North Carolina State University Athletics
PEELER: Pack Football News & Notes
9/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 20, 2010
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. - The most difficult thing about playing reigning ACC champion Georgia Tech is preparing for Yellow Jacket head coach Paul Johnson's "flexbone" offense, the modified triple option wishbone that chews up yardage and befuddles undisciplined defenders.
The only real way to prepare for it, says NC State head coach Tom O'Brien, is to preach assignment football during the 10 days his team has had to prepare for Saturday's noon game at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta.
Since he doesn't have an option quarterback currently on the scout team, the coach will turn to freshman Tobias Palmer and junior Curtis Underwood to emulate the quickness of Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt, if not his precision decision-making.
"It's very tough to simulate this offense and the precision of this offense," O'Brien said Monday at his weekly press conference. "We want to try to get it as close to game speed as we can get. What is hard is going from the three-game set we just had, with spread offenses, to this type of offense.
"We have played this [offense] before as coaches, but our players haven't. It's assignment football; tough, physical football. They are going to test your mental toughness, because once you get tired, that's when they pop all those big plays on you. They wear you out."
The Yellow Jackets' productivity is just as tough on opposing offenses, O'Brien said.
"The biggest thing you have to do when playing against it is not panic," O'Brien said. "Sometimes you get the feeling that you have to make a play and score every time you touch the ball. That works to a disadvantage to you in calling plays.
"Their offense knows the best thing they can do is keep your offense off the field. That's what they have had great success doing."
DON'T FORGET THE OFFENSE: O'Brien said his team also had to be cautious of the Yellow Jacket's 3-4 defense when the game kicks off on Saturday.
"It's a complete change from a week ago, when we played a [3-4] team that went to a 4-3; now we are playing a 4-3 team that went to a [3-4]. You have two different philosophies.
"That's probably the most overlooked thing when you play Georgia Tech, everybody is worried about playing against their offense, but now because of their defense, and the possibilities of who is dropping, who is rushing, where are they coming from. It presents a lot of problems in terms of passing the football."
BOXING COLE: At one time during his high school career in Monroe, Mich., junior linebacker Audie Cole was a Golden Gloves boxer with a bright future. But he preferred playing football and baseball instead. He hasn't spent much time in the ring since he arrived in Raleigh, which hasn't been a boxing hotbed since NC State dropped the sport from its varsity programs in the late 1930s.
"I went in the gym one time last year and sparred with a kid who needed some work, but that was the last time I put the gloves on," Cole said. "I haven't done it in a while. I don't have anywhere to go down here and no one to do it with.
"I guess I am kind of retired."
But the converted high school quarterback certainly draws on his boxing experience while playing defense. He's tough, aggressive and likes to hit people.
"My father always thought I would be better on defense," Cole said. "He always said I played quarterback like I play defense. I was the kind of guy who never ran out of bounds and tried to run over people."
STILL CONFIDENT: O'Brien said he still has confidence in redshirt freshman Dean Haynes, despite a couple of drops in last Thursday's game against Cincinnati. He is still listed as the Wolfpack's starting tailback on the depth chart released Monday.
"We still have confidence in him," O'Brien said. "It's the first time that he's had bad things happen to him. He has to mature. He has to be a little smarter. He was a little shocked on Thursday when it happened. It's all part of growing up and getting better.
"A big part of being a running back is you have to forget about it. We have to help him move on. He is still going to be a big part of the offense. We have to get him back in the swing of things."
Haynes carried the ball 16 times for 20 yards. True freshman Mustafa Greene had 84 yards on 16 carries and was named the ACC Freshman of the Week for his performance.
O'Brien also had positive words for Underwood, who is biding his time in hopes of making more contributions. He had six carries for 23 yards against Cincinnati and one reception for 12 yards.
"He's been patient," O'Brien said. "He has been preparing himself every day in practice. He knows he is going to get that opportunity. That's one of the good things of this football team, guys aren't sulking. They believe they are going to get an opportunity.
"The only way he is going to get back on the field is to contribute when he gets his opportunity. That was a good thing to see. I felt good for him and the way he played."
NEWS & NOTES: O'Brien said he will continue to monitor the progress of sophomore offensive lineman R.J. Mattes, who made his first game appearance since suffering a season-ending knee injury last fall. "He did okay," O'Brien said. "He is not the player he was before he got here. That's a broken record. He played about 30 plays, which is what we wanted him to do. That was his first game. Hopefully...we will see some big strides out of him and we will make a decision closer to game time about who will play right tackle." ... The coach also announced Monday that linebacker William Beasley is no longer on the team.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
