North Carolina State University Athletics
HAYNES: Pack's First Big Test
9/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 10, 2010
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BY TONY HAYNES
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Both NC State and Central Florida got the preliminaries over with by posting convincing wins on opening night a week ago.
Saturday, they'll both go about the business of really trying to figure out how good they are when they clash in a 7:30 p.m. contest at Bright House Networks Stadium in Orlando. Wolfpack Sports Network coverage begins at 6:30, while the game will also be televised by CBS College Sports Network (Channel 537 on Time Warner Cable in the Raleigh area).
Two coaches with deep Irish heritages, the Pack's Tom O'Brien and UCF's George O'Leary, were singing similar tunes after watching their teams post lopsided wins over outmanned opponents last Saturday.
"We have a lot of improvement to get done in all phases of the game," was O'Leary's take earlier in the week when discussing Central Florida's 38-7 thumping of South Dakota. "You congratulate them on a win, but you've also got to remind them that we have to improve in certain areas if we're going to beat teams throughout the season."
Now in his seventh season with the Golden Knights, O'Leary, a former coach at Georgia Tech, guided the program to a Conference USA crown in 2007. With 18 starters back, UCF appears to have a good chance of repeating that feat this season.
For NC State, last week's 48-7 victory over Western Carolina was the first opening-night win for the Wolfpack since O'Brien took over the program four years ago. But like O'Leary, he was sounding the alarm bells afterwards, basically claiming the Pack will have to be sharper in order to beat the type of quality teams that are about to show up on the schedule.
In fact, the Wolfpack's next eight opponents all appeared in postseason bowl games last year. It would be difficult to forget the last meeting between Central Florida and NC State. In O'Brien's first game as Wolfpack head coach, UCF start tailback Kevin Smith bolted 80 yards on the first play from scrimmage on a simple off-tackle play. The Golden Knights eventually held on for a 25-22 win after building a 25-3 advantage.
Then a freshman, NC State receiver Owen Spencer was just beginning his college career that night.
"There were a lot of mixed emotions for me personally," said Spencer, who has since emerged as one of the ACC's top big-play threats. "I was excited coming out of the tunnel and seeing all the fans screaming for us. Then on the first snap, they took it 80 yards. It took a lot of wind out of our sails."
Now let's focus in on what to watch for...
When NC State has the football, this game will basically pit strength against strength. O'Leary's calling card is defense and his teams at Central Florida have regularly fielded some of the best defenses in Conference USA. Last season, the Knights led their league in rushing defense (82.7 ypg.), total defense (350) and sacks (2.92 pg.).
Statistically, they were ranked fourth in the country in rush defense. Senior defensive end Bruce Miller is Conference USA's active career leader in sacks with 27.
The Knights are breaking in two freshmen at defensive tackle. E.J. Dunston and Victor Gray got their first starts last week against South Dakota. Central Florida's front seven on defense will collectively be much bigger and faster than anything NC State's young offensive line has encountered to this point. How that offensive front functions against this rather dramatic escalation of competition will likely tell a big story in this football game.
"I wasn't dissatisfied with the effort level and how they were coming off the ball," O'Brien said in evaluating his offensive line's performance last week. "It was all new to them out there. They will play better the longer they play together and get used to each other."
Wolfpack quarterback Russell Wilson will certainly make some plays as he always does, but that task will be made much more difficult if he's constantly running for his life.
"He's obviously a great quarterback," said O'Leary. "He has a good feel and good poise back there. He throws a lot of deep balls and he has a lot of long, rangy receivers to throw to. We'll have our work cut out for us in the secondary."
And while NC State's running game is considered to be suspect at this point, the Wolfpack must still show a willingness to run the football in an effort to keep Central Florida's quick, athletic pass rusher at bay. A whopping total of 30 players saw their first action at NC State last weekend, including six true freshmen.
The newcomers did some good things in the friendly confines of Carter-Finley Stadium against a Southern Conference opponent, but how will they react to playing on the road for the first time against stronger competition?
"This is our first business trip of the season and the young guys will have to follow our lead," said Spencer. "We have to adjust to a stronger opponent and the climate change. It's going to be hot. And it will be a different atmosphere because we're on the road."
Spencer and many of the other seniors have done a good job of taking ownership of the program in this, O'Brien's fourth year. The ability of the upperclassmen to set the tone by playing with poise and composure, while also keeping the entire team together will be essential on the road.
On the other side, Central Florida will certainly look at this game as an opportunity to bring a little more respect to Conference USA, a league that has often been overshadowed by the ACC and SEC.
"Recognition around country comes from your non-conference wins," O'Leary said. "I address it with our staff and our players all the time. I think if Conference USA wants to get any recognition, they have to win some of these games and not just schedule good opponents."
