Spring Football Outlook

3/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football

The theme for NC State spring football this year, and every year under head coach Tom O’Brien, is “Back to Basics.” O’Brien and his staff use the 15 practices they are allotted during the spring to help each individual player get better.
“As individuals improve, the team improves,” says O’Brien, who is entering his fourth season at the helm of the Wolfpack. “We will spend a great deal of time working on the fundamentals of football because we have to be a much better team fundamentally than we were a year ago.”

The Wolfpack lost 12 starters from last season, four on offense, seven on defense and one on special teams. In 2009, 32 freshman and sophomores saw significant playing time for NC State - way more than O’Brien would normally feel comfortable playing. But there is an upside to having been forced to use all those young players: those young men enter 2010 having gained invaluable game experience.

“We had to play a lot of young kids last year,” said O’Brien. “But those kids should be much better now because the pace of spring practice allows them to improve without worrying about game planning and all the different things they have to do in a game. Hopefully those guys will make big strides this spring.

“Our biggest losses were on both of our lines, so it will be a point of emphasis all spring to get those guys in the right positions.”

OFFENSE
(Seven starters, 12 letterwinners returning)

Offensive Line
Of the four starters on offense who will not return in 2010, three were members of the offensive line. And of the two returning starters on the line, only one will go through spring drills as guard R.J. Mattes (6-6, 303, *So.) continues to rehab from a knee injury.

Jake Vermiglio (6-5, 325, Sr.) is the only mainstay on the line, as he enters his third season as a starter at the left tackle spot. The only other player on the organizational chart for the offensive line who has started a game is left guard Andrew Wallace (6-5, 299, *So.), who got the nod in two games last season due to an injury to the regular starter. Henry Lawson (6-3, 290, *Jr.) , who has seen frequent action on special teams each of the past two years, will play at left guard as well.
Camden Wentz (6-3, 290, So.), who was one of eight true freshmen who saw action last season, and Wayne Crawford (6-4, 303, *Jr.), who moved over from the defensive line a year ago, will man the center position, while redshirt freshman Zach Allen (6-3, 314, *So.) will begin the spring at right guard.

All of the other spots on the O-line will be filled by players who haven’t seen action for NC State. Duran Christophe (6-6, 287, *Fr.), Denzelle Goode (6-6, 336, *Fr.) and Sam Jones (6-7, 321, *Fr.) all redshirted last season, while Mikel Overgaard (6-6, 280, *Jr.) is a transfer.

“We think we’ve got some very good players on the offensive line,” said O’Brien. “Now we’ve got to get them lined up where their skills will help us the most. Some guys might move from one position to another while we try to find the right combination, but we’ve got key pieces. They all have the physical ability, but what they’re lacking is experience. Hopefully they will mature this spring.”

Running Back
For the first time since the 2005 campaign, there is no player returning at the halfback spot who has started a game for NC State. However, three players who have seen action will be battling for playing time.

Curtis Underwood (5-11, 220, *Jr.) served as understudy to the talented trio of Andre Brown, Toney Baker and Jamelle Eugene as a freshman and sophomore but coaches redshirted him last season in order to add future depth. That move has proved to be a good one for O’Brien and his staff. James Washington (6-0, 180, So.) saw action in six games as a true freshman in 2009, while Brandon Barnes (6-0, 209, *So.) played in three contests as a redshirt frosh.

“The competition is going to be good there,” O’Brien continued. “All three of those guys are talented and all three have been in football games, but none of them has been THE guy. Hopefully one of them will step up in spring practice and claim the position.”

Quarterback
The Wolfpack is in a unique, but positive, situation when it comes to quarterback this spring. Two-year starter Russell Wilson (5-11, 201, *Jr.), an All-ACC performer in 2008 and one of the top passers in school history after just two seasons, will not participate in spring workouts as he focuses solely on baseball. In his absence, redshirt sophomore Mike Glennon (6-6, 217, *So.) will be running the offense.

Glennon played in seven games last season, mainly in end-of-game situations. He completed 62% of his throws.

“We expect Mike to improve a great deal this spring,” O’Brien said. “He got into games last season in situations that are critical for a quarterback, at the end of games when we were running our two-minute offense. He grew at the position because of that and we expect him to take an even bigger step this spring because he’s going to get all the work. He will get a lot of reps, throw the ball a lot and take control of the football team.”

Tight End
The tight end position is in good hands with the return of first-team All-ACC performer George Bryan (6-5, 265, *Jr.). Bryan led all league tight ends with 40 catches in 2009 and was NC State’s second-leading receiver. O’Brien also feels good about the abilities of the young players backing him up.

Asa Watson (6-4, 225, So.) got his feet wet last year, seeing action in nine games, while Anthony Talbert (6-4, 246, *Fr.) will be ready to get into the fray after redshirting in 2009. Mario Carter (6-4, 262, *So.), who missed the entire campaign with a knee injury, will miss spring drills, but should be back for fall camp.

“We feel good about the talent we have at tight end,” O’Brien continued.

Wide Receiver
The wide receiver position is without question the most experienced on the Wolfpack squad. The six players listed on the organizational chart heading into spring drills have combined to play in 155 games, starting 62, and have 230 catches between them.

Jarvis Williams (6-4, 219, *Sr.) pulled down 11 touchdown receptions last season, tied as the third-best mark in school history, and Owen Spencer set a new league record by averaging 25.5 yards per catch. Darrell Davis (6-4, 211, *Sr.) came on strong towards the end of the year and speedy T.J. Graham (6-0, 180, Jr.) is back from an injury. Steven Howard (6-2, 200, *Jr.) will miss spring workouts with an injury, but Jay Smith (6-2, 209, *Jr.) will also be back, while Morgan Alexander (5-11, 180, *Fr.) will join the corps after redshirting last year.

“We have talented players who have played a lot of football,” said O’Brien. “They will all be fighting for playing time which is what you want to see in spring practice.”

DEFENSE
(Five starters, 15 letterwinners returning)

Defensive Line
The defensive line was the area most depleted by graduation, as all four starters from 2009 have completed their eligibility. However, there are several players who have seen frequent action and should be ready to step into a starter’s role.

At end, Audi Augustin (6-2, 260, *Sr.) has played in 36 career games as Willie Young’s understudy, while Jeff Rieskamp (6-3, 235, *Jr.) is back after missing last season with an injury. On the other end, Michael Lemon (6-4, 267, *Sr.) showed glimpses of domination last season and will fight for a starting job with newcomer David Akinniyi (6-4, 255, *Sr.). Two talented players who redshirted in 2009, Darryl Cato-Bishop (6-4, 281, *Fr.) and Rickey Dowdy (6-2, 240, *Fr.), will also fight for time at end.

In the middle are four players who have also seen frequest action. Natanu Mageo (6-3, 285, Sr.) played in all 12 games last season, while J.R. Sweezy (6-3, 295, *Jr.) has played in 14 contests for his career and started a game last season. Markus Kuhn (6-4, 303, *Jr.) bulked up by over 20 pounds while redshirting last season while Brian Slay (6-3, 290, So.) gained valuable experience as a true freshman.

“We have guys on the defensive line who have been in games for us, so we hope that will become a position of strength,” said O’Brien. “During the spring, guys are going to have to step up and grab their positions. We like to play four tackles and four ends in a game, so depth is very important there.”

Linebacker
The biggest news for NC State heading into spring practice will be the return of Nate Irving (6-1, 235, *Sr.) , who missed the 2009 campaign after suffering numerous serious injuries in a car accident. Irving was cleared to play in February and is champing at the bit to get back in action.

“I hope to see the old Nate,” said O’Brien, “but I don’t expect it right away. He’s excited to be back, but he’s got to get comfortable again. We’ll have to be smart as to how much we let him scrimmage in live situations and that will be dictated by how he reacts to practice. The way practice is structured should help him get back in the swing of things.”
The one positive outcome to Irving’s absence has been the experience that other players were able to gain last season. Irving will move to the middle linebacker spot and Audie Cole (6-5, 239, *Jr.) will return on the strong side, where he ended up leading the team in tackles last season with 85. Dwayne Maddox (6-2, 234, Jr.) and Terrell Manning (6-3, 224, *So.), who each started games last season will be on the weak side.

Another seasoned vet, Sterling Lucas (6-2, 238, Jr.) will back up Irving, while three players who sat out last season, Hans Rice (6-2, 217, *So.), Ryan Cheek (6-1, 244, *Fr.) and William Beasley (6-2, 225, *So.), will add depth.

“Having Nate back really helps our entire football team because he is our best and smartest player. He knows where everybody is supposed to be and when he was in there, he got everybody lined up. That’s crucial because the first step to success on defense is to get lined up correctly. But most importantly, He will provide the leadership that we were lacking on defense last year.”

Defensive Back
The bad news is that all of top eight players listed on the spring organizational chart in the defensive seconary are either freshmen or sophomores. The good news is that six of the eight played last season and four were starters.

C.J. Wilson (5-11, 179, *So.) will be back at the field corner spot, where he started four games last season (he also started two at the boundary side). Gary Grant (6-0, 186, *So.), who saw limited action will play behind him. Rashard Smith (5-11, 176, So.), who had moved into the starting lineup for three games before being sidelined by an injury, will be back at the boundary corner, where Jordan Monk (6-0, 184, Jr.) and Jesse Riley (5-11, 188, So.) will also fight for playing time.

Brandan Bishop (6-2, 210, So.) started eight games at field safety last season, while Earl Wolff (6-0, 201, *So.) was a four-game starter at the boundary safety slot. Both of those players return and will be backed up by two talented young players who redshirted in 2009: Dean Haynes (5-11, 193, *Fr.) and Donald Coleman (6-0, 195, *Fr.).

“There are some young kids back there, but most of them have experience,” O’Brien said. “I’m sure this spring they will have some moments when they say ‘Oh! That’s what you meant!’ when they are able to see things at a slower pace than a game situation. We have to be much better back there and the lineup will probably be a fluid situation, but I think we’ve got good talent and we’ve signed some good prospects there, so the future should be bright.”

SPECIAL TEAMS
(1 starter, three letterwinners returning)
Placekicker
The Wolfpack’s field goal kicking will once again be in the capable hands of Josh Czajkowski (5-9, 184, *Sr.), who enters his final campaign ranked eighth in school history in field goals made and fourth with a .833 percentage. Last season he was 4-4 on kicks over 40 yards, but O’Brien says that a goal this spring will be for him to increase his distance.
“We will do a lot of field goal kicking this spring,” he continued. “Josh has been very solid at that and I think will be even better if he increases his range. You never have a sure thing at any position, but he’s kicked for a long time, so he’s a very solid contributor for us.”

Punter
The punting game is a big unknown heading into spring workouts, as there is nobody on the team who has ever punted in a game situation. Chris Ward (6-1, 181, *Fr.), who redshirted last season, will get all of the work this spring. “We’ve got a lot of work to do in the punting game,” said O’Brien. “We think that Ward has the leg and the physical ability, now it’s up to him to go out there and be a consistent performer for us.”

Kay Yow Spring Football Game
For the second straight year, the football squad will raise money for the Kay Yow Memorial fund with proceeds from the spring game. In 2009, the inaugural year for the event, each fan was asked to contribute $1 and more than $20,000 was raised. O’Brien is hoping that the Wolfpack family will surpass that mark in 2010.

“Kay Yow was a beloved figure at NC State and I am proud that we named our spring game in her honor,” said O’Brien. “We hope that with increased awareness this season, we will be able to raise more money for this worthy cause.”
The spring game also marks the fourth annual reunion of all former Wolfpack players. Each year, the number of players returning for the event has increased and Wolfpack fans look forward to seeing the stars of yesteryear at the game.

“Our reunion just keeps getting bigger and bigger. I think now our former players look forward to it and put it on their calendars.”

In 2009, NC State had one of the top attendance marks in the nation for its spring game and O’Brien hopes that number goes up in 2010. “It really shows the loyalty of the Wolfpack nation and their unwavering support of our football program. It means a great deal to our former players to come back and see that kind of crowd. It’s really turned into a great event for NC State.”