North Carolina State University Athletics
PEELER: Pack Picked to Finish 4th in ACC's Atlantic
7/29/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
July 26, 2010
BY TIM PEELER GREENSBORO, N.C. - For NC State coach Tom O'Brien, the ACC Football Kickoff is a time to visit with some old friends from Virginia, talk about the coming season and ignore the preseason poll of the media attending the event, held this year at the Grandover Resort and Conference Center.
So, when asked about the Wolfpack being picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Division of the ACC, O'Brien quickly brushed the question aside.
"That doesn't mean anything," O'Brien said. "When you guys [the media] start picking them right every season, I will start believing them. All we can do is play the games as they come along and try to win them."
But, entering his fourth season with the Wolfpack, O'Brien knows he and his team need to produce some results after three consecutive losing seasons. And that's what the Wolfpack will focus on during its 29 preseason practices in preparation for its Sept. 4 opener against Western Carolina at Carter-Finley Stadium.
The team will report on Monday and have its first practice next Tuesday, with one general thought in mind.
"We have to win," O'Brien said candidly. "Winning shows progress. That's what we haven't been able to do so far. We have to have a winning season and go to a bowl game. After my first three seasons at Boston College, we have the same total of wins (16-18 there compared to 16-21 at NC State).
"We have to be able to get over that hump."
The Wolfpack does expect to have one of the league's most potent offenses, led by third-year starter Russell Wilson at quarterback and an accomplished set of receivers and tight ends. And the defense will likely be better with the return of senior linebacker Nate Irving, who sat out all of last season after sustaining injuries in a near-fatal car accident.
But there are many questions that have to be addressed during spring practice, in the defensive secondary, on the offensive line and on special teams. So that puts a little pressure on the coach and his charges, but no more than usual.
"You feel pressure every year," O'Brien said during one of his many stops with print and electronic media during the day-long interview sessions. "It is not any different this season than it was the year before. I don't think if you don't feel pressure to have a winning record and go to a bowl game you aren't bleeding or breathing."
As is typical at this event, the coach did have some nuggets of news to talk about. The most important was that sophomore defensive back Rashard Smith, who started five games as a true freshman last year until suffering a knee injury against Boston College. He had surgery to repair lingering cartilage damage and will miss the entire season.
Add that to the fact that sophomore Jarvis Byrd, who also suffered a major injury at the end of last year, likely won't be available to play until November, and the Wolfpack's thin secondary is even thinner.
However, O'Brien believes he will have several strong candidates to fill the two cornerback spots, beginning with one-time starters C.J. Wilson and converted safety Justin Byers.
"Certainly it is a blow to the secondary when you think of all the young kids we played back there," O'Brien said. "We already knew that Jarvis Byrd was out until at least November. We played five freshmen back there last year and we already lost two of them. That's a tough thing for us.
"But it is something we know about now. We are still way ahead of where we were last year."
The coach also announced that two anticipated newcomers, kicker Billy Bennett and defensive back Pete Singer, have withdrawn their applications to the school and will not enroll.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
