year. The Mountaineers were the only defense in the nation this season to allow no more than 21 points in any game. The Wolfpack on offense averaged 32.6 points per contest in 2010.
"Obviously, West Virginia did a great job this year and we did a good job as well," Wilson said. "We were both a game short of having a chance to go to a BCS game. It's going to be two great teams getting after it. It's going to be a great experience and a great atmosphere."
