NC State

"State's a running back factory" by Drew Smith

<<Audio Blog>>

NC State is Running Back U!

• Wolfpack breezes past EKU
• State has running backs galore
• Heels could be in trouble

Click here for full details

"Wolfpack Mistakes Under a Microscope" by Joe Johnson

<audio blog>
   N.C. State had a football field's worth of penalties against Virginia Tech. The Wolfpack has had a long week of preparation to iron out those miscues. Will it happen against Eastern Kentucky?
Click here for audio.

"The Wild Bunch" by Drew Smith

<<Audio Blog>>

Discipline, Schmiscipline!

• Is State out of control?
• A joke schedule
• Home sweet home?

Click here for full details

"Penalties, Penalties, Penalties" by Joe Johnson

<<AUDIO BLOG>>

   N.C. State coach Chuck Amato talked about penalties until he was red in the face last season. The Wolfpack was one of the most penalized teams a year ago and now it started down that path again. Penalties at inopportune times have cost the Wolfpack. When do they stop?
Click here for more details.

"There's no place like home" by Drew Smith

<<AUDIO BLOG>>

Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda...

• Penalties derail the Pack
• Trestman's offense impressive
• Get rid of the red shoes!

Click here for full details

"State to win by 3 or more" by Rick Fields

Yeah...it's a bold prediction but you know what?  It's going to happen.  NC State, despite being underdogs will beat the Hokies Sunday evening at Carter-Finley Stadium.  Here's why.

• Vick - he's a phenomenal athlete but he should be rusty. The part of the game that will elude him will be the speed of State's defensive linemen and the mental aspect of the game. Being his first game in well over a year, he's likely to have some misreads and will make some mistakes with NC State's swarming frontline.
• State's Defense - this defense should be a killer. Last year, State had the #1 defense in the country and they return all 4 down linemen.  While the secondary will be untested, they shouldn't have to cover long with the pass rush that they'll possess.
• State's Offense - while the offense struggled last year, bringing in Trestman from the NFL and completely changing the offensive scheme will pose problems because the Hokies have never seen the Pack play this offense on film.  How do you "adequately" prepare for a team that you've not really seen on film?

Beamer is a fantastic coach and will have the Hokies prepared but I've got a gut feeling that today will be a day for the Pack. 

"Wolfpack's Fortunes Depend on Davis-Trestman Relationship" by Joe Johnson

   The Wolfpack know what a special group it has on defense but it doesn't quite know that it has on offense. Returning starter Jay Davis was spotty at quarterback last season and N.C. State's offense sputtered. But now another year older and wiser, Davis and new offensive coordinator Marc Trestman seem to be clicking. Trestman brings a load of experience as a coordinator from the NFL and from his college days at Miami where he molded Bernie Kosar and Vinny Testeverde. Davis should count himself lucky if some of Trestman's magic rubs off on him. Davis' first test will be against Virginia Tech, a team out for revenge after losing inauspiciously to the Wolfpack last season.
   The defense, with Mario Williams on one end and Manny Lawson on the other, should be as effective as any team in the country and that's the way head coach Chuck Amato likes it.